LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Playing by ear or memorizing

JerryG -- 04/06/2006, 11:45:08 -- #26117

Seeking some comments by those professionals here.  I have heard a lot of talk about playing tunes by ear.  It's great when you can sit down and just play what you have already heard.  There are many books and courses claiming to teach you how to play by ear.    However, I suspect most professionals went the route of memorizing the pieces they have in their repetoire.  Am I correct in this?  Basically I want to know if this is the approach you have taken.  Should one concentrate in learing pieces from a fake book so that you have memorized the basic tune in the key written, after which you can improvise on it.      I don't have the ability to just sit down and play a piece I have heard without some trial and error, but I can play what I have memorized from the fake books.  Is it worthwhile for someone to take some of these courses offered in learning how to play by ear, or just contine to learn new pieces and eventually develop the necessary skills to play by ear as one progresses.

JerryG -- 05/05/2007, 07:59:30 -- #26117

I posted this some time ago and would really appreciate some comments regarding the way to go.

Scot -- 05/05/2007, 11:07:47 -- #26117

Well, the problem is you've posted it in the book reviews area and we don't want to start discussions here that don't have to do with reviewing jazz piano/music related books.  Post this up in the piano lounge and a discussion will probably ensue.

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