With a bit of work, I can figure out what the dots mean and where the notes sit on the fingerboard. But finding the notes is just the start -- it is not music yet. It’s a series of discrete notes that I might be able to wrangle into a tune or melody. That takes time and effort, and it feels like a struggle.

If I had learned the language of standard notation as a child, I would probably be able to sight read: Look at a score and intuitively translate that into real music. But that is not my situation and it’s way too much work to learn new music from the dots. Especially when there is an easier alternative. 

Dr. Molly Gebrian of University of Arizona kindly showed me how to learn by ear, and that has vastly simplified my musical life. I have posted links to her work here previously.

Learning by ear is far simpler and much more direct, at least for me. When I hear a tune I obviously know how it sounds. (Sometimes, if I hear it often enough, that tune becomes an “ear worm” and I can’t get it out of my head.)

Of course playing that new music is a whole 'nother step, but at least I understand where I’m headed if I know what it’s supposed to sound like. That sheet of notation -- or even tablature -- gives me very little hint of the final product.

Often I want to start playing right away, but I have learned that the process works better if I hold myself back and listen to the new music multiple times. It’s easier if I get the music into my head before trying to get it under my fingers. Sometimes I put a recorded version on “loop” and let it play over and over while I’m doing something else. 

YouTube has become a great resource for me. I can usually find several versions of music that I want to learn. I pick out a version that is clear and easy to follow, but not overly simplistic. I do not like those “lessons” that laboriously go through every phrase and every line. I much prefer to learn from a version is good music in itself and has some charm.

I play along with my chosen YouTube tune, slowing it down as necessary. First I find what I call the “landing notes”, the notes at the end of the main phrases. This is easy on violin. Then I work on building the connections between the landing notes. I can replay the recorded version as often as necessary. 

Before long I’m playing the new music -- probably not very well or very artistically -- but nonetheless it's real music. With some repetition I can play somewhat faster with better rhythm and flow. At this stage I often find myself improvising those connecting phrases. It’s not exactly like the original recorded model but that was never the goal anyway. 

As I gain fluency with a new tune I check out recorded versions to discover nuances -- double stops, grace notes, dynamic changes, etc -- and use them in the music that is now becoming my own. The thing grows and transmogrifies, and it gets to be a pleasure to play. Then I follow the advice of old Tennessee fiddler Ralph Blizzard: Never play the same tune the same way twice!

Dunno if this is helpful for anyone, but writing this has helped me clarify my own process. Thanks Stringy for the opportunity!

Strabo