Originally Posted by
Louise NM
I have come to the realization that I don't learn well by ear, and that memorization of music is not one of my sharper skills.
Memorization shortcomings go back to childhood. It seems like as a kid I had a harder time memorizing pieces for recitals and contests than many of my peers did. While I am able to memorize pieces, especially if they are shorter, simpler, and I have them well in my head, memorization skills, for better or worse, won't ever be my party trick.
Learning by ear is connected to memorization, I think. I can easily sound out a tune I know, but with something unfamiliar the A part has flown away by the time the B part comes around.
I wonder how different this would be if my musical life had taken a different path. I have played a number of instruments since the third grade. Never was exposed to the Suzuki method, which stresses learning by ear at first. As an adult, I've spent 35+ years playing in orchestras. When you are handed a 15-page part for a symphony, a four-page overture, and another eight-page piece, all for a concert in a month (and you have another concert with different group in the meantime), memorization skills are not what you need.
Having come to mandolin—and through it, other types of music—just two years ago, I've brought to it the skill set I already have. Put standard notation in front of me, in treble or alto clef (mandolin or mandola), and I can sight-read it easily, even difficult repertoire. A Celtic fiddle workshop or mandolin group, trying to learn a new tune by ear, I'm hopeless.
Do I feel deprived? Kind of, yes. There's a whole world of music out there that I can't easily join. It's eye-opening, being highly competent in one area and being so utterly incompetent in another part of the same field. I'm in a group that plays for contradances—jigs, reels, waltzes. A few of us only read, others only learn by ear, some do both. It's fascinating to be part of such a diverse bunch. No right or wrong, no better or worse, just very different learning styles and ranges of experience.
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