I played Irish (and English, Sottish, Swedish, French etc.) music by ear for many years. Then a few years ago I took up klezmer. Big problems. I just couldn't hear the shape of the tune at all. The cliches were totally different.

So I learned tunes slowly and painfully, a few notes at a time, from dots- that's how I have to read music. But I found that, gradually, I could pick up similarities in other tunes- I was learning the dialect.

Now I still learn from music, but as often as not by writing it- I listen to a CD phrase by phrase, write it down (with Noteworthy), play it back and edit it until it sounds right. This has the advantage that I can take copies along to the session for other people to try, and it's been quite successful. Of course, by the time I've finished, I have the tune well stuck in memory anyway, and I'm already on to the decoration and variations.

John: it's quite easy. Just STAY drunk. Avoids hangovers too.