Music’s great, you can let it wash over you while you are doing something else like pounding along on the treadmill or pushing weights at the gym but musicians need to do more. You need to listen fully to songs, you need to be able to count!
Songs normally have structure and learning the song structure, its time signature and song key are all vital parts of being able to nail down a song quickly. Of course you can do it without but it will take you forever and you won’t be playing in a band anytime soon!
Have a watch of Snarky Puppy’s drummer Larnell Lewis go through the process, listening to a song that he has never heard before, working out what to do “live” and then playing it.
Essential watching for anyone who wants to be a musician!!!