Walden Online Workshop: Getting Started Playing By Ear

Presented by Nate May, Walden School Teaching Faculty

Perhaps the best-kept secret of music education is this: the top music creators of every genre learn and hone their craft primarily by simply listening to music. It takes work to get to the point where every song or piece you hear can be a lesson, but once that work is done, you’ll never stop learning. So when so much music training is based on notation, where do you begin this process?

This workshop is designed especially for composers, songwriters, beatmakers, and producers who have basic piano skills and are looking to start learning to play songs they love directly from recordings. No theory knowledge is required—I’ve been developing my own ways of explaining and visualizing what you need to know with maximum clarity. Not a creator (yet)? No problem—these skills will apply to you as well.

To prepare: hook up decent speakers or headphones (you’ll want to be able to hear the low frequencies in particular), sit down at your keyboard instrument, and get out some paper and pencil. Looking forward to working with you!

Register here.