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Concept
Playing by ear
Summary
Playing or learning by ear is the ability of a performing musician to reproduce a piece of music they have heard, without having seen it notated in any form of sheet music. It is considered to be a desirable skill among musical performers, especially for those that play in a musical tradition where notating music is not the norm.
It is a misconception that musicians who play by ear do not have or do not require musical education, or have no theoretical understanding of the music they are playing.
Playing by ear is often also used to refer more generally to making music without using musical notation, perhaps using (elements of) improvisation and instant composition.
Blues, pop, jazz, and many forms of non-western music are fundamentally rooted in the concept of playing by ear, where musical compositions are passed down from generation to generation. In this respect, playing by ear can also be seen as a music-specific example of oral tradition.
The concept of playing by ear has led to the development of the idiom to play by ear or "play it by ear."
One learns a piece of music by ear by repeatedly listening to it performed, memorizing it, and then trying to recreate what one has heard. This requires the use of several related skills such as ear training, musical perception, tonal memory, audiation, music theory, and knowledge of the traditions of the music one is trying to learn. As such, learning to play by ear involves training those skills as well.
To practice playing music by ear, music teachers often have a student listen to short musical examples which the student will have to write out in musical notation, play back on an instrument, sing, or describe using note names or a solfège system. Musicians will also train their playing by ear skills by taking recordings of full songs and pieces, figuring out the notes by ear, and either transcribing or memorizing them. According to studies playing by ear is associated with a higher level of creativity and musical intelligence.
Audiation is a vital skill for playing music by ear.
Official source
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