Learning music by ear can lead to more rapid enjoyment of playing pieces, though it may compromise technique.

“I mean, he would play stuff and I would mimic it, and I would let my emotions and whatever innate musicality guide me. And eventually, I think what that did actually is really interesting, from a skill-building perspective my technique absolutely suffered in the long term from not having a more structured approach, but I was able to fall in love with this endeavor much more quickly than other kids who had drill sergeants that were forcing them to practice their scales every day and practice etudes.”