Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

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DaleM
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Joined: 18:10, 7 May 2010

Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by DaleM »

Hi --

I am doing a survey of musicians to find out which skill they would prefer to
have:

- Sight-reading perfectly
- Play-by-ear perfectly

I've had a curiosity about this subject, both for my own musicianship and to see
how other musicians consider these two skills.

It's a totally anonymous survey (unless you want to optionally include your
email address so that I can send the results to you). I will be collecting
responses from now until December 31, 2010.

I hope you will take this survey and forward this URL on to other musicians so
the survey gets a wide representation.

You can find the survey at http://survey.lyricpiano.com

Thanks!
Dale
Shambler
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Joined: 12:14, 27 July 2006

Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by Shambler »

I'm going to guess that most people would prefer to play by ear perfectly.

Sure reading music and playing Chopin etc. must be great but surely most people want to create their own music and if they make up a song in their head they want to instantly transfer this to the keyboard.

So for me, even though I respect and admire people who can sight read and play they are only doing the equivalent of copying the original.

I like to be the original myself =)

Survey completed.
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SammyJames
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by SammyJames »

Shambler:

I chose "sight reading" because I'm already an ace ear player. No joke. I can read music, but not as well as I can sit and play back any piece of popular music today -- after having heard it once or twice.

- Sammy

P.S. It is also interesting how music literacy is still important -- in order to hire an orchestra, you must supply the players with sheet music. Although it is conceivable that every last player could have both perfect- and perfect-relative-pitch, think of it this way: An actor is almost invariably handed a script. Think of sheet music as being a script for musicians.

It is easy for people like us to forget that not everyone wants to play the keyboard. For those of us working in the "music-for-picture" or "synth instrumental techno" or "pop music" industries, what you're saying makes sense. But at some point in my life, I may want to score for real instrumentalists. I doubt it, but if I ever do, then I will want to be able to preview, at least, the sheet music that my laser printer spits out.

And that is at the root of the problem that we have in our technologically-driven world now. Someday, few people will be able to write cursive. Similarly, I believe that musical note writing will be relegated to music conservatories. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but I'm inclined to say that I probably don't like it.
dalematt
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by dalematt »

I was taught to read music and, therefore, that is my strength. I would, however, dearly love to play by ear. I can to a degree, but I would like to be better.

My first music teacher taught me to play real fake music (melody is written, accompaniment is (almost) by ear by playing according to the chord) for which I am so grateful. In fact, almost all of my music playing is this style. I HATE practising!

Dale
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Kristijan
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by Kristijan »

I prefer both skills.

Sight-reading is music literacy. You can play-by-ear, but with music school you have a base for everything.
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SammyJames
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by SammyJames »

Me too. Sadly for me, I have always had problems with my eyesight. But as I always like to say -- the problem with me is not with my vision -- it is with my eyes.

:)

And vision, in this case, means that I can "see" a way to do what I need to do. I can't always see everything that I wish that I could, but I can make music in a variety of ways.

- Sammy
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secret Roland agent
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by secret Roland agent »

I used to play the piano by ear but found that the side of my head tended to bruise!
My neck muscles would also cramp-up when playing the melody to 'Chopsticks', for example! It was then that I decided to try reading notes . . . and took up the accordian.

sRa

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Shambler
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by Shambler »

I once tried playing a solo piano duet by this method, you know, two pianos keyboard to keyboard with me in the middle.

But what with the cauliflower ears and sea sickness I had to give it up.
spike_
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Location: Scotland

Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by spike_ »

I play only by ear but I would hesitate to use the word perfectly. I only have to hear something once to play it and the chords seem to come naturally
Vlad_77
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by Vlad_77 »

Wow, the preceding was mega-spam!

Anyhow, my situation is a bit weird: I am formally trained in music theory but my sight reading skills suck. So, I play by ear and apply theory to what I hear to speed up the process of getting a piece down. That said, it's something a hell of a lot easier to do with popular music but would be sheer hell for me trying to play Chopin, so, I leave THAT up to the real pianists and I can enjoy their interpretations of the masters. :)
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Andy Keys
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by Andy Keys »

Ha, I missed that spam post, Vlad, but I've swatted it now. Future readers of this thread will think you were talking about Spike's post (which we know you weren't)!

I am originally self taught, but with proper theory and technique. I work stuff out the same way you do, although I've struggled with some bits of the Rainbow songs I've been learning lately!
howardS
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by howardS »

I am lucky to have had 10 years of lessons as a kid but despite that my site reading was always weak. I have taken about 10 more years of lessons as an adult (I know....that's a lot of years of study) and now I am finally working on my reading. It used to suck terribly and I always just relied on my ear to get me by. Like anything, you can work on it and it will get better!
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monsterjazzlicks
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Re: Sight-Reading Versus Playing-By-Ear Survey

Post by monsterjazzlicks »

Most of the best sight readers i have met are pianists who had very strict music teachers when they were learning, who would sit next to them at the piano and not let them move onto the next note/bar until they had accurately played the current one. And these pianists also PRACTICED regularly during their formative years.

i was very lazy and had the formal piano lessons i was forced to endure. i only ever practiced the day before my next piano lesson !!

But i really enjoyed listening to the jazz melodies and harmonies of pianists like Dave Brubeck and Oscar Peterson and this definately opened my ears up to a certain type of 'intellectual' music. So my ears improved (without me actually realizing it !!) just through listening to 'advanced' music (considering i was only aged abot 12 at the time).

So what i am saying is that you DON'T have to PRACTICE to improve ones musical skills !! Just LISTEN to lot's of different and challanging music which forces you to analysis and understaned it. You will for sure improve you ears !!
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