Play by Ear Session 1 – From Paper to Ear: Building the Foundation
About Play by Ear Session 1 – From Paper to Ear: Building the Foundation
Are you ready to gain confidence in your playing and improve your musicianship overall as you improve your dulcimer player? If so, you are in the right place! This course starts at the very beginning teaching how to hear and identify the scales and intervals on the dulcimer and to relate those to familiar songs. We will have an overview of the understanding of what playing by ear is and how it is used in different genres of music. We will learn to play songs you already know and gradually move into new tunes so that you are learning to hear and memorize simultaneously.
You will learn a variety of techniques designed to help you learn songs by ear including: listening, singing, echoing and analyzing song structure. You will have access to a YouTube playlist of all the songs you are learning, plus audio files you can download and listen to as often as needed. And after completing the sessions, you will receive PDFs of the song lyrics and tab. The course is jam packed with music, techniques and practical application of the process of playing by ear!
*Note: Playing by ear takes some time to develop. You will not develop this skill in one lesson! You need to be patient and give yourself time to understand the process. This course will guide and support you along this journey in a safe community of sharing and caring.
Age Range
Adults
Contact the Teacher
Send a direct message from the teacher's profile page with any questions you might have about the class.
Save up to $100 by enrolling in a class bundle. Check out the Lorinda Jones Class Bundles >>
When
The class will meet for four weekly 1-hour live online sessions.
Enrolled students receive lifetime access to the video recordings of the classes.
How It Works
Enroll above to save your spot in the class. Lessonface will send you a confirmation right away, and a Zoom link 24 hours before each session's start time. You can log into your Lessonface dashboard to access class materials, communicate with your instructor, join the live Zoom session, and access the class recordings and chat transcript afterward. Contact us with any questions. This class, and all lessons and classes on Lessonface, are covered by the Lessonface Guarantee.
Students Say
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Susan H. on July 14, 2024
Excellent class. The teacher is very knowledgeable, encouraging, and passionate about helping students learn.
Mary A. on July 14, 2024
Lorinda is a good teacher who is considerate of beginners and paces the instruction so we can keep up and try the new technique or song. This class was a good introduction to ear training which is what we were looking for.
Brenda L. on July 14, 2024
Well-organized, well- led. Lorinda is an excellent teacher!!
Verified Student on July 13, 2024
Very helpful
Jane B. on July 13, 2024
Excellent! Well organized, fun, good pace, and inspired me to keep practicing what I learned. Thank you Lorinda!
Cindy A. on July 13, 2024
Fantastic!!! Lorinda is a wonderful teacher. ❤️
Verified Student on July 13, 2024
Wonderful class with a great opportunity to learn from the amazing Lorinda Jones!
Verified Student on July 13, 2024
Excellent class! Lorinda gave a great presentation and thorough introduction to learning by ear. I particularly enjoyed the tips and tricks of recognizing intervals and chords, and the real-time exercises she showed us. It was easy to follow and informative. Thank you!
½
Judy T. on July 13, 2024
Excellent class with helpful, clearly defined tips for ear training. Thank you
Cyndee B. on May 25, 2024
I have taken all four courses in Lorinda’s Playing By Ear series and have learned a lot! She is a fantastic instructor, and I recommend her highly. I look forward to taking more Lessonface classes with her.
Janet D. on May 25, 2024
Lorinda is an excellent instructor.
Janet R. on May 25, 2024
Annabel on May 20, 2024
Most excellent with lots of supplemental materials for support. Lorinda is a fantastic teacher.
Annabel on April 14, 2024
Absolutely fabulous
Cyndee B. on April 13, 2024
Conquering the Jam, Level 2- Playing in Different Keys was an awesome class taught by Lorinda Jones, a fantastic instructor! I recommend both highly! I have a musical background and am taking her Conquering the Jam classes to tune up my aging ears. I am making progress with every class in the series. Many thanks to Lorinda and LessonFace!
Malcolm on April 13, 2024
6Conquering the Jam Level 2 was a great class and Lorinda was very helpful
Annabel D. on April 5, 2024
Not able to access
Norma on March 9, 2024
Awesome! Have enjoyed learning more how to train my ear thru the many songs we covered. It has been challenging, but yet rewarding. Thank you Lorinda!
Cyndee B. on March 4, 2024
Lorinda is an excellent teacher. I learned so much in this class!
