Question on learning to read notation

[randysmojo]

I have decided if I want to get any farther as a bass player, I should learn to read standard notation. I understand what notes are where on the staff, but trying to learn to read them and put it to the neck is going pretty slow, but I've been working with material I'm not familiar with. My question is, for starters is it easiest to get sheet music for songs you already know or are at least pretty familiar with and read along and play on that, or should you work on stuff that is new so memory doesn't take away from it?

[elgecko]

I think you should limit yourself to "new" material. Otherwise, autopilot might kick in and then you wouldn't really be reading.

[FretlessMainly]

There's something to be said for both - just read and read more. One thing to note; most standard sheet music is scored for piano (with guitar chord fingerings above the staves), so the bass parts often have notes below low E. If you have a 5-stringer, this won't really be an issue, but it can mess you up on a 4-string.

It's a good idea to also get a fairly simple method book for bass so you can have some music written out specifically for bass. I was fortunate to learn to read music in 5th grade, some 35 years ago, but it's never too late. I would recommend getting a feel for low E, middle E and high E and where they fall on the staff; most everything you'll play falls in between those limits, and it's all alphabetical. Later, you can extend above and below that, as needed.

More challenging for me than the actual note names was the identification of various rhythmic patterns. Having some known music with you is a real help there, as you might look at a pattern and think it looks crazy, but if you have the recording of it, then you'll realize that it's a common Motown-style line or something else very familiar to your ear.

[walldaja]

For me it is a lot like multiplication tables, memorize, memorize, and memorize. Once you know where the notes are on the fretboard it makes like much easier. Don't try to learn every note in every position, try to focus on the first four notes on each string--with those notes you can go pretty far. Once you get confident in a simple key, change the key for greater challenge.

[Marty Forrer]

That's correct. Always read new material, and go real slow, paying very close attention to getting the rhythm right. It's not easy, otherwise everyone would do it. It's a second language. The benefits of being able to read at tempo and with good feel are many and varied. I have been in pit bands for shows because I can read.

[Tehrin Cole]

Reading is tough!
You have to sit down and practice it the same way you would,if you were practicing getting around your bass!You not only have to know what the notes are,you also have to know their values(whole notes,half notes,quarter notes,8th notes,16th notes,etc.).
As well,you have to know that each of these note values have corresponding rests!

It's going to be a slow burn,but if you remain diligent,you will succeed!

One thing you can do is,read any little texts that you can get your hands on,just to get in it!You may want to get yourself a good teacher!

You can also purchase a book called "the Improvisors Bass Method"by Chuck Sher.
This is a good book because,it not only teaches you the basic principles of reading notation,it also teaches you about "positions". These are the scales,and modes needed,in order to play our instrument more effectively. This book gives you detailed fingerboard diagrams of each!
It also gives you examples of several different musical idioms to test yourself with!

Reading is a hard,slow,tedious task,....especially for the cats who can already play!

Take your time,practice it everyday(on and off of the instrument),and take the advice posted here,...the benefits are enormous!

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by FretlessMainly

I would recommend getting a feel for low E, middle E and high E and where they fall on the staff; most everything you'll play falls in between those limits, and it's all alphabetical. Later, you can extend above and below that, as needed.

The fog cleared for me when I realized my bass is a three octave instrument so when reading those fly specks I have to know not only what note I'm reading, but also which octave that note falls into so I can play the correct E on my fretboard. Yes knowing which E I'm reading pulls this all into perspective. Studybass.com has a good pdf of this. Bass Clef Fretboard Notes

More challenging for me than the actual note names was the identification of various rhythmic patterns. Having some known music with you is a real help there, as you might look at a pattern and think it looks crazy, but if you have the recording of it, then you'll realize that it's a common Motown-style line or something else very familiar to your ear.

The rests and note duration with no idea of how the tune goes takes more thinking. If I can sing along, under my breath, one note per lyric word using the tune's tempo - the rests and note duration flow easier.

Of course, IMO.

[jmattbassplaya]

I'd perhaps get two or three sheets for songs you know so you can check to be sure you're hitting the right notes for songs you don't know.

[sammyp]

if you are already a bass player you're playing ability is probably too far above your reading ability to be buying sheet music songs to practice with. practice reading like a beginner with a book like Hal Leonard book 1 .....your hands will be doing very minimal things but it will be a more suitable level of reading practice and you won't get so bogged down ....you will also learn rhythms more systematically.

you would probably breeze thru book 1 but buy the time you reach book 3 you'll have some solid reading ability and you will have started from the ground up.

[randysmojo]

I should clerify a little. I do already know note lengths, rests, etc from playing trumpet in middle and high school, but don't know bass clef and translating from notation to fretboard, so I'm not entirely learning from scratch, but it sure is slow going! I might start out with the Hal Leonard books anyway so I can feel the progress better and not give up from frustration!!

