:D Yes, I can.


I have had a bass teacher since June (two months after I started playing). And after being able to read music, I realized that I hate tabs.

No, all by ear.

Don't even know how to use a chart.

:-)

Joe.

I wish.

Well I can read music, I can read tabs, I can learn stuff by ear.

I supposedly have NEAR PERFECT PITCH!!!!! :cool:

Trust me, if you listen to every Metallica inside and out non-stop, you'll be able to hung an E and every note in the Em chord!

Yes. And since this isn't technique related, I'm sending this off to General Instruction.

I am sorry to say that I have never learned to read standard notation, although I would love to given the oppurtunity. I prefer to use chords charts whenever available, I will use tab only if I am not clear about a particular passage. All that being said, I have never seen a rock musician playing off of sheet music on stage! ;)

I can read music, but in treble cleft, not bass. I play alto sax as well. Atleast I think i can read music, I can play it, then listen to how it should be played and sulk in my failure :(

I can read alto clef, treble and bass I can kinda because of piano...but not when I'm playing...gotta reteach myself that...

I read music and get alot of my gigs because I can (read). Now if my ears just didn't suck. Working on that, though.

Yes, treble and bass clef. I don't use tab ever. I work either by ear or off charts (fully notated parts or lead sheets) as the situation requires.

I can read treble and bass clef very well. Although I can read alto clef because I have written for the viola, it isn't second nature like treble and bass.

The only "professional" musical experience I've had has been on the piano/keyboard (only twice, but hey, I'm just 19 years old :) ). One situation, required that I read an actual piano part (member of the orchestra for a musical). The other required learning from lead sheets and then memorizing (cocktail piano).

I can read bass notation, but I can't remember actually having to do it. I rarely, if ever, use tab.

Yes. The only way to do it is to just do it - every day! It is a skill that will open new musical doors for you.

Yes. The only way to do it is to just do it - every day! It is a skill that will open new musical doors for you.

This is quite true. Practice it over and over.

I'd love to say that I can "sort of" read music (I've gotten lax so my reading skills really aren;t up to snuff), but i remember hearing Jaco say that you can't "sort of" read music. You either can read it or you can't.

I encourage every bass playey to learn to read music. I used to just use chords for worhip songs and stuff, but them my music reading progressed to the point where I just started using the written piano parts. My basslines improved greatly when I started doing this. Now I very much prefer written music. There's just so much that gets left behind in a tab or chord chart. Now, I hardly play whats written, but it is a great starting place and gives me tons of ideas.

Can i read it....yes

Can i read it well...i'm okay, i can get a song usualyl after 2 or three tries

Yes I can. I was a music major in college and also play Tuba and Basson. (the basson not as well, I have't play it in 5 years)

Growing up playing in school bands, I had to read standard notation on both clefs every day. Playing in a Jazz quintet,
I had to read charts from the "Real Book". Playing in Rock/top 40 bands, I just pick the bass lines off the records by ear.
I never learned tab.

Slug

In the Jaco sense of read music, no, I can't. But I'm working on it - both bass and treble (guitar). Treble is useful if you ever pick up Levine's Jazz Theory Book. Wow, a treasure of treble.

Plus, it's fun. Like a game. You see yourself progress everyday. I see others do this with driving or fighting games on the PS2.

Yes. I think it's a necessary skill


and it doesn't seem to get in the way of my playing :hiding:

Anyone of you guys know of any software available to learn to read sheet music? I am military and stationed overseas which brings some real challenges to getting together with an instructor. Please e-mail me. Thanks a bunch.

How close are you to Yakota? There's an Air Force band there, and an Army band somewhere in Japan, too. One of the bass players there would probably be glad to teach....

Yes, I spent many hours on sight-singing which helped build my reading chops.