Teresa R. on March 4, 2024
Lorinda is a wonderful instructor. She encourages you to keep practicing and letting your ear lead the way. There is plenty of reference material posted after the weekly lessons are finished. That is very helpful and allows your practice time to go smoothly. You will be surprised how much you will remember and play just by sound and not using tab. It has been a joy to take this class. I'm looking forward to our next session!
Friberg Z. on March 3, 2024
Janet D. on March 3, 2024
Lorinda does a very good job.
Malcolm . on March 3, 2024
It was a fun class and one I recommend to my friends that want to learn by ear
Tricia S. on March 3, 2024
Lorinda does a fabulous job combining tunes that are similar in form. She is an excellent teacher and does a great job handling questions and breaking down the tunes for easy pacing. I definitely appreciated her closing comments: we have learned a year's worth of tunes and not to worry if we don't have everything memorized in a week!! Looking forward to your March 18th Emerald Encore Program! Also, I have been looking for someone to take lessons in Irish Tenor Banjo. I have lots of tunes memorized but I would like to know proper techniques. I am mostly self taught.
Cyndee B. on February 17, 2024
Lorinda is an outstanding instructor! I picked up the mountain dulcimer just before the Covid pandemic and lock-down hit, so all I learned was self-taught. This resulted in “spotty” knowledge that negatively impacts skill development. Lorinda’s Conquering the Jam classes are filling in the gaps quite nicely! I recommend them highly.
Cyndee B. on February 17, 2024
Lorinda Jones is an outstanding instructor, and I highly recommend her “From Paper to Ear” course! I have a background in music but picked up the mountain dulcimer for the first time just prior to the COVID pandemic lockdown. My skill and knowledge were “spotty” and needed work. Somehow I seem to have forgotten to trust my ear over the years. “From Paper to Ear” was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time. I am thrilled with my improved skill, confidence, and enjoyment of playing mountain dulcimer and singing. Many thanks to Lorinda for a wonderful course!
Norma O. on February 1, 2024
Awesome class! Lorinda incorporated so many ways to learn songs by ear beginning with the most common songs to those that I had not heard before. I’m so glad I took this challenge, and am looking forward to her next class.
½
Verified Student on January 30, 2024
She is a wonderful teacher!
Amy K. on January 30, 2024
Really helped build my confidence level and I am now memorizing songs much more readily
Teresa R. on January 29, 2024
Great :) Lorinda is a wonderful teacher. I wasn't sure how much I would get from this class. I learned a lot! And it was fun to boot. I looked forward to our sessions.
Malcolm J. on January 28, 2024
Great class looking forward to the February class
Bill P. on January 28, 2024
This class was amazing. Lorinda opened my eyes to a different path to learning songs. It will take practice but will be well worth the effort and fun while learning! Many thanks to Lorinda!
Annabel on January 28, 2024
Rxcellent
Verified Student on January 28, 2024
I wish I had had an opportunity for “Suzuki Dulcimer”. 20 years ago! Thanks Lorinda!
Malcolm R. on January 28, 2024
I it was a great class I’m am glad I took it and signed up for the next. Lorinda Jones is a great instructor
Joyce C. on January 28, 2024
Lorinda is an excellent teacher! She taught me to actually play by ear instead of always depending on written music.
Jena D. on January 28, 2024
Very enjoyable and informative. It worked well with my schedule.
Janet D. on January 28, 2024
Lorinda is an excellent instructor, she is patient and through plus she maintains accessibility for her students.
Malcolm J. on January 21, 2024
It’s a very helpful class and Ms. Jones is a very good teacher
Tricia S. on January 15, 2024
Dona W. on January 14, 2024
It was wonderful - even more fun than I anticipated. And although I have played music for many years, I found myself learning new things, which is always great!
Nell R. on June 8, 2023
Wonderful!
Beverly S. on May 26, 2023
Great. Lorinda is an excellent instructor.
