As a "Play By ear " guy myself, I am sure there are some dissadvantages not beeing able to read music

I wonder if the music readers amongst us feel they also have a dissadvantage not being able to play by ear

I guess the ideal thing would to be able to do both


Kind Regards
Gordon

When I was a kid my piano teacher discouraged playing by ear. She stressed reading and memorizing the notes. I trained myself to play by ear later.

I'm glad I learned to read, and I really enjoy playing by ear. I would hate to be without either skill.

In another forum I visit (piano world) many of the members are academy trained pianists, and several of them are piano teachers. One of the most frequently discussed topics is "how to learn to play by ear". So yes, those who are a slave to the sheet music are envious of others who can play by ear, and they spend a lot of time and money searching for and buying the music for a song they want to learn.

I wouldn't attempt to play "Moonlight Sonata" or any other classical piece by ear, but if it is a popular song, it's easier and a lot more fun to play by ear.

Well I can only play by ear, I know which dot is which if I spend some time looking but I find if I want to play a tune then I only have to listen to it a couple of times and I can usually do it. The chords I rarely have a problem with as I can usually recognise which chord to play and when.
Of course that restricts one a little - when I used to back artists at a club they would give me a sheet of music and rightly expect me to play it. The club then restricted the artists to those who didn't need me to do this. The key didn't matter as I just transposed the organ and always played in C.
There again when I played bass guitar in a trio the pianist although a fantastic player was just a reader and could play any classical piece put in front of him but if he had to play Happy Birthday then he used to get up and let me play it because he didn't have the dots.
I'm happy to be able to only play by ear but I suppose underneath I would really like to have learned to read music and I admire anyone who does.
As Gordon says it must be great to be able to do both

Hey Spike, I know what you are talking about. I too sometimes cheat and transpose my keyboard. On most songs, I play in whaterver key the singer wants, but on some chord intensive songs like "Crazy" I may have to transpose, if the singer wants some other key than C. But then when there is a modulation to another key, I'm in trouble. I have to stop playing long enough to set another traspose value.

An amusing anecdote: I was playing in the house band for an open mic talent show when a singer comes on stage and announces she wants to sing "Crazy" in the key of B flat. No problem, I transposed my keyboard. The bass player was lost so he stepped behind me to watch my hands. Then he was really lost. I was playing the notes for C, but the song was in B flat.

I would like to be able to get rid of the transpose crutch, but I'm not there yet.

Hi All, I really wish I could play by ear but I play EasyPlay Music mostly, I find real music notation really boring and at times difficult, considering I'm the only one to listen to me play whats the odds I enjoy it, my wife prefers the telly although she can play better than I can when it comes to timing etc: Regards to All
Korgman

I have a similar musical background to Joe. I started at age 7 going once a week to a place in Oldham called the Lyceum School of Music. Don't know if it's still there, but it was a real old Victorian style building with a grand staircase and as you walked in, the air echoed with the sound of pianos, violins, soprano voices etc. Just the mention of any type of 'popular' tune would put a big frown on your teacher's face. It was all about learning theory, practising for exams/concerts etc. and I found it all pretty grim to be honest. Sometimes, if you had to do a piece at one of the concerts, you'd be learning it for two or three months before it was considered ready for public consumption! I also used to hate 'aural' lessons/exams. That's where your teacher/examiner plays a passage on the right hand, and you'd have to stand there like a lemon, and then 'sing' it back . . . la, la, la, la, la, la, etc. My voice is a bit like Vic Reeves' 'Club Singer'!

The pace of learning was quite slow and deliberate.

Once I'd 'discovered' life outside of classical music, was when I started to really enjoy playing music. No longer had you to play every note exactly as it had been written. You could basically do your own thing and interpret a tune in your own style.

However, unless you're going to buy a large van to carry your music around in, you're going to have to learn some standards, and busk what you don't know. For some, it never happens, others manage it to a point, whereas others find it dead easy. I think it also depends on whether you enjoy the style of music you're having to play. For instance, when working with a big band, you'll play everything from pop, rock, soul, motown, ballads, standards, jazz, country, etc. etc. and some tunes you'll enjoy playing, (easy to commit to memory), whereas there'll be ones you're not that keen on, (so can't be arsed to learn them - Waltzes & Foxtrots in my case!).

The most enjoyable groups/bands to be in are the ones where you all collectively enjoy the same stuff.

Being able to 'sight-read', (where someone sticks a piece of music under your nose), is definitely a great advantage if you're looking to go pro, however, for the majority there really is no need. If you can learn enough to read a melody line, and have some knowledge of chords, then you're well on your way to finding a solution that works for you.

In general, I think the best 'play-by-ear' players are the ones that haven't been bogged down with the formal, regimented approach taken when learning the 'classical' way.

Swings and roundabouts.

Paul

I'm afraid I'm one of the play by ear brigade who could never master transferring a written note to a keyboard or any other instrument. Kudos to those who can although I think the music doesn't 'flow' and tends to be mechanical when they play from music, there are exceptions of course. The true wizards to me are those who read and play by ear, followed by those who learn from music, memorise then play.
All the best
Ewan