I just started playing bass guitar and i have no idea what i'm doing. The first thing i need to know is how to read sheet music.

Find an internet guide on learning to read music. Or purchase a beginner piano book. It's great that you made an effort to think outside tablature, most beginners don't.

I believe middle C is the fifth fret of the G string.

Go buy "Note Reading Studies for Bass", by Arnold Evans, published by Mel Bay. Best. Reading. Book. Ever.

Ben: Any links on this book you could hook it up with? I'm interested, I'm at that point where I can read so-so, but not very fluently, per se. I know all the notes on the fretboard, but I still have to stop and think when I'm reading notation.

Click here and rock. (http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?productid=95297%20)

Click here and rock. (http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?productid=95297%20)
Ordered. Thanks bro

Anytime, cuzbrodudeman.

I get yelled at for remebering it like this but when it comes to the notes, the spaces are ACEG then the lines are GBDFA and I remeber it like this

A
Crazy
Evil
Gangsta

Ghetto
Bin Laden
Da
Funky
Arab

Being the name of Osama Bin Laden's debut rap album. :D

Hahahahahahahaha I'll have to tell my friends that one.

Why is reading music the first thing you need to know how to do? What about learning your instrument, some basic music theory, the basics? What is the obsession with reading music? I understand that at some point in a musicians career, it would be nice to be able to read effectively. I understand that Victor can read, Jaco could, Stanley can, etc. But how often do you see those cats on stage with sheet music in front of them? Or for that matter, how about Hendrix? Stevie Ray? The Beatles? Reading is a much talked about, and little used skill. How many of the guys here who gig regularly have sheet music put in front of them? I get that two bassists being of equal skill, etc., and one of them can read, yes, he'll get a gig if it requires reading, but I feel we make it way more important than it has to be.

Why is reading music the first thing you need to know how to do? What about learning your instrument, some basic music theory, the basics? What is the obsession with reading music? I understand that at some point in a musicians career, it would be nice to be able to read effectively. I understand that Victor can read, Jaco could, Stanley can, etc. But how often do you see those cats on stage with sheet music in front of them? Or for that matter, how about Hendrix? Stevie Ray? The Beatles? Reading is a much talked about, and little used skill. How many of the guys here who gig regularly have sheet music put in front of them? I get that two bassists being of equal skill, etc., and one of them can read, yes, he'll get a gig if it requires reading, but I feel we make it way more important than it has to be.

Well, a couple of things.

If you can read, you can play a gig with people you have never played with before, playing songs you've never played before.

Wooten/Jaco learn things off sheet/compose on sheet and then memorize what they've learned. And I think I've seen Wooten with sheet in front of him before.

One word: Classical

Hendrix, SRV, Beatles play simple music. When you speak of Hendrix and SRV I'm sure you are talking about guitar solos, which are mostly improvised, you don't read improvisation.

What about learning your instrument first? You are suppose to do both at the same time. We live in the era of multi-tasking. :smug: A major benifit is the music is right in front of you and theroy seems to make sense, it helps you understand chord relations, why notes work together the way they do.

Something that is stated again and again, sheet vs. tabs: Sheet music has rhythm indicated with it as well. I recommend learning to read early on. I've been playing for 4 years + now and I regret not learning the basics early on, it's making them even harder to learn/breaking old habits.

I think you're missing my point. Hendrix, Stevie Ray, The beatles were innovators. They didn't become innovators by learning to read music off of a piece of paper. THey didn't sound like themselves and be instantly recognizable by reading music. And I'm not sure the word "simple" can be used to describe their music. There must be a reason they're still being copied. My point was not that you shouldn't learn how to read music, I think it's a worthwhile skill. I just don't think it is as important to working, innovative, creative musicans as beginners think it is. And I'm not calling you a beginner to insult you, I don't even know you, as far as I'm concerned, we're all beginners. Again, how many of us tb'ers have had to sight read? Haven't you ever met or played with someone who could sight read really well, but couldn't improvise? Furthermore Matt, I checked out your influences on your profile, can any of those cats read? Unless i"m mistaken, I don;t think anyone of your cited influences can, so how did they learn to play? If reading is as important as everyone seems to think, why isn't Beethoven or Bartok on your list?

learning to read is deffinately a good thing...I was talking to a college, and played some for members of their school of music...they said that my technique and overall ability was great but i was handicapped by not knowing how to read (esp on upright)....so needless to say I'm gonna start learning...probly check out that book...thanks for the link!