I can read treble and bass clef, but I usually just use my ears and memory.
I read the songs while I'm learning them but I can memorize them very quickly.

i can read standard notation, but i can't play me bass while reading music. i play euphonium and learned to read the notation. i need to work on learning the note positions o n the fretboard. :(

My teacher says I shouldn't rely on notation anyway - he says all the great players memorize; he's never seen a musician playing from sheet music. (I don't know if he was refering to rock/blues musicians only, though.)

But I figure I should learn it so I can play through Levine's Jazz Theory book. :)

yeah, see, i like to memorize, but it takes me a while to learn a piece through notation, because i put it into tab. :ninja:
ill get it eventually.

My teacher says I shouldn't rely on notation anyway - he says all the great players memorize; he's never seen a musician playing from sheet music. (I don't know if he was refering to rock/blues musicians only, though.)

But I figure I should learn it so I can play through Levine's Jazz Theory book. :)
Then maybe he's never seen an orchestra, or a big band, or for that matter any jazz band working with hard arrangements on stage, or any studio session requiring reading. It's ridiculous to even suggest that knowing how to read well makes you dependent on it, or that reading means you can't or don't memorize. I mean, jeez, think of actors: does knowing how to read English mean that you can't memorize your lines in a play?

Then maybe he's never seen an orchestra, or a big band, or for that matter any jazz band working with hard arrangements on stage, or any studio session requiring reading. It's ridiculous to even suggest that knowing how to read well makes you dependent on it, or that reading means you can't or don't memorize. I mean, jeez, think of actors: does knowing how to read English mean that you can't memorize your lines in a play?

That's why I thought he was talking about rock and blues players. His point, I think, is that he wants to train my mind to memorize the music instead of always reading it from paper when I play.
Does that make sense? Or should I find a new teacher?
(I like this one though, and it's tough to find experienced teachers who still take lessons and keep their own practice log.)

Yeah, I read music. I don't see why many people say that it gets in the way of creativity, I think being able to read music is an invaluable skill. :)

Graeme

Knowing how to read will in no way cramp your creativity - in fact it will expand it. It will add to your overall musical vocabulary, so when you are in your rock and blues setting, you will have more to draw from. All music is really a melting pot of ideas anyway. Lelts draw an analogy here - I have three kids. Each of them developed rudementary language and communication skills before they were taught to read books. Music can be though of in the same way. Develop your ear and rudementary "language" skills (scales, modes, intervals, arpeggios, etc.) and reading will come much more naturally, and will then add to your vocabulary and your knowledge. Believe me, reading and playing through the Bach cello suites will not hamper your skills - they add to it. Learning and discovering how to use positioning through notation as opposed to tab is harder, requires much more thought and discipline, and in the long run makes you not only a better bassist, but a better overall musician.

That's why I thought he was talking about rock and blues players. His point, I think, is that he wants to train my mind to memorize the music instead of always reading it from paper when I play.
Does that make sense? Or should I find a new teacher?
(I like this one though, and it's tough to find experienced teachers who still take lessons and keep their own practice log.)

No, it does make sense to memorize things. That part's good. Just don't fall into the idea, which your post *seemed to* suggest, that memorization and reading ability are somehow opposed. They're not. Reading is one way you get songs under your fingers so that they can be memorized, and you may well encounter situations where you don't have time to memorize. There's absolutely no reason why a bassist can't simultaneously be able to (1) read well, (2) memorize quickly and accurately, (3) pick up things well by ear, and (4) improvise. These things are not competing skills, they're complementary skills. One doesn't rule out any of the others.

Way to go OriginalName. I hate that so many non-clasically trained think that being able to read is unimportant. It's the only way truely understand our craft. you cant be a writer if you're illiterate.

~trav

I can read Bass and Treble cleff. I think that you can learn and play a song better by reading the music than by reading tabs. With tabs, you have nothing to give you the rythm, or how fast, unless it is noted. With sheet music, everything is told to you. I use a combination or tab and notes, just to make things easier on me.

Yes I can read music.

I think generally that people who claim reading music is a hinderance to their creativity are making excuses for not learning.

