Playing by ear is based on observation, trial, and error. This is how very young children learn to walk and talk. The ToneWay Music Method incorporates this approach to give you the simplest and easiest way to learn to play music. Simply playing around and making mistakes guides you into the ‘groove’. As you intuitively sense the ‘relative tone’ nature of music, your innate talent blossoms naturally.
“What makes ‘people music’ easy? Is there a secret?”
Children learn to walk and talk naturally through observation, trial, and error. The ToneWay Music Method incorporates this approach to give you the easiest way to learn to play music. Simply playing and making mistakes guides you into the ‘groove’. Your innate seeds of talent blossom naturally in a stress-free way.
It is not as chaotic as it sounds, as long as you follow the ‘simple roots’ of music—the Five Commandments, as we call them. We have found the dictum ‘less is more’ to be profoundly true. Teaching folks to play music intuitively, by ear, requires limiting the instruction to only what is necessary. Oddly, that is perhaps the greatest challenge. Teachers and students alike often fall into a ‘more is better’ trap.
Playing music by ear helps you avoid the ‘more is better’ trap. Learning to play an instrument by ear also prepares you (unconsciously) for playing other instruments intuitively. Because this approach is more key-independent, you will be able to play in any key, making your singing more comfortable and enjoyable.
Another obvious secret to playing music is patience and listening; an ounce of these ‘love’ qualities equals a pound of talent. Without this, no amount of talent will bring joy and any lofty unrealistic expectations will make your cup forever feel half-empty.
On the other hand, by approaching your musical quest with ‘love’ (i.e., patience), you can enjoy every step of the journey no matter how meager your talent. Attitude is everything! Finally, play with other folks! This music, like its African and Native American cousins, lives and breathes in its social experience! Playing with others as early as possible is the quickest way to learn, bar none.
“But you don’t understand… I really have NO musical talent!”
Having talent is profoundly unnecessary when it comes to communication, whether through music or speech. Even if you don’t have any oratory talent, you can speak fluently, right? Certainly, without talent you are not going to be an eloquent speaker or Grammy winner. So what? Simply approach music as a child would, tapping into your sense of curiosity and play. With that alone, the ToneWay approach will have you singing and playing ‘people music’ before you know it and likely surprise you as you discover you have much more talent than you ever thought.
