Like many things musical, practice is important. I got involved in playing traditional music about a year ago and at first I found the learning by ear very difficult. I had been playing from music for many years and this was very different.

I am quite surprised how much I have improved in that year, and now when a go to a session, I can have a fair crack at a tune that I am not totally familiar with. I still find learning tunes "cold" for example at a workshop difficult, but even that is coming easier. I was at a folkworks workshop this weekend and I managed to learn four tunes without the dots, though I was vaguely familiar with three of them. We were given the dots to take home, though.

I put the progress down to having to learn tunes by ear on a regular basis. Knowing a tune and being able to hum, sing or whistle it helps immensely, though.

My trouble is that it is too easy to play from music at home :-)