I'm not asking you to read a book. Sorry for being unclear. The reading a book stuff all started from this in my original comment:

> You can read about music theory (and should) but the only way to [...]

My point is just that "you" (an abstract you) can learn music abstractly and in practice. Some things require book reading. Some things require practice and listening. Nothing intended about the cgriswald "you".

I know how to do long-hand multiplication and have memorized the 12x12 multiplication table. I'm not sure which one is more valuable, but I think they complement each other.

I'm not sure if we actually disagree about anything, except maybe the relative value of knowing what an interval sounds like vs what it's called.

Ah, apologies for my misunderstanding. Maybe I should be more generous in interpreting others words. I don’t think we disagree about that either. To me it isn’t about “What it’s called” but about the concept itself. Intervals are “hidden” in this ear training. You get them for free but you don’t necessarily learn that the pattern is there at all. I can agree that the doing ability is more important than the concept but it’s not just about the name. That’s just what we have to use to talk about it.