I think you're missing my point. Hendrix, Stevie Ray, The beatles were innovators. They didn't become innovators by learning to read music off of a piece of paper.

I just don't think it is as important to working, innovative, creative musicans as beginners think it is. And I'm not calling you a beginner to insult you, I don't even know you, as far as I'm concerned, we're all beginners.

Again, how many of us tb'ers have had to sight read? Haven't you ever met or played with someone who could sight read really well, but couldn't improvise?

Furthermore Matt, I checked out your influences on your profile, can any of those cats read? Unless i"m mistaken, I don;t think anyone of your cited influences can, so how did they learn to play? If reading is as important as everyone seems to think, why isn't Beethoven or Bartok on your list?

Well I chopped up your post to give me some points to ponder.

Indeed we all are beginners, in that sense, we should be constantly learning. Why not include learning to read in learning process.

How many TBers read? Go ask over in the Double Bass section, you'll get some interesting replies.

Music is a language, so in that sense, you are saying we should just speak and not be able to read this language. Think about it that way for a little while.

You're right, SRV and the Beatles are very simple. Some of us want to go beyond simplicity. Personally I don't. The Irony of me making a big stink about this is I don't read, nor will I in the near future. But if you want to make music a job in a non "pop" (Pop meaning everything from Blues to Jazz to rock to a classical person) band, you'll need to be able to read.

Orchestra, Jazz Band, Studio Musician, etc. None of this may sound cool now, but someday it might.

Being able to read is just one of the many tools that could/should be in one's bass toolbelt.

I just started playing bass guitar and i have no idea what i'm doing. The first thing i need to know is how to read sheet music.

(I said the Beatles, SRV, and Hendrix were not simple btw)

I agree that reading is important to some people at some point. My problem is the conventional thinking like the above quote... Reading sheet music is definitely not the first thing he needs to know. You said you have no intention on reading, if it is a must to learn your instrument, why aren't you learning? How does Stevie Wonder play so amazingly? Jeff Healy? Did they learn their instruments by reading?

(I said the Beatles, SRV, and Hendrix were not simple btw)

I agree that reading is important to some people at some point. My problem is the conventional thinking like the above quote... Reading sheet music is definitely not the first thing he needs to know. You said you have no intention on reading, if it is a must to learn your instrument, why aren't you learning? How does Stevie Wonder play so amazingly? Jeff Healy? Did they learn their instruments by reading?

But the two can go hand and hand, my friend who recently decided to take up bass is learning from a teacher (not me thank god) and he's learning sheet. He's reading scales off of sheet music, so not only is he learning to read, but he's learning his scales.

Boy for a bass player, you sure like Blues guitarists a lot. :eyebrow:

I like amazing musicians alot.

I like amazing musicians alot.


Then on the subject of guitarists: The widley regarded gods of guitar (Satriani, Malmsten, Vai) all read and write sheet music.

They keep it in front of them on stage?
You're missing my point by being the great defender of music reading, read the beginning of this thread...

They keep it in front of them on stage?


Sometimes yes.

OK, yeah, I get your point, "Sheet music is aparently not important for beginners." But this kind of thought leads to futher procrastination.

Oh I need to learn to slap now
Oh I need to learn my favorite bassline
Oh I need to play a million notes a minute

Meanwhile, you've learned nothing about actual music. I should know. I wish someone would have forced this stuff upon me. I guess if all you want to do is "Rock out harDKor3!!!" that's fine, but if you want to do more than that, sheet music helps.

