Do You Play Your "Epiphone Electric Guitars" by Ear, or Education?

[charlie brown]

"No, I use my hands and fingers!" Ta Dum!

 

(Sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

CB

[LuckyDan]

Q: Do you eat chicken with your fingers?

A: No. I eat my fingers separately.

 

ba ding boom

[pohatu771]

I read music, but not usually for guitar, though I can and will. I actually prefer to play by notation, but it's not often that you find what I want on sheet music without paying.

[carverman]

How do you get a guitar player to turn down? Put a chart in front of him! Thats me too CB....I'm an ear player and it's always surprised some of the Berklee cats I've played with how little theory I really know.....it just kinda comes naturally to me good or bad. They say that opposites attract....my wife sight reads complicated choral arrangements by all of the masters and I'm just in awe of her ability.

 

Hey Layboomo..nice JoePass there! Some of the best guitar players in the world couldn't read a note, but could

play jazz with the best out there. Charlie Christian, Django Rheinhardt, Wes Montgomery etc. Reading music

or a score does help to learn the tune faster, but if you don't have the music, a good ear and memory can pretty

much get you into the ballpark as they say. I do a quite a bit of stuff by ear after listening to the tune/song.

It does take a bit longer because you have to figure out the key and some of the basic chords, but eventually

it all seems to fall into place. I still read a bit of music when I can afford to buy those expensive books, or

find some cheat sheets somewhere.

[JefferySmith]

Having learned how to read music and having looked at TAB, I gotta think that it's easier to read music. But when you learn to play guitar by reading music, you don't stray much from the first 3 frets.

[Nic]

Having learned how to read music and having looked at TAB' date=' I gotta think that it's easier to read music. But when you learn to play guitar by reading music, you don't stray much from the first 3 frets.[/quote']

 

Once you get past the beginner level you'll be playing in every position. In fact, you'll soon discover the open position is not really the easiest position to play in.

[tamlyn Mansfield]

I go to Berklee and of course read and know alot of theory. It makes it alot easie to play with other musicians, sharpens your improv skills, allows you to write and notate songs, and play song you have never heard before. Before I learned to read my guitar playing was superficial and learned songs in one key and couldn't change keys if I was playing with people who learned it in another key. Sight reading is most important to me as I am a studio musician as well as having my own band.

Tamlyn

[Bill V]

It's not so cut and dry for me. I can pick some things up by ear, but often resort to chord diagrams as well as tabs for some of the more complex (for me) stuff. I find that a lot of the tabs out on the internet are lacking and most are written for first position playing.

 

My stepson just got a phonebook sized book at Barnes and Noble that has some well written tabs and it contains some pretty good stuff in it too.

 

I can read bass lines ok because of the bass guitar lessons I took back in the Stone Age, but can't read treble clef to save my life.

[bluesstringer]

 

Hey I even changed my avatar to my EPIPHONE Joe Pass:d/

 

If it were only that simple, my brother !!!!! Who knows what it takes theses days after yesterday, nice move tho - i like the avatar !

[bluesstringer]

 

And it's amazing that someone hasn't said "I read music for the Epiphone electrics but just play by ear with a Gretsch."

 

Good one Jeff, We may all eventually need to find another way to enjoy each other's company bro.

[bluesstringer]

It sounds like as usual, I'm in good company here. I learned initailly to play solely by ear and then a few years later learned to read music playing sax in Jr. high school. SAx players then didn't get the girls. I stopped playing sax didn't look at sheet music until about a year ago. I can't sight read any more and don't want to. Never learned tab and don't want to do that either. Too old and lazy to learn theory, although I seriously thought about classes for 26 seconds.

 

By ear worked in the beginning and it's still how I learn when I want or need to learn new material. I really don't have the patience or true desire to learn many new process these days. I wish I had done it years ago to really have the option but I have never regretted learning by and playing by ear, I highly value it.

 

I worked with a cat for about 20 years that had studied theory and played Jazz for a couple of decades. Brilliant technical use of the instrument, knew progressions and chord patterns I couldn't even pronounce. About as exciting as a rock to listen to IMHO. Yep, I've always valued leaning by ear !

