I have a strange ability to be able to cold pitch a note correctly (tried it last night) but couldn't tell you what it was if it was played at me straight. I can hear in my head what the next note should be, but I can't tell you what it's designation is. I can sight read a piece to learn after 2-3 goes, but not in harmony, BUT I can read a score like a book and hear all of it. I can't write the stuff down without an instrument. I also have a total inability to remember any tune I've ever written, except the one I wrote on my mobile phone!

Mozart said he had all his tunes in his head, and it's obvious that he could hear the whole orchestra and know which notes were supposed to be where. Rather than building up a piece gradually, he seemed to have heard it complete, and was just copying it down out of his head. That explains why he didn't have many corrections on his manuscripts (and there's a strong school of thought that the corrections were done later by Salieri, a pupil or the person whose name escapes me, that collected all his works and K rated them), and why he was so frustrated. If you can hear the piece in your head, but can't get it onto paper quickly enough because you are perpetually interrupted by pupils, parties, children and Emperors, then is it any wonder things don't get done?

Playing by ear is an acquired skill that some never get. It's usually more informal which is why a lot of classically trained musicians never get it, particularly the twiddles and grace notes that some musicians decorate with. The difficult part is to stop thinking 'the score says this note is next' when your ear is screaming 'put this note in as well!!!' and just do it. However, don't give up, keep 'goofing off' to sessions and one day it the penny will drop, the shackles of written scores will fall away and you'll be able to decorate so much no-one will recognise the original tune!! (which is basically what Mozart did to some very old Austrian folk tunes.....).

Remember the Nike logo? Just do it. And Nike was the Greek goddess who translates as Victory.

LTS