How Common is Playing by Ear?

[Andyrondack]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

Among the people I play with, I am virtually the only one who uses notation. Although I have taught myself to also play by ear, I find notation much easier. I rarely play complex involved music, mostly folky stuff.

I got one gig playing a musical because I was the only guitarist the promoter could find who could read music. Then I got the music and it was in bass clef! What the hey? I never learned to read bass clef as no instrument I ever played needed it - not even the BASS clarinet I played in college concert band.

I used to play bass clef with my left hand when I had piano lessons, unfortunately that's not much use to me as I play guitar with my right hand.

[NormanKliman]

Bass clef

It’s just a jump to the left...

[archerscreek]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

Ok, who else has done this... you're covering a song, but no matter how many times you've listened to the lyrics you can't figure out a few words. None of the lyrics you Googled up make sense either. So you just sing some random syllables that sound kinda like the original but aren't even words.


... And nobody ever notices.

Haha. A lot of people do that, even pros that record covers. The song, Roll On Buddy, has been covered and recorded numerous times with incorrect lyrics. ItÂ’s East Cairo, pronounced Kay Row, not East pay road.

I utilize both my ear and written works, tabs and notation. And this thread reminded me that I once read inside a Chris Thile CD cover how Bryan Sutton learned a new Thile song he was going to play on by by Thile transcribing and sending Sutton the music in written form.

I think people are mistaken if they think top tier players never consult or ask others what is going on in a song and solely rely 100% of time on their ear. Sure, they could figure things out if they played recordings over and over a few times, but not everyone has the time or even a recording to do that with.

[Nymuso]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

Ok, who else has done this... you're covering a song, but no matter how many times you've listened to the lyrics you can't figure out a few words. None of the lyrics you Googled up make sense either. So you just sing some random syllables that sound kinda like the original but aren't even words.


... And nobody ever notices.

Guilty.

I was in a Southern Rock cover band in the early 80s and one cover we did was Green Grass and High Tides by the Outlaws, which I sang. I could not make out what that guy was singing in the verses so I just made up some similar sounding nonsense and went with that. Nobody noticed.

However, with the coming of the internet I finally got a look at the real lyrics. Turns out the nonsense I came up with made about as much sense as what he was singing.