 

I believe that , as in his case, you can know theory, read music, tab, whatever, but players that can use all that to their advantage, have to have an ear for it as well. I think that, as in alot of areas of life, the best case scenario is to have the education of one with the experience of the other.

 

It must be getting late, I'm getting philisophical. It's time to go - another great one CB !!!!

[charlie brown]

I go to Berklee and of course read and know alot of theory. It makes it alot easie to play with other musicians' date=' sharpens your improv skills, allows you to write and notate songs, and play song you have never heard before. Before I learned to read my guitar playing was superficial and learned songs in one key and couldn't change keys if I was playing with people who learned it in another key. Sight reading is most important to me as I am a studio musician as well as having my own band.

Tamlyn[/quote']

 

Welcome, Tamlyn! Congratulations, on "Berklee!" And, your thoughts are well founded. I've had friends,

who've gone to Berklee, as well. I wish I had had the opportunity (and tuition) for such, when I was coming up, but...I learned from the "school of hard knocks" (and, still am). It has never dulled my enthusiam, for playing, though.

 

Anyway...welcome, and kudo's to you!

 

CB

[Suicidehummer]

I'm self-taught by ear, and my dad went to some music school. One of the things he said that really stuck for me was that despite all the structure they teach you, you can play anything as long as it sounds good to you.

[The_Sentry]

I took 4 years of theory. Most of it on guitar, some on piano. I learned the basics. But early on I realized that for the stuff I wanted to play at the time.....theory wasn't helping me. I could read a chord chart, I could play the composition....but as far as improvisation and intuition goes when playing with other people....

 

There's some things you just sort of have to "learn" just by doing them. If you're playing a rock song and it's a bunch of players, and it goes off into improv land or its extended, there really isn't anything in a book that will tell you for that scenario "OK, you can play this specific melody here, and while he's jamming lay back here."

 

I don't know anyone who doesn't play by feel to a degree.

 

But to be fair...no, I don't know advanced theory. I can research a chart to get the best fingering for an odd or transition chord, but they're not typically something I'll write around just be obtuse about it. (keep it simple and stupid.)

 

(And, when I was starting out, I was eating, drinking, sleeping, and crapping out Hendrix. Especially the crap part. They just didn't teach that stuff....even the music books and tabs didn't sound right unless you could feel it.)

 

Anyways...

[Steven Lister]

Those guitar magazine full page glossy ads promising to teach you guitar by "ear" in 11 seconds or less always make me chuckle. Of course, they're soon followed by others promising complete "theory" in 11 seconds or less....

 

My earliest 'guitar hero' couldn't read or write -- anything! Made an "X" to sign his name, but man could he play. Not just guitar, either. Horns, drums, piano, harp, mandolin, you-name-it.:(

 

I could never make sense out of that C-A-G-E-D theory! What the h*&% is that? The patterns all look wrong to me (matched to the wrong chord shapes). Oh well, I've made it this far,

I guess I'll keep on...

 

...hitting every BLUE NOTE baaaby..., I'm going to play on:-"

[charlie brown]

Yeah, Steven...that's what it's all about! Just keep plugging away!

Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!

 

CB

[Ricochet]

I go strictly by ear, alltho you probably couldn't tell from hearing me play...:(

[Old Bob]

There's a nice note by Joe Pass in the introduction to the transcriptions by Alan de Mause of his 'Virtuoso 3' album:

 

'I would like to thank Alan de Mause, who transcribed this book from the record. To me, this is an amazing feat. It would have taken me forever, since I don't remember what it was I improvised.'

 

Old Bob

[antwhi2001]

I had no ear whatsoever when I started out. I learned with chord diagrams and scale tabs (major and pentatonic). Learned from a book that there were relative majors and minors and therefore you could mix the 2 scales.

I had retained a little music theory which had been beaten into me at school, so I roughly understood sharps, flats and keys, and could decipher a score if you gave me a long while to work it out. Never been able to sight read.

 

When I started getting into rock bands I found I knew more theory than most other guitarists, and the little I knew helped me jam or pick things up quickly. If you want to play with others it helps if you know the musical rules, but you need to learn when to break them too. What surprised me most is that I gradually developed an ear, I'd always assumed you'd either got that or you haven't.

