Bradley Sowash, a wonderful jazz musician and composer, helps unscramble 4 myths of playing by ear. Here is Part 1 of “The Myths of Playing by Ear.”
Playing by ear is one of those areas of teaching music that often goes overlooked. If you are not already teaching “off the page” alongside traditional reading skills, perhaps it’s because you’ve unknowingly bought into some of the common misconceptions about teaching and playing by ear.
Myth #1
Playing by ear is an innate gift.
Musicians who can play by ear are accustomed to people assuming they were born with these capabilities. They often hear comments like, “well of course you can do it… playing like that comes to people like you naturally.” While it’s true that rare individuals seem to possess extraordinary musical, most of us would self-describe as falling somewhere between “prodigy” and “tin ear” on the bell curve of musical aptitude. In my 30 year career, I’ve known hundreds of pro jazz musicians who play by ear and improvise everyday. As students, only a handful of my colleagues began with anything more than average musical talent. I can also confidently assert that not a single one of them have been hit by lightning somehow instantly unlocking mysterious musical gifts! Rather, they developed their skills through study and practice.
Myth Buster: Musicians who play be ear can do what they do simply because they learned it.
Myth #2
Improvisation is difficult and intimidating.
Many believe that mastering advanced harmonic concepts, unusual scales and complex syncopations are prerequisites to improvisation. While it’s true that advanced musical concepts come to play in the music of jazz masters, students need only know the C major scale and a simple three-chord tune to begin developing their ears. In the beginning levels, it’s not any more difficult to improvise than it is to acquire other musical skills. The panic felt by many classically trained musicians when asked to “fake it” is not an issue for beginners. When ear skills are are introduced early, students simply regard it as just another aspect of music making along with reading, rhythm, harmony, one, dynamics and all the rest.
Myth Buster: Anyone can improvise. Start your students early and it becomes a natural way to make music.
Stay tuned for Part 2….
Excerpted from a longer article titled “Unlocking the Mystery of Playing by Ear” which appeared in Clavier Companion November, December 2009 and reprinted with permission.
