Why learn theory and practice ear training?

Why theory? Memorisation. Instead of trying to memorise a long series of notes, trained musicians remember a shorter series of larger patterns. They understand how the various patterns related to each other. It is important to understand that notes don't move at random. Each style of music has conventions that composers understand and work with. 

Check this out:

1. Composer: Clementi. Knowing this tells me this piece is in a "classical era style"
   
2. Allegro: fast and happy
   
3. Left hand goes from tonic to dominant, followed by an 8th note run from dominant back to tonic.
   
4. Right hand plays a broken tonic chord in 2nd inversion twice, followed by a run from dominant to dominant trilling around the leading tone on its way.
   
5. Play forte
   
6. I could go on.
   

I could go on.

Now ear training. Ultimately we all play be ear. Training your ear will shorten the time it takes to get there. You don't need perfect pitch but you do need good relative pitch. You need to be able to hear nuance in the professional performances you are listening to.

Check this out.

Jazz students

1. What instruments to you hear?
2. How many choruses does each musician take on the solos?
   
3. Is the piece a blues, standard, or jazz composition?
   
4. Which era of jazz history does it belong to?
   
5. What is the dynamic plan of the arrangement?
   
6. I could go on.
   

Classical students

1. Listen to the phrasing. Does the dynamic change with the direction of the melody? Does it get louder when the melody rises and fall when the melody falls?
2. How is the balance between melody and accompaniment. 
   
3. Is the tempo steady or flexible?
   
4. What is the relationship between tempo and dynamics?
   
5. I could go on.
   

These are examples of ear training. 

Cheers, 

David Story
Remember I give online lessons, now is four countries.