I play guitar by ear but the guy I jam with plays by books. How can I get him to develop an ear for music?

I have been playing for about 15 years now. I know my scales, arpeggios, modes, chords and other music theory. But if I hear something, then I can find the notes on the fretboard and play it because I have perfect pitch. I can also create songs just by finding what sounds right on the fretboard. I can figure out which notes belong in a scale (or don't belong in a scale) just by listening. I can sing good too. But my friend is different. He can only play someone else's music that is in books. He plays it over and over until he memorizes it. But he never really just lets loose and jams or improvises. He can't because he can't figure out on the fly what sounds right or what doesn't sound right. His singing is poor and he sings in the wrong key. He doesn't understand how I can hear something and then instantly play it. I can't really figure it out either and that's why it is hard to jam with this guy because I can't really explain how or why I have this ability.I play guitar by ear but the guy I jam with plays by books. How can I get him to develop an ear for music?
Make sure he's relaxed and just encourage him. I had the same problem, but I didn't try to be creative because I had no idea if the note I played next would sound good. Make sure he knows his scales and just tell him to make some random riff up in a scale. Once he creates one solid piece of music, he'll start to open up and be more creative. If you can, a drummer, a drum machine, or a metronome would help, that's how I learned.I play guitar by ear but the guy I jam with plays by books. How can I get him to develop an ear for music?
Find someone else to play with. If you're just jamming, why does it matter?
Give him 15 years to catch up. Some got it, some don't. If you feel the music, you can hope to know the instrument enough to play by ear, but without that feeling in your heart, the best musician can only learn the moves by reading it. You cannot make your friend do more than he feels. He could probably become a good drummer. Every drummer I ever met started on another instrument.



If you want to jam with someone who anticipates your every musical flow, get a multitrack recorder and a drum machine.