play\ by\ ear

play\ by\ ear
v. phr.
1. To play a musical instrument by remembering the tune, not by reading music.

Mary does not know how to read music. She plays the piano by ear.

Joe doesn't need any music sheets when he plays his guitar; he knows many songs well and can play them by ear.

2. informal To decide what to do as you go along; to fit the situation. - Used with "it".

John decided to play it by ear when he went for his interview.

It was her first job and she didn't know what to expect, so we had to play it by ear.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • play by ear — ► play by ear 1) perform (music) without having to read from a score. 2) (play it by ear) informal proceed instinctively according to circumstances rather than according to rules or a plan. Main Entry: ↑play …   English terms dictionary

  • play by ear — If you play by ear, you deal with something in an impromptu manner, without guidelines or rules. It refers to playing music without using written notation …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • play by ear — play a musical instrument by remembering the tune and not by reading the music Although she can t read music at all she can play by ear and is a great musician …   Idioms and examples

  • play by ear — phrasal : to deal with (as a situation) without previous planning or instructions * * * play by ear To play on a musical instrument without the help of written music • • • Main Entry: ↑ear play by ear see under ↑ear1(see also ↑play it by ear… …   Useful english dictionary

  • play by ear —    To play by ear means to improvise or act without preparation, according to the demands of the situation.    (Music : to play by remembering the tune, without printed music.)     It s hard to know how the situation will develop. Let s just play …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • Play by ear — The phrase play by ear has several meanings, some of which are listed below:*Improvisation, the act of inventing all or part of a process as it is performed *Learning music by ear, a term used to describe learning how to play a musical piece… …   Wikipedia

  • play by ear — play a tune after hearing it without looking at musical notes …   English contemporary dictionary

  • play by ear — {v. phr.} 1. To play a musical instrument by remembering the tune, not by reading music. * /Mary does not know how to read music. She plays the piano by ear./ * /Joe doesn t need any music sheets when he plays his guitar; he knows many songs well …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • play by ear — {v. phr.} 1. To play a musical instrument by remembering the tune, not by reading music. * /Mary does not know how to read music. She plays the piano by ear./ * /Joe doesn t need any music sheets when he plays his guitar; he knows many songs well …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • play by ear — англ. [плэй бай и/э] играть по слуху см. также ear …   Словарь иностранных музыкальных терминов

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