and this is one of those things i feel weird talking about because it's not a skill i consciously developed, it's just sort of a natural way my brain grew when people say things to me like "wow you're so good at that" i feel obligated to provide an explanation of why i'm so good but i don't have one

like, i can't go "i practiced my scales 10 times a day" because i never did, scales are boring "i practiced piano 2 hrs a day as a kid" nope, hated active practicing. PLAYED piano 2 hrs a day, maybe, but it was just playing beatles stuff and (unintentionally) training myself to play by ear