play by ear
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Pronunciation
Audio (General Australian): (file)
Verb
play by ear (third-person singular simple present plays by ear, present participle playing by ear, simple past and past participle played by ear)
- (transitive and intransitive, of music) To play guided by one's musical ear, rather than from a written score.
- (transitive and intransitive, idiomatic) To do by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur, often with risk of negative outcomes; to improvise.
- If they ask for something we didn't prepare, we will have to play it by ear.
- 2001 August 30, Shakira (lyrics and music), “Whenever, Wherever”, in Laundry Service:
- There over, hereunder / Or up above, don't wonder / We can always play by ear / But that's the deal, my dear
Synonyms
- (do by guessing, intuition, etc, reacting to events as they occur): fly by the seat of one's pants, make it up as one goes along, wing it
Translations
play music guided by one's musical ear
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do by guessing
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