This is turning into pointless squabbling where I'm repeating myself, so my final retort: My dad could beat up your dad.

Not if my mom was there...

True. Your mom's styles are deadly. :ninja:

spc, Believe me, Reading is important at his stage.
I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY Wish I could read good. I love blues and can play some pretty good improvised guitar lead lines if I do say so myself... but if someone put a piece of bass sheet music in front of me, I can barly play the first note.

I play bass in my school jazz band. ...and I cant read... and boy does it piss off my teacher and the other members of the band sometime. I get by, by improvising using the chord symbols. But, god damn! I'd love to be able to just read the page!!! I'm tring to learn though... I'm getting better, I guess what I'm trying to say is, yes, it is useful to learn how to read as a beginner, I sure wish I did.

Furthermore Matt, I checked out your influences on your profile, can any of those cats read? Unless i"m mistaken, I don;t think anyone of your cited influences can, so how did they learn to play?

well heres a lil piece of information i bet ur smart a$$ did not know. i also checked his influences and cliff burton most certainly did read and rite sheet music. the man studied music theory thats y he was and still is a legend on the bass. also newsted reads and rites music. other than those 2 im not sure but thats still more than none. and wut does it matter to you if this person wants to learn sheet music early on. in fact i will guarantee that when he has as much playing time as you he will much better. josh

rite? It's write...

Does wut = what?

spc,
what you are missing out on is the experience of being handed a piece of music, and PLAYING it. no practice, no guessing, just sight reading. I do it ever week of my life, and so do thousands of sessions players in the world.
I may not be able improvise a complicated bass solo, but I have more reading experience than any bass player I know. When I get handed new music and told "here's what we are playing today", I'm sure glad I know how to do it, or my value would disappear.

…<snip>
I just don't think it is as important to working, innovative, creative musicans as beginners think it is.
<snip>…

I think that most session musicians (at least the working ones) would say that's bull****!

- Wil

I play bass in my school jazz band. ...and I cant read... and boy does it piss off my teacher and the other members of the band sometime. I get by, by improvising using the chord symbols. But, god damn! I'd love to be able to just read the page!!!

That seems strange to me, as in the pro Jazz gigs where I've seen people using sheet music, the bass players are 99% of the time improvising lines from chord symbols and very rarely are they reading a bass line.

So - Jazz is an improvised music and bass players are generally expected to be creating their own non-repetitive lines, based one the chord changes.

OK - there are going to be some tunes with bass riffs and integral parts - but mostly Jazz is all about improvising, based on what chords are going past!

spc,
what you are missing out on is the experience of being handed a piece of music, and PLAYING it. no practice, no guessing, just sight reading. I do it ever week of my life, and so do thousands of sessions players in the world.
I may not be able improvise a complicated bass solo, but I have more reading experience than any bass player I know. When I get handed new music and told "here's what we are playing today", I'm sure glad I know how to do it, or my value would disappear.

That's right - one of my favourite quotes was in Bass Player magazine
interviewing a big Nashville producer, who said :

"I don't pay bass players to play fast, I pay them to read fast!!" ;)

That seems strange to me, as in the pro Jazz gigs where I've seen people using sheet music, the bass players are 99% of the time improvising lines from chord symbols and very rarely are they reading a bass line.

So - Jazz is an improvised music and bass players are generally expected to be creating their own non-repetitive lines, based one the chord changes.

OK - there are going to be some tunes with bass riffs and integral parts - but mostly Jazz is all about improvising, based on what chords are going past!

Thats true, but remember, this is a high school jazz band... and I'm NOT a pro bassist! I said I improvise over the chords But I didnt say I do a good job of it all the time. And sometimes there is an important line that needs to be played... then I'm screwed....well, until the teacher tells me and helps me out. But in those Couple minutes that he's teaching me, the band could be playing, instead, they are sitting and waiting.