Train your ears. No method of learning is instant, and learning by ear is no different. Remembering the sound of a song and finding which notes on the keyboard to press is a skill that takes some practice to develop. The good news is that every great improviser in the world knows how to do it, so it's a skill that will never be wasted. Here is how you can start. Learn the art of solfège. It's pronounced "soul-fezh," and it means sight singing. You already know the basics, if you know how to sing "do re mi." The notes of the basic solfège scale are as follows: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. In the key of C (the white keys), this corresponds to C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. Try it. On your keyboard, play the C scale we covered above. For each note you play, sing the next note in the solfège scale. Don't worry if your singing won't get you on American Idol. The idea is to connect the sounds with the notes. But what about the black notes? Here is the...