I've played music in one form or another since I was around 6 years old. Piano, brass intruments and now bass. I started to learn to read music only a few years after learning to read English. Treble and bass clef are both second nature to me now. Something I'm very happy about.

You know what I had a hard time getting used to? Tab. When I attempted to play guitar I couldn't read it at all. It took me a few weeks on bass to get used to it. But I felt it was important in beginning to learn bass, since it is so widely used to communicate musical ideas, particularly on the internet. My bass teacher, even though he can read and write standard notation, used tab because it was quicker during lessons. So I learned it. I also wanted to focus on developing my ear, so I rarely used notated music at all when playing bass.

The first opportunity I had to gig, guess what? It was a sub job and I had to be able to read music. I've been asked to sub a few more times since then for the same bass player. And every time I'm handed standard notation music. I couldn't have gotten that gig, as little as it is, if I couldn't read music.

Richard Lindsey made the best point, I think:

There's absolutely no reason why a bassist can't simultaneously be able to (1) read well, (2) memorize quickly and accurately, (3) pick up things well by ear, and (4) improvise. These things are not competing skills, they're complementary skills. One doesn't rule out any of the others.

I explain it to my students that it is just one more tool in the toolbox.

I can read music.

I just learn all my songs by ear.

ok i cant read music at dont see is as a nessesity (spelling?) because of the music i play metal/rock, but i was thinking about having kind of a hybrid tab/notation thing.

for instance you have the tab written out with numbers and everything, then have the note symbols kinda over the numbers and have all the notation signs and everything on the music.

does anybody know what i mean i dont think my wordings very good, but if you could do this it would put an end to the whole tab vs notation argument. i used to think notation users just hated numbers!

Paz,
I know what you mean, check out an issue of Guitar World. They switched to a combo Notation/Tab. Though I still think that learning to read music is a necessary skill. It's the non-audible way of communicating the sounds of music, just as text is the non-audible way of communicating the sounds of Language. Doing either correctly is also necessary. It's definitely more efficient than any other system that has been developed which, is why it's been in use for hundreds of years.

Trav

dammit they stole my idea :crying: :crying:

You see that is what they will do in most "teaching" books Paz, its what I like to read, incase I dont recognize the really high notes, I can just look down and get the fingering.

I can read treble cleff fluintly,bass cleff I can understand but cannot play electric or double bass to,I dont know how the octaves corrispond if that makes any sense. I know treble cleff because i have been playing saxophone for five years.

Reading a lot of ledger lines can suck. I dont know why they never switch cleffs for electric bass. Example: Bach cello suits. For Double bass and cello they're in tenor cleff. In an Electric bass book they're in bass cleff with tons of ledger lines or written down an octave. The 1st movement of the Dragonetti concerto in D is in bass tenor and treble and it makes it so much better to read.

~trav

I can't read notes, i just use the sheet music for the worship songs to keep time. Any other usic i learn by ear. You NEVER stuff it up once you memorise it, you never lose track. The bass involves putting in little runs and licks. if you are playing by ear, it is much easier to invent things as you go. So, by ear definately!! :cool:

I can sight read bass notation fairly well, because i started playing bass with the school band, where basically they give you the notation, and then expect you to be able to play the song fairly well after about 30 seconds of skimming through it. You'd be surprised how much this helps you learn.
Like many others, i would definitely recommend that everyone who just reads tabs learns to read notation, because when playing from sheet music, you not only know what fret and string you are playing, (like in tab), but you also know what KEYS and NOTES you are playing, which is kind of important.

I can read alto clef, treble and bass I can kinda because of piano...but not when I'm playing...gotta reteach myself that...

hah where did you learn to read alto clef? i know some musicians who don't even know that it exists :scowl:

i can read treble clef fairly proficiently (guitar is my main instrument) and i can sort of work my way around bass clef. alto/tenor/other clefs are still a pain in the ass.

Maybe Minger was a Violist?

yes, please lern to read. It's very important. Dont be one of those "can only read TAB" people.

pick up a Mel Bay book or somehting, you learn both, but music is important. Besides, what are you going to do when the guitarist says, ok we plkay this song in FM. and you dont knwo where F is?

