Music/piano teachers- is this unusual?

[savetti]

I recently bought a piano.
My 12 son has taken to picking out tunes in it.
He can literally pick out any tune and play it perfectly within 2/3 plays.
I think it’s remarkable, but is it really?
He can sing well too

By ear? Has he ever played the piano before or any instruments/read music?
If not, sounds pretty impressive to me!

Yes, it's unusual. He sounds like he has a good sense of pitch and motivation to explore it.

Are you thinking about getting him some tuition? Even if he's finding satisfaction working on his own, it can be useful to get technique (so he can do more) and to read as well. Some teachers are less prescriptive than others and will help him develop his interests in a way that suits him.

Yes sorry, by ear
Started to learn to read music and piano in regular music lesson in school, but not got very far.
These are just songs he likes, he asked me to pick a random one and I said the national anthem, he got it on the second go.

He’s loving it, because he’s not finding it hard. I don’t want to put him off with a very structured teacher.
I’m sure he could do with help with technique, his fingers aren’t outstretched.

Some people really do just "get" pitch naturally. It's always impressive to see. I went to school with a boy who genuinely had perfect pitch. We used to piss around jabbing out random notes on the piano and asking him what they were - I mean, up and down the keyboard, all over the place, and he always got it right. He could hear something and play it back immediately, fully chorded and everything. It was actually quite spooky and perhaps unsurprisingly he is indeed a successful professional musician now.

Other people I've met can do what your son does ie work it out with a bit of time and there are more people who can do that but it's still very impressive when you hear it. A lot of session guys and regular pit performers etc have this kind of ability and the ones who have this "relative pitch" naturally do do better than the ones who have to work on it.

I'd say that any unusual natural talent is worth pursuing just because it's very satisfying so do encourage him. Playing music is a great activity even if you don't go for it as a career.

It's not unusual for those who are musically talented.
ie - he clearly has the ear for it and a natural skill.
So if you took him to a piano teacher, I don't think they would think it's out of the ordinary.

For reference I was the same and it's something I think is completely normal. But other people think it's amazing and I'm like - really it's not.
I would just encourage it and not pressure him if he doesn't want to take the formal route of lessons etc.
He'll have enormous fun just learning things off adverts and the radio.

Sorry, but no, that doesn't sound unusual to me. By all means get him some piano lessons if you want, but picking out a tune on a keyboard is not an unusual thing to work out how to do by yourself. Plenty of children do this. I don't see why it's anything out of the ordinary.

Oh god I forgot this is Mumsnet where it's completely normal to play the Brandenburg Concertos by ear while speaking Mandarin aged five.

Op it sounds like he has a natural aptitude for hearing. I think there are two strands to playing an instrument: technical proficiency and listening. Technical proficiency obviously has to be taught. Listening can also be taught but if you have a natural aptitude for it it's easier to do the proficiency afterwards than the other way around. And most people do not listen well so yes what your son is doing is fairly unusual and would stand him in good stead if he wanted to pursue it further.

Oh god I forgot this is Mumsnet where it's completely normal to play the Brandenburg Concertos by ear while speaking Mandarin aged five.

Not the same thing at all.

I don't find it "remarkable" to learn simple tunes by ear with trial and error. Completely different from being a child genius with the technical proficiency to play Rachmaninoff.

I've always ben able to do that. But I am not gifted musically. I love music, and had lessons in voice and violin as a child. My teachers often commented that I have perfect pitch. I am also a linguist and learn aurally.
But in terms of composition, music theory, and general aptitude, I am not very good.
Maybe he just has a very good ear?
A great skill in itself. If coupled with musicality he may be a prodigy yet... or not, like me!

I'm a piano teacher. This obviously isn't unheard of but its very rare to meet a child who can repeat a tune accurately after just 2–3 listens. None of my 20 pupils could do this before starting lessons.

Unless he wants lessons, I'd leave him be. He's enjoying it and motivated to do it; a poor teacher could bash that out of him!

You could get him a book about playing from chord symbols so that he learns how to accompany the tunes he plays in his right hand with some interesting chord stuff in his left.

On technique, I wouldn't get bogged down in it apart from a basic good hand position which you'll be able to easily find images of online.

I know some fabulous piano players who have never had a lesson. They play differently to someone like me who is classically trained but its just a different approach and in many ways more useful as people who have learned to play informally tend to be a bit more flexible, reactive due to their ability to improvise so can do really well playing in bands etc.

I used to pick out tunes myself when I was his age, but definitely not that quickly.
I’ve just picked the Nat anthem myself and it wasn’t that hard.
I think what I find impressive is that he can hear the first note in his head and find that immediately, so if I sang a note he could find it.
My Dad is actually a musician, self taught, but doesn’t read music.

Both hands?

My son started doing this aged around 12. He had been having guitar lessons though. He asked for piano lessons and started them just before his 14th birthday. In two years he progressed phenomenally and now hopes to study music at uni.

He can play better after two years than I could play after 10 years (& I got to grade 8). He also turned out to have perfect pitch.

So if he wants to, I’d encourage lessons.

Yes, he can use both hands
He started just picking out the tune with his right hand, but he can use both now.

You may want to get him a jazz piano teacher OP, who would encourage him playing by ear and improvising (rather than force him through structured music-reading.) sounds like he might have a talent for that.

Being able to play the melody is not totally unusual. Being able to pick out the harmony with his left hand is much more unusual. It also sounds like he might have perfect pitch.

Have a look on YouTube, there are some good piano improvisation videos that might help to spur him along. There are also more basic piano lessons to follow which might help him with his fingering and hand position - getting that right is the key to smooth and effortless playing.

How fabulous! I'd recommend a younger more relaxed music teacher. This worked for my DC's who previously were not interested but have taken to her really well.

Dude, that's a talent. Foster it!

I'm the same, I have a good ear I can play by ear and sing well. It's not so rare but many people don't have the opportunity to even find out how many homes even have pianos these days? My parents had a piano and got me lessons when they realized I was musical.

I've always been like that with musical instruments including the piano, and I will forever regret not getting piano lessons and instead 'teaching' myself. As a result I don't read bass clef fluently and very much 'feel' the music rather than reading it.

I would fully recommend getting your son lessons. What he can do certainly doesn't come naturally to everyone, and there's a chance he could really excel on the piano - though approach with caution, and don't put too much pressure on him to be the next Mozart.

12 is quite late to start playing though - kids of this age often reach a bit of a rebellious stage with their music tuition, where they don't want to put the work in with practice etc, so don't be too disappointed if this happens.

Sounds like he has a natural ability - and interest. Get him some lessons while he is keen!

One thing is that sometimes when something comes too easy, its easy to take it for granted. Its often the things that really challenge us that motivate us.

12 is quite late to start playing though - kids of this age often reach a bit of a rebellious stage with their music tuition, where they don't want to put the work in with practice etc, so don't be too disappointed if this happens.

I disagree, my younger DC's rebelled but now older my DC's are much more committed to practicing. I think it's because the first time round I pushed them, whereas second time I let them lead it and just gently encouraged and provided a more relaxed teacher.

What do you mean "perfectly" op? Are we talking one hand picking out the tune or two hands, adding chords and an accompaniment?