[Dave]

Someone once said, "Most guitar players know more theory than they realize, they just can't tell you what the name of a run is in terms of scales or why a chord is called what it is called." That's very true. We all have learned from copying popular songs, either from listening and "figuring it out" or from a book or tab. If you have done that, you have exercised the elements of musical theory.

 

I learned to play from a teacher who taught sight reading. The books contained songs like "Camptown Races" and "Greensleeves". I thought it was boring and probably would have quit if he hadn't included some play by ear in the last 10 minutes of each lesson. He taught me blues runs, power chording, soloing, scales, and whatever record I left with him from the previous week.

 

Many years later, I picked up a book called, "Total Guitar" from Barnes and Nobles and started reading. This book is full of color illustrations and contains just about everything a guitar player needs to know, from basic picking techniques to modal theory. It's presented in an easy to learn format and I picked up up a decent knowledge of scales, modes, and chord construction theory.

 

You can carry on a conversation without knowing how to read a book and you can play guitar without knowing how to read music. But with both, learning some theory can open up new worlds in terms of creativity and understanding. If you learn the theory of chord construction, you can figure out the name of the chord you have played all your life and how to create a chord that someone calls out during band practice. Like that E7#9 chord that is the A scale turnaround chord in so many blues songs (It's not in any chord book I have ever seen, but we all know how to play it).

 

Learning scales is very beneficial and I urge everyone to take a look at the book I mentioned. We all use the elements of musical theory whether we know it or not, but learning them will take you a few steps higher in improvisation. After all, we don't read music on a rock stage, we play from the heart. Knowing some theory will make the heart part a lot stronger over time. Learning some theory will help you reach new heights when you play your Epiphone Guitar (staying on topic). grin.....

[Notes_Norton]

I read music, I've studied music theory, and I use my ears. All three are very important to me.

 

<OPINION>

Those who neither read music nor know at least basic music theory are cheating themselves.

 

Just as a person who can read his/her native language and knows the rules of grammar and syntax in his/her native language can function better in a literate society, the musician who know how to read his/her instrument's native language (music charts) and knows the syntax (theory) can function better.

 

Sure there have been great players who never learned to read music, but they are definitely exceptions to the rule - but they definitely knew their theory. And I am sure they would have been even better if they knew how to read.

</OPINION>

 

Now I admit, learning to read music on the guitar is more difficult than it is on the saxophone, flute or piano (other instruments I play). But on the other hand, the music theory is more visible on the guitar and therefore easier. So in the long run it balances out.

 

For those who do not know how to read music, I encourage you to learn. Do it a little at a time. Give it 15 minutes of each practice session. And before you know it, you will be able to read it.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[matiac]

Strictly by ear, mainly because I can't read music to save my life.

[carverman]

 

I can play set solos but still get lost on improvising plus I have played with many good guitar players I'm happy just to play rhythm and I'm amazed at how many good lead guys can't tell you what the chords they are playing are named. Most bands I'm the one who stands next to the bass player and lets them know the chord changes to the songs so they can learn the song also.

 

Interesting...I don't always know what the jazz chords (root + progressions) are at the time when I play them,

but I can figure them out later if I have to. I would think that most seasoned players would know a major from

a minor chord and the related keys they are associated with, but some of the more obscure chords (like

a D minor with a flat 5th... etc) would not be apparent at the time you are playing it...as long as the chord

fits in the melody or chord progression. I sometimes come up with neat sounding chords at the end that

just pop in my mind, but I don't know the name of the chord.

 

As far as reading music, sight reading the melody line should be reasonalby easy if you are familiar with the

treble clef staff and the descending/ascending notes and where they are on the guitar frets, but playing

the chord notations does take a bit of learning time until you know what that chord is.

[layboomo]

This a bit of an aside,but interesting......Why is it that most of the Berklee cats I know and have played with seem to always "overplay"? They just don't seem to want to leave any spaces. Maybe my limited musical vocabulary allows me to leave a hole or 2 without it being a blow to my ego...LOL... This is of course a generalization but it's been pretty consistently true with the guys I've played with....but at least they know when to use mager,miner,autistic and demolished chords right?

[charlie brown]

I go strictly by ear' date=' alltho you probably couldn't tell from hearing me play... [/quote']

 

Ricochet...You're Back! COOL! What happened?

 

CB