Learning music by ear

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Learning music by ear

Learning music by ear is done by repeatedly listening to other musician

Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
s and then attempting to recreate what one hears. This is how people learn music

Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
in any musical tradition in which there is no complete musical notation

Musical notation

Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written Modern musical symbols....
. Many people in cultures which do have notation still learn by ear, and ear training

Ear training

Ear training or aural skills is a process by which musicians learn to identify interval s, chord s, rhythms, and other basic elements of music....
, often through a musicianship course at a music conservatory or college, is common practice among those who use notation extensively.

Audiation involves hearing sounds mentally, although on a different level to just "hearing a song in your head".

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Encyclopedia

Learning music by ear is done by repeatedly listening to other musician

Musician

Music

Musical notation

Ear training

Western world

The term Western world, the West or the Occident can have multiple meanings dependent on its context . Accordingly, the basic definition of what constitutes "the West" varies, expanding and contracting over time, in relation to various historical circumstances....
, learning by ear is associated with traditional and folk music

Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
, but many classical music forms throughout the world lack notation, and have therefore been passed from generation to generation by ear.

The Suzuki method

Suzuki method

The is an educational philosophy which strives to create "high ability" and beautiful moral character in its students through a nurturing environment....
of teaching music has a highly developed focus on playing by ear from a very young age. In his book "Teaching from the Balance Point," Edward Kreitman

Edward Kreitman

Edward Kreitman is an United States violin teacher and widely respected Suzuki method teacher trainer. He is head of the Western Springs School of Talent Education in Illinois and is the author of Teaching from the Balance Point: A guide for Suzuki Teachers, Parents, and Students....
, a US based Suzuki Teacher, clearly distinguishes "learning by ear" as a separate, completely different process from "learning by rote

Rote learning

Rote learning is a learning technique which avoids understanding of a subject and instead focuses on memory. The major practice involved in rote learning is learning by repetition....
".