![]() While most professional musicians currently active in these genres are capable of reading musical notation, playing by ear is still widely practiced for a number of reasons. In the West, learning by ear is also used heavily in the genres of folk music, blues, rock, pop, funk, reggae, and jazz. For instance, " ear training" courses are a standard part of conservatory or college music programs (including use of Solfège), and the Suzuki method, which incorporates a highly developed focus on playing by ear from a very young age. However, many teaching methods in this tradition incorporate playing by ear in some form. Before the widespread use of sheet music, much early medieval Western music was learnt by ear, particularly in monasteries. Historically, the Western classical music tradition has been based on the process of learning new pieces from musical notation, and hence playing by ear has a lower importance in musical training. One particularly prominent example is Indian classical music: the teaching methods of its two major strands ( Hindustani and Carnatic) are almost exclusively oral. Some examples are early Blues guitarists and pianists, Romani fiddlers, and folk music guitarists. In most instances, traditions in which music is primarily learned by ear do not use musical notation in any form. A musician can produce a sound at the same time they think of it, without having to consider every separate note they play. The same would be true when playing by ear. We speak and react to what we hear, without having to think too deeply about every word we use. When sufficiently mastered, playing music by ear should be as comfortable and easy as having a conversation. Learning to play by ear, in the sense of making music without notation, is often compared to learning to speak a language. ![]() In this sense, audiation is to music what thought is to language. It takes place when we hear and comprehend music for which the sound is no longer or may never have been present." It is often described as the ability to hear music in your head. Edwin Gordon, originator of the term, describes audiation as: "the foundation of musicianship. Īudiation is a vital skill for playing music by ear. According to studies playing by ear is associated with a higher level of creativity and musical intelligence. 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. 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. As such, learning to play by ear involves training those skills as well. 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. 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. ![]() The concept of playing by ear has led to the development of the idiom to play by ear or "play it by ear." In this respect, playing by ear can also be seen as a music-specific example of oral tradition. 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.īlues, 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. ![]() 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. 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. 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. For the album by Preston Reed, see Playing by Ear. This article is about the musical concpet.
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