Learning by Ear

When I was younger, I wished someone had taught me to play music by ear.

I learned the Electone by reading musical notes.

That helped me play songs that were written on paper, but it did not teach me how to play from my heart.

I could not hear a song and immediately reproduce it.

I could not improvise freely or compose my own music.

Looking back, I wish I had learned to trust my ears as much as my eyes.

Perhaps I would still be playing today.

Sometimes I imagine myself busking on the streets of Singapore, making people smile through music.

That would have been a dream come true.

Sometimes the thing we wish we had learned earlier reveals the dream we never completely gave up.