Hi, Mike,

This is an interesting topic.

For me, it really depends on the type of song.
I use sheet music to learn songs from musiclas, classical music, religious music and choral music.

I can figure out many songs from the radio by ear - starting with chord progressions, and then melodies- as I have fairly good knowledge of chords.

Emily

http://emilysanders.net
http://cdbaby.com/cd/emilysanders
http://angelcitychorale.com