learning to read sheet music.

[Asa Samuel]

right, i need advice on how to go about re-learning to read sheet music.

i used to be able to do it reasonably well but it has now slipped.

i can read tabs well (who cant?)


help?

[stabbicus]

probably below your level if you could read before, but I picked up Music Theory for Dummies last weekend, and it has been very informative.

[Asa Samuel]

i was looking for something just bass guitar-specific.

[Eli_Upright12]

get some Double Bass music and just try to read through it or even try converting it to tab

[Otso]

Originally Posted by Eli_Upright12

get some Double Bass music and just try to read through it or even try converting it to tab

Don't bother with converting it to tab. Think of the notes, "It's an A, 2nd fret of the G-string or 7th fret of D-string or the 12th fret of the A-string". Then find the most comfortable positions to play the part. This way you'll learn to find the notes quicker, instead of making a tab and then actually learning from the tab.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Bass_Junkie

i was looking for something just bass guitar-specific.

Why? Reading music is reading music, no matter what instrument.

[Asa Samuel]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

Why? Reading music is reading music, no matter what instrument.

cause i'd find it more usefull learning what notes are on the guitar corresponding to the 'dots' on the music.

[joelyb]

hey. when i was studying, my bass lecturer said something that sounds so simple its stupid but it is also so true. the best way to get better at reading music is to READ MUSIC. start off wit some simple stuff. remember that it is so much better to read a hundred easy pieces than to read one or two really hard ones.(you will tend to read easier ones but the repetion involved with trying to nail the difficult ones means that you end up playing frm memory and not necessariy reading)

the way i do it is to open up a bass clef real book or any bass clef music and try to read it straight away. put the metronome on (always put the metronome on) an before you start, take notice of the simple stuff like the key, time signature, the feel, tempo. look at the highest note and the lowest note in the piece, once you have them, choose an appropriate position on the bass that will allow you to comfortably grab the range of notes. this is where knowing some scale forms comes in handy. play through slowly with out stopping. try the piece only a few times before moving on. try to break the music up into "words" i.e there might be a passage that reads cgfedc ceg. this would translate into .... key o c major. the first phrase is c then play from the fifth of the scale down to the 1. the next section is straight up a c major triad. by breaking it up into sections that you easily recognise and have played many times over you can almost go into auto pilot and be lookig at what is coming up.

this is the way i got my reading chops together (they still need plenty of work) but it requires a little music theory which i think is important.

as with anything. just my opinion.

if you want some titles that have progressive (easy to hard) reading stuff for bass clef. PM me i would be happy to pass them on to you.
cheers
jb

[joelyb]

i know that there is lots of opinions on this but i think that translating dots to tab is just making more work for yourself. reading is tough at the start but once you get it, you wont look back. it has all the information in a standard form including the rhythm. tabs will tell you where to put your fingers but there is no standard way of translating rhythm so with every new tabber you almost need to learn a new language of rhythmic notation.

cheers ppl

jb

[Dave Muscato]

There's a great book by Jim Stinnett called "Reading in Bass Clef." It's just like it sounds. It starts easy and gets progressively harder. It's mostly focused on note-reading and less on rhythm at first, but gets progressively harder. I haven't been able to find it online, but you might try calling the Berklee bookstore and see if they can ship it to you. This book would be perfect for you (I'm in the same boat - I used to be able to sight-read ANYTHING on clarinet, didnt' do it for a few years, it all went out the window!)

Their number is 617-267-0023, or you can email bookstore@berklee.edu.


There's another great one by Rich Appleman called "Reading Contemporary Electric Bass." This one focuses a little more on reading in various styles.

http://www.berkleepress.com/catalog/...oduct_id=11179

Hope this helps,

- Dave

[JayM]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

There's a great book by Jim Stinnett called "Reading in Bass Clef." It's just like it sounds. It starts easy and gets progressively harder. It's mostly focused on note-reading and less on rhythm at first, but gets progressively harder. I haven't been able to find it online, ...
- Dave

You can order it (and others) directly from Jim Stinnett:

http://jimstinnett.com/books.html

I have no affiliation or financial interest, just information.

Jay

[liltommyg]

I was pushed in a the deep end by a piano player who started me reading - I thought since i could play iron maiden i was the best in the world , why read music?- he gave me a book of bach's inventions and expected one per week. At the time I thought whats the point but 20 years later I'm glad I put in the time. Bach's inventions there is nothing better for reading,for learning arpeggios, time sig's, where every note on the neck is. Then I discovered Charlie Parker-loads of flat fifths to get through but between the two, reading comes a lot easier. I now play in a country band.

[steve66]

I posted this in a similar Thread:

I learned to read music treble and bass clef in elementary school even though it wasn't needed for drum music. However, I was taught a trick by a very cool music teacher. It worked well for me.

Get a piece of music you want to learn and get yourself a fine point white and black colored pen or marker.

Make a copy of the music a little larger than normal and write the note name (ex. C,E,) right inside the note notation (not on top of the note).

If the notes happen to be 1/2 or whole notes use the black pen to write the note in.

Sing/say the notes and play them 8x over without mistakes. If you make a mistake, start over and get it right. You won't learn it if you trip it up. I repeat, "You will never learn it correctly that way".

If the phrase (or measure) repeats itself in the music, don't write the notes inside. Instead, sing/say the note names as you play it without looking at the written notes you made earlier. Chances are you will remember the phrase, since you already played it before 8x without mistakes. you did do that right?

As you do this, you will be able to associate common phrases, note sequences and reading music sooner than you think