1. play by ear - Verb
2. play by ear - Phrase
(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; improvise
If they ask for something we didn't prepare, we will have to play it by ear.
Eclecticism is the word. Like a jazz musician who creates his own style out of the styles around him, I play by ear. Ralph Ellison
Grammar is a piano I play by ear. Joan Didion
Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory. Ray Charles
I also went to art school and learned to play a piano there, but I play by ear. John Mayall
Grammar is a piano I play by ear. All I know about grammar is its power. Joan Didion
I learned when I started to study piano that I could play by ear. I could hear a song on the radio a couple of times and hear the song and the lyrics and sing it for you after a couple of plays. Ronnie Milsap