One of the interests I’ve had since I was a very young child is how it works to “play by ear.” When I was a child, I thought that it was, basically, a “magical gift” that spontaneously appeared in some people. Then, I learned music theory in college and realized that it was possible to label the music that one heard, and “playing by ear” became something that was, in theory, doable.
I’ve thought for many years that it would be appropriate to teach a “chord method” in addition to a traditional piano method – which would support learning to “play by ear” –but I never found one that was appealing. A few months ago I ran across Meridee Winters’ books – and I finally have a method that is teaching the pattern part that is used both to play by ear and to play written pieces with facility
Here are Meridee Winters’ chord piano method books and more information about the method: