Why do we "play it by ear"?

Question

I actually always thought it was "play it by year".

As in, "will the weather force us to cancel the game?". "I don't know, we'll just have to play it by year."

Answer 1

"Play it by ear" means to improvise, or make things up as you go along.

A musician playing a song written by someone else has 2 choices:

1. Play that tune reading from written sheet music (or playing "by the book") OR

2. Play the tune by using natural auditory memory of what the song sounds like, to reconstruct it in real time (by ear).

The latter is harder to do and riskier. It is nearly as risky as making up a song on the spot (or improvising). The former is easier to do since you merely need to read the song note for note of a page of sheet music. So to "play by ear" is to choose not to "go by the book".

Answer 2

The term "play it by ear" is a slang for wait and see what happens. For example let's say you and your family are planning on going to a camping trip. Your not sure if the weather is going to be cooperative or if you can get off work for those days. So then is when you'd say we'll just have to play it by ear. That's what that means.

Answer 3

musicians usually use sheet music to play songs. When they attempt to play just by listing to a song and joining in they are " playing it by ear" Now when someone decides to do something without a formalized plan they say that they are going to play it by ear.

Answer 4

play it by ear = not having a specific game plan, just going on as conditions or events dictate...

play it by ear
To act according to the circumstances; improvise (dictionary.com)

Answer 5

Just go with the flow.