Showing titles in Instruction & Technique

This Clapton guitar hit is taught to you in a step-by-step and note-by-note fashion completely by ear. Both the rhythm and lead guitar parts are taught in this all-audio lesson in two- to four-measure sections. A full demonstration is included at the beginning of the lesson to listen to and practice along with.

When you listen to music, do you prefer lyrics or melody? Intricate harmonies or driving rhythm? The “real” sounds of acoustic instruments or those of computerized synthesizers? Drawing from her successful career as a music producer (engineering hits like Prince’s “Purple Rain”), professor of cognitive neuroscience Susan Rogers reveals why your favorite songs move you. She explains that we each possess a unique “listener profile” based on our brain’s reaction to seven key dimensions of any record: authenticity, realism, novelty, melody, lyrics, rhythm, and timbre.

There are a multitude of jazz standard licks in this George Benson rendition of the hit by Average White Band. In this “by ear” lesson, you will learn both the rhythm and lead (melody) guitar parts without using any tab, print, or video. This way, you learn the song quickly and develop your ability to learn other songs “by ear” as well. A full demonstration of the song is included as well as three versions of the backing tracks so that you and a friend can perform both parts if you choose.

Many people aspire to be great songwriters, but they don't know where to begin or how to get the ball rolling. They dabble in it here and there, but they don't ever fully express themselves as they should, and music becomes a frustration. In this book, I am going to help you take your skills to the next level. You have your foot in the door, you've started your skill, and you have the basics, but I'm going to take you to the next step. I'm going to launch you from beginner to intermediate, and show you how to truly write a song.

Many songwriting books teach you to write "a" song. Seven Foundations for Great Songwriting teaches you how to write song after song after song for a lifetime. Whether your goal is to jump-start a songwriting career, improve your current craft, or just write songs for family and friends, this book will teach you the best practices great songwriters have used for generations.

Bill Withers entered the music fray as hardly an afterthought, rewrote the rules for a decade, earned a fortune, then, unable to square himself with the requisites of the music business, took his leave. When he died in 2019 at eighty-one, he was every bit the mystery he was when he started. In this remarkable biography by acclaimed author Mark Ribowsky, the most accidental music supernova is brought to life in vivid detail, told with insights from those who knew him throughout his short but incredibly impactful career.

How to Write a Hit Song: The Beginner's Guide is a comprehensive guide for aspiring songwriters who want to learn the art of creating catchy and memorable songs. This book covers all aspects of the songwriting process, from finding inspiration and developing song ideas, to crafting lyrics and melodies that resonate with listeners.

Songwriting Made Easy: A Beginner's Guide to Writing Great Lyrics in Under a Day is a comprehensive guidebook that provides aspiring songwriters with the tools and techniques they need to write great lyrics quickly and efficiently. This beginner-friendly book is written in an accessible and engaging style, making it easy for anyone to get started with songwriting.

Movies, Star Trek, Clone Wars, and Willie Nelson! This mash-up set gives you movie themes, old standards, and a Singer Pro version of “Easy” by The Commodores, where you’ll learn the actual piano part from the original hit recording. There is also modern pop by Adele and Josh Groban. This set contains over twelve hours of high-quality piano instruction by a world-class teacher, taught entirely “By Ear!”

This lesson is based on the Massey Hall (1971) acoustic version of this Neil Young hit. The interesting thing about this song is that the chords that are used seemed to have disappeared during the “rock” era only to reemerge later in the “alternative” movement.

How to Memorize Music is the guide that will get you playing from memory fastest, without resorting to shortcuts and tricks that make your playing less musical. Learn a step-by-step, easy-to-follow process that will help you memorize your piece; tips on more secure and more musical playing; ways to make memorization easier before you start memorizing; and much more!

Music practice arguments in families are seemingly so ubiquitous that it's become a trope used in sitcoms. But it doesn't have to be this way. Your child can have a wonderful experience with music, and you can enjoy watching their progress without it becoming a battlefield. In Practice Pie, I'll teach you how to support your child in their musical journey. I can't promise it will be as easy as pie (but then, is pie really easy?), but I can promise to make it quick and practical, with a little humor thrown in for good measure.

In this lesson, you will learn a late beginner level piano solo of the Christmas song “Mary Did You Know”. The song is demonstrated at the beginning of the lesson and is then taught completely “by ear” using no music, print, or video. This song is also available in an intermediate level arrangement.

This ABBA hit makes a great piano solo! The lesson starts with a full demonstration of the song followed by a detailed “by ear” lesson demonstrating and explaining every phrase and note of the song. This arrangement is rated at an intermediate level.

This arrangement is from the famous “Notebook for Anna Magdalena” which was a volume of songs J.S. Bach presented to his second wife full of minuets, marches, sonatinas, etc. This notebook has become very popular through the years because it contains pieces of an intermediate level that help to hone the essential skills needed for proficient keyboard playing. This lesson starts with a full demonstration followed by a two to four measure sectional lesson of the entire song describing notes and fingering.

Larry Carlton’s version of this guitar solo standard uses well placed bends and half-step turns to make this arrangement really pop! The lesson starts off with a full demonstration of the song followed by a detailed “by ear” lesson of every phrase and lick. The lesson concludes with backing tracks for you to perform your new song with! This lesson is rated at a level two difficulty.

Add a little rock to your Christmas this year with this Brenda Lee hit. This piano by ear lesson starts with a full demonstration of the arrangement and then teaches it all the way through without any music, print, or video.

From James Taylor to Jim Brickman, you will find a wide variety of tasteful piano solo lessons in this Piano By Ear: Pop and Standards Box Set. The styles covered in this set cover country, pop, adult contemporary, and oldies. Some of these solos get close to the advanced level, so this set is most suitable for adult students who have been playing for over three years.

This fun and upbeat Christmas standard is an easy one to add to your repertoire when you learn it “by ear”! The lesson starts with a full demonstration of the arrangement followed by a detailed, note-by-note description of the entire song.

This level one lesson uses Elvis’s version of the song as the primary source of the acoustic and electric parts but also teaches an acoustic-only version based on the Tom Jones version with the walking bass lines. In the Elvis version, you will both the acoustic rhythm guitar part and the electric lead guitar part to the song. Everything in this lesson is taught “by ear” so there is no print or video to mess with. Also included is a full demonstration recording and backing tracks for the Elvis version.