Barbara L. on May 26, 2023
Lorinda is a fine, lovely, and organized teacher. As a pretty neophyte mountain dulcimer player, I was probably in over my head some of the time, but I learned a lot and appreciated getting the tab at the end of every module. I must admit I didn't practice as much as I might have, but in reality I live in a part of the country where there aren't readily available jam sessions, so I can be quite contented with playing on my own from Tab. I'd probably take another class with Lorinda though even if it was oriented toward Playing by Ear because I like most of the music she chooses. It was helpful for me to appreciate the value of singing a tune. Those with words were easier, but even humming a fiddle tune was helpful. That said, it was much easier for me to learn familiar tunes and pick up how to play them by ear than things completely unfamiliar. But hey, you need to learn new things, right?!Some issues I had were with the quality of the internet signal. Often I couldn't see a link between the visual and what I heard because they weren't in sync. Additionally, it would have been helpful for me, given my level of skill, if things had sometimes gone a little more slowly.
Paul K. on May 25, 2023
We just loved it. Lorinda has a pleasant way of teaching; always encouraging. I personally liked it because she took her time to approach each song slowly and didn't rush it. We play it till we know it. Even though the process is paced, we still managed to get a ton of songs over the course of the sessions. Thank you, Lorinda.
Teresa on May 25, 2023
I've enjoyed the class. Lorinda is a great instructor!
Martha C. on May 11, 2023
excellent! Lorinda is always eager to help students learn……and has developed many skills to demonstrate that! She adapts to tech “glitches” and offers practical solutions! A++
Beverly S. on April 25, 2023
Great instruction-learned a lot. Highly recommend these classes.
Martha C. on April 21, 2023
Delightful, smooth and generous with beginner exercises that turned into learning a lovely tune!
Donna on April 19, 2023
Very fun. Learned a lot.
½
Jane B. on April 19, 2023
Very enjoyable and relaxed. Nice pace. Lots of info.
Barbara L. on April 19, 2023
Clear, practical instruction in the fundamentals of harp playing. For this complete beginner it was an empowering introduction.
Judith E. on April 19, 2023
Fun and engaging.
Patricia M. on April 19, 2023
Some very good ideas. Thank you for technique reminders
Donna S. on April 19, 2023
Learned so much and had fun.
Nancy L. on April 19, 2023
Soooo good!
Linda F. on April 19, 2023
Lorinda always provides a wonderful class. This time for her introduction, she chose the perfect tune to practice the skills taught, and with such musicality.
Verified Student on April 19, 2023
The class was good but moving through the song itself went a little too quickly to grasp all the notes. It would be very helpful if the camera was overhead so we could transfer the hand positions to our own thus learning correct placement.
Laura R. on April 16, 2023
Excellent. Lorinda’s techniques have boosted my confidence and enjoyment playing the mountain dulcimer. I’m looking forward to learning more from her.
Debra H. on April 14, 2023
Lorinda always put forth easy to follow instructions. This was a playing by ear class and she approaches it from multiple ways to help all learning styles.
½
Verified Student on April 13, 2023
Excellent!
Verified Student on April 13, 2023
Fantastic!
John H. on April 13, 2023
GREAT!!
Verified Student on April 13, 2023
Lorinda is a wonderful instructor. I've learned so much from her classes As a beginner MD player I'm very pleased with my progress from Lorinda's classes. I am over-joyed that I have learned to play the MD and a huge plus to play by ear. I hope Lorinda will continue with LF classes going forward.
Teresa on April 13, 2023
This is the third set of classes, 12 classes total so far. I have enjoyed each class and learning so much. Lorinda is a great instructor! I'm positive the next set of classes will be great also.
Verified Student on April 13, 2023
challening but very doable
Dan C. on March 17, 2023
Excellent! I'm try (and doing) new things that I had convinced myself I couldn't do. And I'm having fun doing it. Thank you, Lorinda. You are motivational and your ability to teach this material to us mere mortals is impressive. Beyond that, your love of music and personal mission to share it shines through.
Dan C. on March 15, 2023
½
Ann S. on March 14, 2023
Some theory was taught, which made sense to me along with tunes being taught.
Verified Student on March 11, 2023
P. on March 11, 2023
Fantastic! I never thought that I would learn and practice the skills of playing by ear, but I not afraid now to try and after a couple of times I'm able to get a song; saving me from having to buy more lead sheets. :>)
½
Verified Student on March 10, 2023
It really boosted my confidence. Lorinda is an excellent teacher.
Verified Student on March 10, 2023
Great!!
½
Verified Student on March 9, 2023
Wonderful series!
John H. on March 9, 2023
Great class, very helpful, the songs were broken down in parts to make the learning easier.
