Well Eggipoo, if I were you I wouldn't stop reading music, I would add listening to my reading. I'm just the opposite. I came here being able to hear music patterns even before I could play them. In fact that's what inspired me. So I learned to play the guitar and the piano. But I always wanted to be able to read music. It took me over twenty years to learn because I did it the hard way. On my own. If I had it to do again, I would get a teacher. That would have saved a lot of time.
In your case, since you can read music and want to develop your ear. Well that comes from listening. I've been listening to a lot of blues lately. I get these jazz and blues play along Cds. From
www.jazzbooks.com. They come with the sheet music and a CD so you can practice what you hear. First I just listen to the CD, and follow along with the sheet music. Looking at the chord patterns, and the bass patterns..Say a blues bass line goes, 1,3,5,6,7b,6 5,3,1, etc. while improvising on the 7b and 3 in the right hand. Well behold, you see this pattern playing right before your eyes. You listen to enough of these blues bass lines and melodys, pretty soon you will recognize them without the sheet music. So listening is the key to learning how to play by ear. Listening for bass patterns, chord patterns, etc.. And being able to see the music as well as hear it, will cut your learning curve in haft. And don't be afraid of the blues either. You ain't a jazz musician if you can't play the blues. The reason I say blues is because blues patterns are apart of most music styles, be it jazz, rock, rap, hip hop, blues, RnB, and the Gospell.
May Gods' Peace be unto you
MrTea