[Snarf]

New material, never repeat (until you run out of material, then start back over). You need to go get LOTS of sheet music for bass clef instruments. If you read something, then do it again immediately after, that's practicing the piece, not sight reading the piece.

[ACalbass]

I am completely against those that say it is hard.
In principle,you compare music notation to speaking and writing.

You use 20 to 30 or so letters in the alphabet,depending where you are fluent on,against 7 notes in the whole music vocabulary.

Combinations of of 26 letters (english) is 2*26 (billions),and while there are not that many words,you can learn tons of them by age 7.
With this concept think about the staff,is only 5 lines with couple extensions,a fretboard with 24 frets for 4 or 5 strings.
Add the intervals to the mix,and still not so hard.

Music is so easy to learn,a 5 years old can do it.

I could make numerous attempts to make it understandable,but,you only need to practice it,better hiring a teacher,and you'll see yourself reading music in months,not years.
Always read something new,your ear will train by how it sounds,you will remember particular styles this way.
You do not need to read at first sight,that is something for a future approach and for a very professional position.

See if you can do this : write down the songs you know,see if you can lay down your own style in paper,and in case you are playing those songs with a band,follow your own writing,you'll be finding things to correct along the way and learn from stuff you already know.
If other members in the band also read music,compare notes,see if you are misinterpreting something.

keep this in mind : written music is not the expression of music in itself,your own interpretation is,when you play it.
There are many things in music that cannot be written.

[azureblue]

My two cents- work backwards.

Play a simple riff, then write it down. Play it in another key and write it down. Change a few notes and write it down. Find a riff that is similar to the one you played, and write it down, then look at how they appear in notation- look for the similarities. Put down the bass, and write a riff similar to those two, then play it. Repeat with more complicated and longer bass parts, and you will start to recognize patterns in the written music, which is the key to good reading- not reading notes per se, but patterns, like reading a sentence.

The problem that musicians who play before they can read is they have problems connecting what they hear and play with what is on the paper. This method solves that, by getting you to "see' what you play and hear.

I started on single reeds, reading a lot, great sight reader, etc. Then i went to bass and left reading behind. It wasn't until I went back to school to study jazz that I realized I didn't know how to read bass clef. oops.. So i imagined seeing treble clef, but eliminating the bottom staff line, and forcing myself to read bass clef, until it became stuck in my head that G is on the bottom line of bass clef. You have an advantage already- because you already know how to read treble clef and know about Bb instruments, this will be a huge plus for you once you reactivate your reading skills. Don't get frustrated - it will fall together like a puzzle.

[Snarf]

^^^ Yeah writing it down is just as important as reading it. When you write a lot of music down, it helps internalize the relationship between what it looks like and how it lays on the fingerboard. Transcription comes in real handy.

[randysmojo]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I will definitely work on this and get some blank staff sheets to write on, as I can tell you guys are right about writing it as well as reading! This forum is awesome!

[GeoffT]

I agree with ACal that it is not difficult at all but it does take a while to become fluent. There are actually 12 notes instead of 7 as he suggested but still much less complex than than reading English. Stringed instruments are slightly more difficult because on a piano, brass, or woodwind instrument there is only 1 way to play a single note, with strings you usually have at least a couple choices. I find this helps with really learning the fretboard and often will force you to look at fingerings for a given passage in multiple ways. Do it the same way a child learns to read: sound it out slowly, do it every single day, start to see notes in groups (more like words rather than just letters) and never give up, you'll get there. I will repeat the emphasis on doing it every day, 5-10 min a day every day beats an hour once a week by a mile.

Writing it also helps a bunch, as suggested. Transcribing your favorite songs from what you hear onto paper (or computer if you have the software) is an excellent way to go, you get practice writing while at the same time you are putting in your time with ear training which is very important. It's hard to beat practice that covers multiple things at the same time.

[gmahoog]

Learn Rhythm patterns in groups of four. Start with four quarter notes for a whole measure and then mix in rests to create different rhythm patterns. There are only so many patterns the four notes and there are really only about 9-10 patterns used in modern music.

The book "Rhythm Primer" is a good book to learn these patterns. All it works on is Rhythm patterns.
Amazon.com: Rhythm Primer (9781890944599): Arnold E. Bruce: Books

You also need to learn the note values, but for me, learning the rhythm was the most important thing.

[pbasswil]

Have fun with it!

Remember, the world's leading experts on learning are little kids, who are driven by enthusiasm, not self-discipline.
A few of their procedures applied to notation:

Key into the sheer awesomeness of freezing sound into ink on paper -- it's totally cool! And it's very within your reach to participate.

- Stop or take a break whenever you need to.

- Limit your initial focus to a narrow pitch range -- say, the first 4 frets of the A and D strings. Wait 'til you're starting to get comfy reading this range before you expand outward.

- Get a kick out of writing down lines and melodies that you already know.

Enjoy!