plays by ear
Learns by listening
To play by ear is to perform music from memory or improvisation rather than reading notation.
By extension, to play something by ear is to handle a situation without a fixed plan, responding to circumstances as they develop: I don't know how the meeting will go—I'll just play it by ear.
- improvisePerform without preparation
- jam sessionInformal improvisational music gathering
- ad-libbingUnscripted spontaneous performance
- mental agilityQuick, flexible thinking
- open-mindednessAcceptance of differing viewpoints
making it up · fly by night · creative problem-solving · gut feeling · riffing · pattern recognition · chord progression · spontaneity · going with the flow · freeform · jazz hands · resourcefulness · adaptability · situational awareness · read the room · winging it · divergent thinking · lateral thinking