The best thing is to develop your skills in both directions, I think. I have met and played with professional musicians in national orchestras that are surprisingly (to me!) unable to play by ear.

When I started playing piano (at 8 y.o.) my teachers always emphasized playing by sheetmusic, along with a lot of scales and other technical skills but didn't pay to much attention to music listening and ear training. I found that much later with two jazz teachers.

I feel that with time, I lost a lot of my musical reading skills, but improved my ear and my ability to capture and understand a certain song or performance. I guess that my personal experience makes me think that both approaches are important.

-- José.

[This message has been edited by matias (edited 07-29-2002).]