Big Red,

Sorry about all the duplicate entries. Everytime I hit submit yesterday my computer would lock-up. I thought I wasn't being successful in submitting my reply. I've tried to delete the duplicates.

When you say that you play by ear do you mean that:
1. you don't read music and never have
2. You never use fake books or ever have
3. you don't know a C chord from a F chord?
4. you couldn't find middle C if your life depended on it.

I know that there are players who do a good job that meet the above criteria. You must be one. Just because you are the exception doesn't make my premise false. I gave lessons to the daughter of just such a player. He owned a bar and played a B3. It is just that they are very few and far between. Ask most of the members on this forum and they will tell you, that when someone asks to play or sit in and they say that they play by ear, most of us inwardly CRINGE. It is like the "Singers" who come up and want to sing with you.
The first professional job that I played I played for two hours without music (I forgot it). Does that mean I play by ear? No I just played songs that I knew.

Do I play by ear? It's easier to use my fingers.

Tom