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Playing by ear. Good or bad.


red rooster
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Was sitting the other night playing some 12 bar blues when a film started on the TV well a song started playing and without any conscious effort I found my self playing along to it I never really noticed I was doing it till I looked up and found my wife and daughters stareing at me , my daughter says dad you've just played that song 'wife accused me of practising it honestly never noticed I was playing it my fingers just new where to go , is that playing by ear I do admit to being able to pick bass lines out of songs and play them in my head kind of thing. Probably sounds silly and I'll never manage to do it again. Stuart

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The heading sounds like you're asking a stupid question.
If you've found yourself playing along to something by ear, then that's proof that you can do it. Go stick some tunes on that you've never played before & get practicing that skill. :)

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My girlfriends grandma plays piano and reads off sheet music, she once had a massive rant at me about how I didnt understand music properly because I told her that I learn songs by ear and work it out that way.

It was a strange one because she seemed really offended by it!

I thought it was always a decent skill to have...

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I can't read music (well, not fast enough to play along - maybe use it to learn something) but have always played along to records. Not necessarily to play a note perfect copy of the original bassline, but certainly enough to play in tune. For a totally new song, I'd probably start by picking out the root notes until I've got the basic structure of the song and then gradually build it up from there. That's the basis of jamming isn't it? I can't imagine not being able to play that way.

The 'not having a clue without the dots' seems strange to me (probably as much as not being able to read seems strange to others) and how would you be able to work out a line for an original song without being able to jam?

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Picking up a line by ear is fine (indeed, excellent, imo...), and music theory learned and applied is also excellent. Combining the two gives one an excellent base for going further than the learned piece, to be able to create one's own lines, or develop a solo, knowing how the piece is constructed. Learning by ear alone does not necessarily give that ability (although it can lead to it...). Being able to play by ear is a gift which deserves to be complemented by some harmonic knowledge, I'd say, to be complete.

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[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1413878935' post='2582941']
My girlfriends grandma plays piano and reads off sheet music, she once had a massive rant at me about how I didnt understand music properly because I told her that I learn songs by ear and work it out that way.

It was a strange one because she seemed really offended by it!

I thought it was always a decent skill to have...
[/quote]

An ex girlfriend of mine was a pianist, and clarinet player
It used to wind her up, when I just jammed along to something on the TV, radio or CD player!

I never quite understood why, but she used to hate it when I did this
She could read sheet music, and I never could (well, apart from some basic stuff years ago in high school)

Also, I played in a band, with a keyboard player who read music,
but couldn't play be ear at all......
It was annoying, because he used to download sheet music, and it was sometimes in the wrong key
but he couldn't tell!

Playing by ear is how I learned, and it's a skill you acquire with practice
If you don't read music - it's something you will benefit from being able to do
As others have said - play along to as much different music as you can,
and build up the skill as you go....

For me, working out a nice bassline can be very satisfying

I wish I could read music
but I'd always want to be able to do both

Cheers

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[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1413885676' post='2583047']
Picking up a line by ear is fine (indeed, excellent, imo...), and music theory learned and applied is also excellent. Combining the two gives one an excellent base for going further than the learned piece, to be able to create one's own lines, or develop a solo, knowing how the piece is constructed. Learning by ear alone does not necessarily give that ability (although it can lead to it...). Being able to play by ear is a gift which deserves to be complemented by some harmonic knowledge, I'd say, to be complete.
[/quote]

Yep, I agree with all that, and I'm acutely aware that I'd be a better player if I understood more theory, especially when it comes to soloing (though who really likes a bass solo anyway? :lol: )

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True, though with something like, say, a blues in C, you get to know which notes - or perhaps which fret positions - will be 'in key' even if you can't actually name them quickly or play a scale on demand.

But you're right about there being a lot of 'trial and error' notes along the way. Still, as long as you can tell they are the wrong note then you're on the right track - if you can,t then you're in serious trouble! :lol:

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95% ear player here. Been able to bluff like crazy my entire life as a pianist, a guitarist and now as a bassist. Would love to be able to sightread like a beast, and do intend to learn, but just about everything is figured out by ear. I think it's a great thing as it helps you pick up new music really quick. A bit of scale knowledge is essential for it too, shapes and boxes etc but it's really satisfying to pick things up fast. Of course, I would be a better musician if I could read better and knew more theory, but I get by in my current situation.

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[quote name='Weststarx' timestamp='1413878935' post='2582941']

I thought it was always a decent skill to have...
[/quote]

Of course it is.. and it's what started me on this rocky road all those years ago too.
Don't think I would have played any instrument, if I hadn't been blessed with it. ;) :)

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You need both, simple as that.

You have to be able to play by ear if the guys you're playing with don't know what they're doing or playing. Waste of time asking them for a chart if they don't even know what chords they're playing.

You need to be able to read and understand basic theory at least if you want to play any sort of professional dep gig, theatre pit gig, cruise gig etc.

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The question is, why would you not play by ear?

It's an important skill to have.I'm pretty sure everyone here has learnt songs just by listening. The more you do
it, the easier it becomes. I used to sit with the radio on and play along to everything that came on.
When you are transcribing stuff you are basically doing the same thing, only you are putting the notes down on
paper. If you can combine playing by ear with knowledge of harmony, you can pretty much play along to anything
first time.

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