Aural training in piano lessons

Playing the right notes with the correct rhythm is not enough to accomplish musicality when playing

a piece. There lots of subtleties within the musical symbols that have to be codified accurately. One

of the most important is sound itself.

Many students wait until the note is sounded before they can hear it. Reading is more fluent and

accurate when the mind can imagine the sound before it arrives. Any error can quickly be identified.

Our inner hearing is best developed by making sure that all the elements of the music are secure.

In order to grasp in depth all the musical layers of a piece, the student have be capable of drumming

the rhythms out on a table and sing the melody with all the articulations. Also, all intervals have to

be judged without the help of the piano and the chords also be pitched singing up and down

These sorts of activities have to take place during a piano lesson and then continued at home as

homework.

In order to build the confidence of the student from the symbol (staff) to the sound, it is paramount

to start with short and simple examples, and then difficulty can be raised.

Another important aspect of aural teaching is to make sure the students are hearing the sounds they

are producing, so it is paramount for the piano teacher to introduce gradually aural training on the

piano lessons.

by Gisela Paterno