Where might one be able to learn to read music?

[Bad Brains]

I decided to not take summer classes, so unfortunitly I have to move back home for the summer to work. I am absoultly miserable and depressed living there for certain reasons I won't go into. So I figure what better chance to sit in my room when i'm not working and learn stuff to better myself. I plan on doing a bunch of reading, drawling, sleeping, ect. I'm also in one of those practice rutts on bass latley. You know, the kind that you don't feel you are getting any better and are playing the same things over and over.

I figure if I actually learn music I will be a better player. I'm just a hobbyest now, but who knows if maybe in a few years I will want to take my playing more seriously. I always feel and I have also been told that if I learn structure and theory I would be decent. In other words my goal is to play exactly what's in my head.

So how should I go about doing this? Book? Teacher? I tried reading up on some stuff but after a few lines I get completly lost.

[stretchcat]

Find a teacher. No question about it.

[pklima]

I'll disagree and say reading is one thing that can be easily learned from a book. Of course getting a teacher for other reasons may well be a good idea but just for learning reading any beginning classical bass method will work. Simandl is boring and Karr starts with harmonics (I think) so maybe Bille?

I learned to read bass clef from Simandl and treble clef from a classical fake book. I read some of both every day to keep my reading skills up.

[AaronS]

A bass (or a guitar) and a selection of Mel Bay or Hal Leonard books is all you need to learn to read. It sounds like you need a teacher for sanity.

1. "See you, mom. I'm going over to my teacher's place."
2. "Sorry, mom. I've got to practice."
3. "Got to go down to xyz club and catch my teacher's gig tonight, mom."

[jazzbo]

Originally Posted by pklima

I'll disagree and say reading is one thing that can be easily learned from a book. .

I do agree that some aspects of sight-reading can be learned easily from a book, (like note recognition), half of sight-reading is rhythm, yes? A teacher is extremely valuable when getting comfortable with more comples rhythms. For an inexperienced player to develop a strong sense of sight-reading rhythm, a teacher makes things much easier.

[Coutts_is_god]

(On line)Gaint Bonnies Do Fine Always

(Spaces) A C E why is G there?

Remember those, timeing and key sigs and you will be fine. Now sight reading will be hard. I can sit down and learn a song in say 30 mins but when my music teach says "here plays this now" I'm in trouble. Granted I just learn't how t read(music) like 2 months ago!!!

Good luck
When it gets to much, walk away. Then come back to it.

[reiver1]

Originally Posted by jazzbo

I do agree that some aspects of sight-reading can be learned easily from a book, (like note recognition), half of sight-reading is rhythm, yes? A teacher is extremely valuable when getting comfortable with more comples rhythms. For an inexperienced player to develop a strong sense of sight-reading rhythm, a teacher makes things much easier.

+1 get a teacher.

[Suckbird]

musictheory.com

[Coutts_is_god]

opps sorry