I actually just the opposite of sight reading. I think it is a very learnable skill in my experience. Most people I know who study can actually get drasticall

I actually just the opposite of sight reading. I think it is a very learnable skill in my experience. Most people I know who study can actually get drastically better over the course of a couple of years. Playing by ear, OTOH, is much more difficult. Natural talent may help some. But I can't think of many skill related activities where 10,000 hours of deliberate practice won't make you an "expert". Maybe not the best in the world, but good enough that virtually any layperson would call you an expert.