Verified Student on March 9, 2023
Debra H. on March 9, 2023
Lorinda is a wonderful teacher and is always helpful and encouraging. She has approached teaching, learning to play by ear, in so many ways to help you find a pathway that works for you! I would definitely recommend this class.
Verified Student on March 9, 2023
Great!
Maureen V. on March 3, 2023
Lorinda was great. I was not as ready for the speed of teaching and all the songs became overwhelming. I was slower to figure out and never sure I had it right. Part 1 could have been 2 parts. Part 2 had me still working in Part 1 basics and was helpful with less songs but also more to learn. Moving beyond Melody line overwhelmed me and adding chords was not hard if I had the notes figured out. I have learned basics but it has taken a lot of time every week on my own and never got it all. It was my problem as not ready to tackle this in such a speedy way. I will continue to teach myself from the classes and songs. Glad they are available.
Nancy D. on March 2, 2023
Wonderful! Love Lorinda’s teaching style.
½
Ginny S. on February 7, 2023
Great class! Because I’ve been playing since 1994 I knew many of the tunes that Lorinda taught, and figured them out on the fretboard easily. So, I didn’t practice as I should have. BUT taking the class increased my confidence in playing by ear, and picking out tunes. During QuaranTune9 I actually used some of Lorinda’s hints to learn tunes unfamiliar to me. Glad I took this class!
T. B. on February 4, 2023
Great Class! Looking forward to continuing with the next level
½
Verified Student on February 3, 2023
Very helpful. As advertised, I was able to learn all the tunes without having the tab in front of me. Lorinda even added an extra class so we could play what we learned together. I consider this class money well spent.
CSelf on February 3, 2023
Wonderful class! I'm finally understanding how to play by ear.
Paul K. on February 3, 2023
Fantastic! I never was able to play by ear with any confidence. Now after only 4-5 sessions with Lorinda, I am able to consistently (not perfectly :>) ) play over a dozen songs by ear! Amazing! Thank you Lorinda. I am looking forward to taking the next set of sessions with her to enhance my knowledge and abilities.
Verified Student on February 2, 2023
The class was great and helped me a lot!
Verified Student on February 2, 2023
Great!!
½
Verified Student on February 2, 2023
Excellent- Lorinda was superb as usual
Laura R. on February 2, 2023
In just a few weeks I’ve become more comfortable playing my md than in the four years I’ve owned it. And I’ve been able to transfer the concepts to my flute and ukulele playing.
Tim B. on February 2, 2023
Excellent, great follow up by teacher, and the online format and documentation much better than other programs.
Dan C. on February 2, 2023
I wish I had been introduced to this method of learning music earlier. It would have helped me enjoy the process a lot more. I believe that it’s important to have a firm grasp of the basics, for whatever you hope to accomplish. Learning to listen is about as basic as you can get. Then playing it over and over and over finally gets it trough my thick skull. Lorinda is a generous instructor both with patience and material. She has gone many extra miles to make the numerous videos and audio recordings of the tunes we worked on. I am looking forward to going back to reusing them as I continue to develop my skills. Finally, but perhaps most importantly, my wife tells me I seem to be having fun. Thank you, Lorinda. — Dan Collier
Rebecca W. on February 2, 2023
Wonderful class. I learned so much from a very good teacher. Lorinda is very patient and thorough.
Debra H. on February 2, 2023
It was a wonderful class and Lorinda wants everyone to succeed and approaches teaching playing by ear with several methods to help you master the class. I've learned so much about music and embellishments too!
John J. on January 26, 2023
Verified Student on January 25, 2023
Wonderful and well-paced. Lorinda is an amazing musician and teacher!
Debra H. on January 18, 2023
I have been enjoying the first session of Playing by ear so much. Since, I do not have a musical background and only speak "dulcimerese" it is opening up a new world in my playing and how I hear and relate my dulcimer notes to the song. It has and will be so helpful in my dulcimer playing!
Dan C. on January 11, 2023
Excellent class. The teacher is very experienced and knowledgeable. She does a very good job explaining and demonstrating the material. The supplementary materials and videos are greatly appreciated.
Debra H. on January 9, 2023
Wonderful and learned so much! I really appreciate the guidance and steps to learn to play by ear.
