Ear training is regarded as a basic tool for pianists... were it only so.
Ear Training for the Pianist
The basic issues are the uselessness of current ear training methods and traditional theory texts in the practice and performance of music. To quote Tobias Matthay, a British pedagogue of unquestioned authority;
'It’s however no exaggeration to assert that ninety-nine out of every hundred piano students do not listen.’Tobias Matthay © 2012 Forgotten Books. Originally published 1924 Appendix to Part I “On Listening”
Ear training is devoted to the ability to sing various notes of a scale, but not to recognize harmonic qualities. Theory or ‘harmony’ as it is often called is the theory of notes and what those notes do. There is no effort to understanding music itself through the ‘ear’. Playing by ear is regarded as a special accomplishment, whereas it should be regarded as the basic accomplishment.
The cook experiences food through taste. He will recognize certain herbs or ingredients and be able to determine the taste based upon this knowledge. An interior decorator will paint a few sample colors on a wall to get a ‘visual’ in order to determine the color combinations that the room requires. The actor will read a script to determine the meaning and feel of a scene. In none of these cases is the mere memorization of elements involved. A recipe alone does not make a good cook. Buckets of paint do not make a good interior decorator. Words of a script do not make a good actor. And, notes alone do not make a musician.
The area of music seems to be satisfied by the mere practice and performance of notes, even though it is an aural form. Recognition and comparison of musical sounds within a score or piece of music are not taught. The pianist begins the practice period by playing the notes of the current piece, and these notes are ‘practiced’. If a pianist makes an error in a lesson, the note or notes are corrected. And, if a pianist makes an error in a recital it is attributed to ‘forgetting’ rather than a lack of understanding and listening.
‘Ear training’ as is used in piano studios, universities, and colleges is a process of recognizing and singing musical pitches. This has a certain but limited value. Singers, for example must be able to hear pitches accurately. Violinists must also be able to listen and produce accurate intonation. The pianist’s instrument however is a ‘fixed tone’ instrument for which the pianist has no control. What the pianist does have are sound qualities that are defined as intervals, scales, chords, and modes. Therefore, ear training for the pianist should be different than for singers, violinists, etc.
Unfortunately there are no methods for training the pianist to hear and to listen. As a result 99 out of 100 pianists do not listen, nor do they hear. The question therefore is what is one supposed to hear or listen to? The answer lay in the qualities of sound and the differentiation and labeling of those sounds through analysis. Therein lay the purpose of analysis.
Refer to the article, “Learning and Memorizing by Analysis”