Besides, what are you going to do when the guitarist says, ok we plkay this song in FM. and you dont knwo where F is?

I agree with what you're saying, but.. uh, what does reading have to do with that last part? You can know the fingerboard perfectly without knowing how to read.

I agree with what you're saying, but.. uh, what does reading have to do with that last part? You can know the fingerboard perfectly without knowing how to read.

true , but if you know the notes on the fretboard, than there is no excuse not to be able to read now is there?

Hey guys I can see a lot of you choose to not use tab, and instead go by your ears.

Well I really dont get how you can learn entire songs by ear, so could someone give some pointers??? I can read treble and bass clef, but because tab is so much easier to get I tend to go with it ( :scowl: :( ) plz help guys! lol

~JB~

I can read treble clef pretty well (from playing piano and flute) and I'm ok at bass clef (from piano and bass). It definatly takes me a few seconds per note to register the note on the paper and transfer it to the bass so I definatly can't sight read. I don't play bass in any situation where I need to read but I practice a little anway incase I do end up needing to read. It's a good skill to have.

to stop reading tab just simply do so. get some sheet music, who cares what it was for, bass or treble. Get some bass stuff or cello, or bassoon what ever... something without tab under the staff and just read it. then you'll get better. eventually you'll tend to stear away from tab. when i started i only did tab. once i started doing music now i get annoyed when there's tab. music is much more efficent. it also makes it easier to use alternate fingerings because sometimes tabbed fingerings don't work for everyone.

~trav

to stop reading tab just simply do so. get some sheet music, who cares what it was for, bass or treble. Get some bass stuff or cello, or bassoon what ever... something without tab under the staff and just read it. then you'll get better. eventually you'll tend to stear away from tab. when i started i only did tab. once i started doing music now i get annoyed when there's tab. music is much more efficent. it also makes it easier to use alternate fingerings because sometimes tabbed fingerings don't work for everyone.

~trav

exactly

Hey guys I can see a lot of you choose to not use tab, and instead go by your ears.

Well I really dont get how you can learn entire songs by ear, so could someone give some pointers??? I can read treble and bass clef, but because tab is so much easier to get I tend to go with it ( :scowl: :( ) plz help guys! lol

~JB~

most of them are lying or exaggerating how talented they are probably, least that's what i'd imagine. don't get me wrong, ear training is a beautiful thing, but if you don't read music it takes some kind of natural talent to learn a whole song by ear. not to rag on ear training, but you should learn to play stuff from written music before you learn to play stuff without it.

it would be a worthy goal to phase out using tabs. it's hard to do because it is the easy way out, but you'll understand everything so much better if you read it the right way.

most of them are lying or exaggerating how talented they are probably, least that's what i'd imagine. don't get me wrong, ear training is a beautiful thing, but if you don't read music it takes some kind of natural talent to learn a whole song by ear. not to rag on ear training, but you should learn to play stuff from written music before you learn to play stuff without it.

it would be a worthy goal to phase out using tabs. it's hard to do because it is the easy way out, but you'll understand everything so much better if you read it the right way.

learning a song by ear is actually not that hard. unless its avery complicated song. Than it takes longer. just play or listen along, and youve got it. I knwo alot of peope who can do it, so i've never questioned it before.

you should learn to play stuff from written music before you learn to play stuff without it.

I'm big into learning to read, but I don't think I'd agree with this statement. I can't see any reason why ear training and reading shouldn't go hand in hand. Done right, they can and will reinforce each other. IMO part of the whole problem with this debate is that a lot of things are framed as an either-or choice when they should really be about both-and.

i agree richard. Reading music is nessesary, but than again it is just as important as ear training. But with the right mix, youre set for life!

Well a lot of transcribing songs comes from ear training, and knowledge of intervals, and scale theory. As I've said it before, learning to read is good because you can analyze notations, and transcriptions, not tab.