Caroline S. on January 5, 2023
Linda B. on May 15, 2022
The From Paper to Ear: Conquering the Jam, Level 1, was so beneficial to me. I've taken 'playing by ear' classes from different instructors before, but didn't make much progress. The tunes that Lorinda guided us through were easy enough to make progress, and gave me confidence that I could do this. While working on homework, I found that I was discovering how to play other songs just by playing around on the fretboard. Amazing discovery! Also, the biweekly (skip a week) formula really gave me time to learn one thing before moving on. Lorinda's welcoming, enthusiastic teaching method is encouraging, and moves along at a pace that everyone kept up. Can I give it 20 stars?
Martha C. on May 5, 2022
Very good experience……..for learning to play without the printed paper!
Verified Student on May 2, 2022
I think I already sent a review, but will repeat: very good preparation (audio music sent ahead, in steps, so got stimulated to listen to the tune. repeatedly before actually seeing the printed music. Lorinda always comes well prepared, but is flexible for questions, adjustments, etc. She is an excellent teacher, and slips in theory along the way, so it can be incorporated easily.
½
Verified Student on April 30, 2022
I enrolled in a class level that turned out to be too easy for me, so less enjoyable than expected. My own fault, not Lorinda’s. She is an awesome teacher!
Verified Student on April 30, 2022
I always enjoy Lorinda Jones’ classes; she is well prepared, offers interesting musical pieces, “injects” additional music theory items into her program, and is very good humored as well!
Wes S. on April 29, 2022
Excellent. Instructor preparation made the class. Like all such courses the foundation was laid. Making the songs ones you can play will be up to the students follow on effort.
Verified Student on April 29, 2022
Great!
Verified Student on April 29, 2022
This is my fourth class with Lorinda Jones. She is excellent. She is Professional, very well prepared, and provided a mountain of material for the students. Feedback is individual, and she seems genuinely interested in her students. Three Cheers!!
Martha C. on April 29, 2022
Since I have been familiar with Lorinda’s teaching style from other classes, I was really looking forward to “more of the same”. This method of ear training is new to me and she took us through such a remarkable process of learning! She prepared us ahead with audio “priming” and then in the class, step by step for the tunes. A like her technique of casually mentioning chords during the process :) so that one comes away not only with the tune by rote, but with an entirely new “chunk” of knowledge. I am looking forward to the “jam” at the last session.
Verified Student on April 29, 2022
New songs, New Ideas, Encouraging and helpful teacher.
Verified Student on April 29, 2022
½
Nancy G. on April 23, 2022
Lorinda's class helped me realize how important it is to listen to the music 1,000 times to help the brain know the tune. All that listening helps one realize they might have the wrong fret. Some tunes were new to m e and I could use the section learning a little slower so my cognitive brain could absorb more. Maybe a longer pause between the sections. This class is well worth the effort and time.
Wes S. on April 23, 2022
Excellent. Instructor prep was superb. Pace was balanced for most students. Those like me who learn more slowly have access to all the instruction fo 6 months so if we have sufficient time to learn anything that was too fast for us in class.
Verified Student on April 23, 2022
Excellent. Very helpful. Kindly, gentle, and capable, instruction. Thank you.
Lou on February 20, 2022
Wonderful, I enjoyed the class and learned a lot of new songs.
Verified Student on February 20, 2022
It was great. Great opportunity to learn.
Verified Student on February 17, 2022
Terrific. Lorinda is a joy! Can’t wait for the next.
Donna M. on February 17, 2022
Nancy D. on February 17, 2022
Lorinda is a very knowledgeable and patient instructor. She teaches from personal experience, and is adept at conducting a class which contains students of different levels of background and ability. She is very responsive to questions and student input. I would highly recommend this class for novice dulcimer players, for people with little formal music background, and for advanced students who know way too much about music and are hopelessly "paper trained".
½
Kathy B. on April 1, 2021
Lorinda taught a great class. We learned and enjoyed alot. My only slight disappointment was the Lessonface. It wasn't as easy to find the materials as I expected it to be.
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Lorinda Jones
I have been a music educator for more than four decades, teaching all levels from cradle to “almost grave!” My primary teaching on Lessonface is the mountain dulcimer and lever (Celtic style) harp. Since I participate in traditional music playing on both instruments I like to teach by ear but can provide music since I am a classical musician by trade.
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