Which would you say makes a better keyboard player?
Someone who use the dots or plays by ear ?

Some good players playing by ear could outshine the lesser player who can read, and vice verse, but the player who can do both has an advantage, especially, in learning new music. IMHO

I would say Ear because they can do things that are not on paper most of the time people stick to whats on the sheet
if you are less disctracted by what your doing you can put more feeling in it thats what i think

Greetz Rico

PS i also agree with Bernie !! if ya have both thats awesome !

Ear players are more fun to watch and listen to in an impromptu setting, but, if you do demand studio work, you have to be able to sight read.

Well rounded players read when they have to, but play by ear whenever possible.


Russ

I agree with Rico.

Many players for whatever reason are too lazy to memorize songs, lyrics, or have to use the charts as a big crutch,.. that's the first step....but after you memorize or just playing it out of your head by ear then you can ad-lib and play it the way you like instead of the stiff way it's written,....you gotta bring some musical soul into your playing and doing it by ear is a very powerful way to do it, your stage performance and appearance will be better also when you eyes no longer have to be glued to that chart,.......but if your playing with other musicians or in a big band /orchestra, etc, the charts are needed to keep the arrangement and players in sync otherwise it's a free for all..some may call it Jazz and that's ok with a combo of 2,3,4,5 where everyone can play & express their own thing and make it sound great,..
but in bigger player scenarios the charts are a must.

I read well and also play pretty good by ear and I enjoy the latter far more than the former. In the studio it's primarily charts so I've learned how to read them too.

I think ear playing is very important, as it's not possible to write "feelings" in written sheet music (or in charts).

One of the reasons we have written music is because at one time there was no other way of archiving and passing on what was played...there were no audio recorders of any kind.

Reading well is one thing, but the player's interpretation what the composer laid out is just as important.

Ian

I think the best players can do both... I know some great classical players that can read or play anything that they hear. Also there of plenty of great jazz/pop players that can read. Having good reading skills and a good ear are both fundamental skills... However, since music is an aural art form, I'd say having a good ear is more important. But why would you want to limit yourself?

I try to do both...

Playing by ear, i can easilly find my right hand parts
But recognicing chords, espescially the more advanced ones take me some more time
The fun thing is when i play by ear, i easilly memmorise the song
When i play from sheet music, its mostly piano style arrangements

Keep in mind, i am far from a professional musician, just a homeplayer trying to have some fun, and playing as good as possible..


The other thing i want to share with you, is that the new keyboard music coarses, like the one my nephews use, try to encourage both, and are meant to develop both at the same time... Sometimes they have excersises that make them replay by ear, while other times they get to improvise and play fee.... The course teaches both left right hand arranger playing, as full keyboard piano arrangements... There is a bit of everything, even the dreaded etudes...


So i leave the opinion whats better to the pros, while cherrishing the tought that kids nowerdays learn both... Where in my good old organ childhood days, we only learned to play from sheetmusic and replay the piece allmost till eternity till we knew the notes from our head..

Sight reading music is a important skill for most musicians who want to really grow and appreciate all the nuances and flavours of music out there.

But being able to hear chords and appreciate the relationship between chords and scales and melodies and rhythms is a far more versatile skill in my opinion.

The art of truly creating music cannot be restricted by the notes on the piece of paper in front of you . At best, that can only show you how to mimic someone else's creativity. But being able to play by ear and understanding chord inversions and chord progressions and to be able to apply them to any given tune is fundamentals to true creativity. So in my view although both skills are important, I would rate playing by ear oversight read