If you follow discussions about the learning and playing of Irish tunes then you know sooner or later the subject of learning (and playing)by ear vs. learning (and playing) from sheet music frequently arises. The discussions always are heavy on why it’s better to learn a tune by ear by they’re usually light on advice about how to go about it. For those of us who consider themselves musically challenged (I’d like to be nominated chairman of that group) I think the how is at least as important as the why.
I’m a (non-vocal) member of the IrTrad discussion list and a recent post turned that addresses this very issue. The articles referenced are geared toward fiddle but it definately can be applied to whistle. The text follows. It’s somewhat long but I hope you find it useful.
Bruce
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 12:19:23 -0500
From: Larry Sanger <larry@NUPEDIA.COM>
Subject: Re: sheet music
There are a number of different questions/propositions floating around here:
-
Is it good to play music by ear? Many people obviously think so, and I
think the defenders of sheet music reading don’t deny this, but some of the
by-ear crowd are going to great lengths to prove that it is good to play
music by ear. -
Is it (in some sense) obligatory to play music by ear? I think this is
the question that some people are hearing and answering (strongly), “No!”
But I don’t think anyone is saying that it’s obligatory to learn and play
music by ear.
So what’s the real question? Something like this:
- Is it better to learn Irish music by ear than to learn by using sheet
music?
Here there seem to be differences of opinion. For whom is it better? For
many beginners and for people who for whatever reason find it “too hard,”
learning by ear sure doesn’t seem better. It just seems harder and more
frustrating. For most of those who have learned how to learn by ear, it’s
pretty obviously better, because learning music by ear has so much more to
teach than the dots do (especially if you’re learning from a really good
player).
What’s needed, it seems to me, is not more argument that it really is
possible and that it really is better, but simply advice on how to do it.
If the skeptics take the advice, then it will become self-evident to them
that’s both possible (even for them!) and better. So here’s some advice, in
no particular order:
(1) Get a book like L. E. McCullough’s recent tunebook-and-CD collection,
and go over the tune using the dots a few times. Then put them away, and
play along with the music until you have the tune. If you don’t know “Haste
to the Wedding” yet, go to http://www.learnceol.com/basictunes.html#samples
and read from the PDF file once or twice, then put that away and try to play
along with the slow version. When you do this, make sure you stop the
recording from time to time and make sure you learn the tune part by part
(not all at once!).
(2) Buy a half-speed tape recorder (I got a Sony I use all the time for $45
postage paid) or a CD-slowing program, and use it to learn some dead simple
tune.
(3) Read about how to learn a tune by ear here:
http://www.learnceol.com/fidintro.html
or here:
Indiana University Bloomington
or here:
http://www.gpfn.sk.ca/culture/arts/fiddle/vfc/lessons/by_ear.html
You might just not quite know how. Remember to start with simple tunes,
that you already know in your head.
(4) Be patient.
I have started a few dozen rank beginners on the fiddle. The vast majority
of them I teach by ear. They learn tunes like “Britches Full of Stitches”
by ear by their second or third week of playing. Many of them don’t have
any special musical ability.