play something by ear

play something by ear
play something by ear
1. to be able to play a piece of music after just listening to it a few times, without looking at the notes. •

I can play “Stardust” by ear.

•

Some people can play Chopin's music by ear.

2. and play by ear to play a musical instrument well, without formal training. •

John can play the piano by ear.

•

If I could play by ear, I wouldn't have to take lessons—or practice!

3. to improvise; to decide one's next steps after one is already involved in a situation. •

If we go into the meeting unprepared, we'll have to play everything by ear.

•

He never prepared his presentations. He always played things by ear.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • play (something) by ear — 1. to deal with a situation as it develops and without a plan. I m not sure if I can go bowling or not, I ll just have to play it by ear. Usage notes: sometimes used with other verbs: I write by ear, and rarely with any exact notion of how I want …   New idioms dictionary

  • play (something) by ear — play (sth) by ˈear idiom to play music by remembering how it sounds rather than by reading it Main entry: ↑earidiom …   Useful english dictionary

  • play something by ear — 1》 perform music without having seen a score. 2》 (play it by ear) informal proceed instinctively according to circumstances rather than according to rules or a plan. → play …   English new terms dictionary

  • play something by ear — 1) to deal with a situation without having a plan, by reacting to things as they happen 2) to play music by hearing and remembering it, not by reading it …   English dictionary

  • play something by ear — …   Useful english dictionary

  • play it by ear — verb decide on one s actions as one goes along, depending on the situation She didn t know what to expect from her new job, so she played it by ear • Hypernyms: ↑act, ↑move • Verb Frames: Somebody s * * * See play …   Useful english dictionary

  • play it by ear — verb a) To play a song according to how it sounds, rather than from a written score If they ask for something we didnt prepare, we will have to play it by ear. b) To do something by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; …   Wiktionary

  • play it by ear —    If you play it by ear, you don t have a plan of action, but decide what to do as events take shape.   (Dorking School Dictionary)    ***    This expression means to improvise or do something without preparation, according to the demands of the …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • play it by ear — decide on something according to the situation Let s play it by ear and decide what to do after we see the movie …   Idioms and examples

  • ear — W2S2 [ıə US ır] n ↑ear, ↑nose, ↑tooth, ↑eye ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(part of your body)¦ 2¦(hearing)¦ 3¦(grain)¦ 4 smile/grin etc from ear to ear 5 6 a sympathetic ear 7 close/shut your ears to something …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • ear — [ ır ] noun *** 1. ) count one of the two parts at the sides of your head that you hear with: He whispered something in her ear. 2. ) singular the ability to hear and judge sounds: She has a very good ear for music. 3. ) count the part at the top …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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