Who Can Actually Read Music ?

[milod]

Matt Sear's comment about playing in a musical reminded me of an experience I had 35 years ago or so.

 

A college I covered as a daily newspaper reporter had a theater director I got to know pretty well. Oddly he'd been Johnny Cash's Air Force room mate in Germany, too.

 

Anyway, they were doing Man of La Mancha and the day or two before dress rehearsal their guitar player got sick. I got a call. I ODed on the album and watched the score along with it almost all night. It was all in A-flat, E-flat and B-flat as I recall. I made it work apparently.

 

I needed the score and the little chord notations on the top but... Yeah, even being a lousy sight reader helps.

 

BTW, though, it's my observation that most folks I've played guitar with, whether they're readers or ear folks, were sufficiently aware of the cycle of 5ths that transposition of rock or country by ear worked.

 

m

[sparky scott 29]

I can read the basics, that's all here.

Nothing fancy either, I'm sure, a lot like some of you guys..

[Riverside]

Watch from 4:00 on...

 

(The part about guys who say "I can read a little bit...")

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgK5VygLxbc

[WahKeen]

I think it's interesting when someone who reads music sucks at playing. It is like a language. I know people who know all the grammatical terms of a language but haven't mastered the phonetic part. Needs more practice/experience.

 

About 7 years ago I was hired to play (I wish I could remember the song) a piece and was given the guitar sheet music. It helped being able to read it and it felt "complete". However, frankly, I haven't "needed" to read musio since for a paying gig. Depending on how you define success, in my book, I've been successful at the the music thing, reading or not. I don't quantify success with money. It's about satisfaction with me. It's the old "starving musician" story: Great readers, great songwriters, great players getting paid $250 per gig (5 member band). Frankly, again :), I'm too lazy for it now, and enjoy the "feeling" of playing freely, but would do it again if I had to.

 

Having said that, is it overrated? In my opinion, yes and no. It depends on what path you choose to go in. I suppose that BB King is not a complete musician according to some here, and to some degree it may be true, but who cares? He wishes he could read music etc, but based on his contributions to the history of music, it was meant for it to be that way (debatable?).

 

Anyway, in my experience, I'd be nice to have every musician I work with read music, but the reality is that it's not the case. I'd rather have someone with a good ear that's teachable than someone who read music who was cluless about intangibles even if they were touching him. I'd have to have him/her in my session to determine who works best. My opinion/experience, no more no less.

[milod]

I've known a lotta keyboard players, especially, who could play about anything-- assuming they had sheet music in front of them. Without it? Couldn't - or wouldn't - play a note. Period.

 

One of the best players I've known was a violin player who'd been one of my Dad's one-room country school best friends. She could play by ear or ... she'd played with both St. Louis and Minnesota symphonies.

 

I do really wish I were a better sight reader but... I guess if I hadda swap better ear pickin' and improv for better sight reading, I'll stay where I am.

 

m

[Time Consumer]

I think it's essential if you really want to become a professional.

 

I'm a music major and a professional player; safe to say, I can read music in all four clefs and in any transposition. I have to be able to pick-up-and-play nearly any major instrument to at least a manageable degree by the tome

I'm out of university; guitar is no exception.

 

I think most people who can't read and insist it's "not necessary" are lazy and are just fooling themselves

[rocketman]

I've known a lotta keyboard players, especially, who could play about anything-- assuming they had sheet music in front of them. Without it? Couldn't - or wouldn't - play a note. Period.

 

That's why I started picking up jazz at a pretty young age. My teachers used to tell me "this is how Mozart would want it played." I love his music but I wanted some more freedom. Playing jazz piano is a lot more than just solos. You need to "fill in" parts with the band. You ear needs to always be "on" and your fingers have to react quickly.

[ShredAstaire]

A +1 for you Guitarist ! ( and I'm saving a +1 for ShredAstaire when he replies because he loves them so much ) !!!!

 

Oh you!

 

For me, standard notation is a useful tool for learning a piece of music. In my opinion, its not for "playing along with"....you learn the song from the notation and you memorize it. Its a way of communicating with other musicians. I'm learnin!

 

I hate tab with a passion because it doesn't convey anything except what note you're playin.

[NeoConMan]

I've known a lotta keyboard players, especially, who could play about anything-- assuming they had sheet music in front of them. Without it? Couldn't - or wouldn't - play a note. Period.

My ex-wife was one.

I remember really pissing her off when I asked "Do you know the song or not? You've played it a million times."

She could not.

I never understood that.

 

I'll never minimize the importance of knowledge, but I've seen people in many fields of endeavor who know enough to

bluff their way by virtue of extensive training or education. Even nuclear power.

Every time, it reminds me of my ex.

I tried to tell her that if you KNOW the song, you can play it.

Nobody will expect perfection if you normally have the music in front of you, but that's a handicap - not disability.

 

Would my guitar playing benefit from greater knowledge and understanding?

Theory?

Practice?

More gigs?

More challenging songs?

 

Absolutely.

 

But I'm not a pro, and I play for therapy - it feels good to rock out loud.

Even if it's only a bunch of single line Ted Nugent runs and two string power chords through a Marshall stack.

 

Nuclear power is different - I KNOW what the hell I'm doing.

[damian]

Each and every response has been intrinsicly unique, and personally correct in the strengths of the respondent's views on the subject on so many different levels...Every response is of course correct, as each view is from a personal perspective...Regardless of one's views, ability to read music, skill level of reading music, or otherwise, the talk always flows eventually to the fact that we all who have responded on this thread regard the ability to make and create music an important aspect of our lives; and that fact alone is a driving force in our writing, playing, studing, and 'needing' to create music. The ability to apreciate music is almost universal, and yet the ability to create music is not. And one commonality in all of our responses is that we love being musicians, and enjoy being musicians regardless of our skill levels, and what we wish our skill levels to be. From the most serious responses to the most humorous responses, all are correct responses, and that makes this thread authentically unique in that it contains no errors or mistakes; it contains the truthful and passionate thoughts on one of many aspects of making and creating music; which itself is music to and for my ears. Thankyou for keeping this thread alive...