Paul Schaeffer (Letterman)

Dr. Cheese · #1 10-07-2009, 05:34 AM

I was just listening to NPR, and Paul Schaeffer from David Letterman was pushing his memoir. At the end of the interview, PS said he would love to learn to sight read! He said he learned by ear, and can read, but cannot sight read.

Given his gig, there is no reason why he couldn't do it without sight reading, but I am surprised that he cannot.

dave64o · #2 10-07-2009, 07:15 AM

I would have guessed that he could based on how often he's been the musical director for artists and shows, but OK. He's done well for himself.

However,, I'm even MORE surprised that it's been almost two hours since you posted and none of the people who hint at how learning to read and learning/applying theory stifles creativity and that "they'd rather play what comes from inside than be limited be artificial rules" haven't jumped in yet to make their case yet.

**Mark Wilson** · #3 10-07-2009, 07:16 AM

that's crazy.
Yet, sort of humbling.

Mark Latimour · #4 10-07-2009, 07:17 AM

*cues music*

Its a thread....

About Paul Schaeffer...

He can't sight read.....

Sight read....sight read....SIGHT READ.....

*crash ending*

Throws to Dave.

Dr. Cheese · #5 10-07-2009, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave64o

I would have guessed that he could based on how often he's been the musical director for artists and shows, but OK. He's done well for himself.

However,, I'm even MORE surprised that it's been almost two hours since you posted and none of the people who hint at how learning to read and learning/applying theory stifles creativity and that "they'd rather play what comes from inside than be limited be artificial rules" haven't jumped in yet to make their case yet.

As a bassist with very poor reading skills, musicians like Schaeffer, Pino, or Dennis Chambers, are terrible examples to cite because they are so gifted that they would have super successful no matter what.

jwbassman · #6 10-07-2009, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I was just listening to NPR, and Paul Schaeffer from David Letterman was pushing his memoir. At the end of the interview, PS said he would love to learn to sight read! He said he learned by ear, and can read, but cannot sight read.

Given his gig, there is no reason why he couldn't do it without sight reading, but I am surprised that he cannot.

That's funny I was listening to NPR on the way to work and heard the same interview and was thinking the same thing!

dave64o · #7 10-07-2009, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

As a bassist with very poor reading skills, musicians like Schaeffer, Pino, or Dennis Chambers, are terrible examples to cite because they are so gifted that they would have super successful no matter what.

No argument at all. I'm a pretty poor reader myself but I started taking lessons about a year ago and it's taken all of that time to convince my instructor to include reading in my lessons. A big part of the reason is that he was never that great a reader (still better than me) but he just entered a jazz program in college and found out how far he has to go to catch up to the rest of the students.

What I wouldn't give to be able to read as well as my 12 year old son (trumpet player). He absolutely amazes me. My wife is a highly trained classical clarinetist who played first clarinet in her All State Wind Ensemble in high school and is currently playing with two orchestras but even she says she was never able to read as well as he does. He's also a pretty amazing soccer and basketball player, but it's loooking like his real gift is music. I really hope he contrinues to develop it.

joegeezer · #8 10-07-2009, 07:51 AM

My Dad worked with some out of work musicians, and when I first started playing, they told my Dad , to get me to learn to read. Sure wish I'd have listened to my Dad.

two fingers · #9 10-07-2009, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

*cues music*

Its a thread....

About Paul Schaeffer...

He can't sight read.....

Sight read....sight read....SIGHT READ.....

*crash ending*

Throws to Dave.

Um....I LOLed. Now I'm wiping coffee off of my computer screen.

MonetBass · #10 10-07-2009, 07:59 AM

Paul can read music, but sight-reading is a totally different animal. Having someone plop some music in front of you and say "You have two minutes", and then expect you to play it ain't easy. (Can you say 'piano proficiency'?) But give that same person a couple of days? Piece of cake.

I can sight-read well only because I've been reading music for over 30 years. Like everything else, it takes practice. A friend of mine sight-reads amazingly well because he says "I never practiced before my piano lesssons, so I would essentially be sight-reading every time." Well, that's one way to do it.

WRBass · #11 10-07-2009, 08:02 AM

IMO, if he can read music, he can sight read. It's all about how fast he can sight read. Apparently he feels that he can't read fast enough. He probably sets a higher standard for himself than most people.

Sight reading is going to be much harder on keys than it is on bass being that you are often playing more than one note at a time. And the scores will be written with bass and treble clefs. When you see multiple notes all connected on one stem, it's more difficult to pick them out and play them all at the same time than it would be if there was a single note.

I'm confident that I can sight read simple bass lines at a moderate tempo. Give me a harder bass line and I can sight read it, with more mistakes. I bet he can do just as well or better.

jwbassman · #12 10-07-2009, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonetBass

Paul can read music, but sight-reading is a totally different animal. Having someone plop some music in front of you and say "You have two minutes", and then expect you to play it ain't easy. (Can you say 'piano proficiency'?) But give that same person a couple of days? Piece of cake.

I can sight-read well only because I've been reading music since I was 10. Like everything else, it takes practice. A friend of mine sight-reads amazingly well because he says "I never practiced before my piano lesssons, so I would essentially be sight-reading every time." Well, that's one way to do it.

You're correct about "reading" and "site reading". I've found along the way that traditionally is seems like most "classically trained" musicians that i know are extremely good at site reading, because that is the method that is taught. A friend of mine that occasionally still plays with us at church when he can (he's now in the BOS and NH Symphony Orchestras), started playing violin at age 3. He's now in his early 20's and is and incredible player, both improvisational and reading. But his site reading is amazing. Many of the horn players that I've played with are usually extremely good at site reading. Most pianist are also, that's what's surprising about Paul.

Dr. Cheese · #13 10-07-2009, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Latimour

*cues music*

Its a thread....

About Paul Schaeffer...

He can't sight read.....

Sight read....sight read....SIGHT READ.....

*crash ending*

Throws to Dave.

Was I supposed to say site reading instead? I don't get the joke.

Joe Gress · #14 10-07-2009, 08:38 AM

Ah, sight reading. I still need to work on that one. A bunch.

two fingers · #15 10-07-2009, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

Was I supposed to say site reading instead? I don't get the joke.

It's a play on how Paul does these corny jingles between Dave's bits on the show. Imagine music in the background.

Dr. Cheese · #16 10-07-2009, 08:41 AM

I just thought of one more thing. Schaeffer said that his goal is to one day have his band as tight as those that James Brown led. As far as I know, James Brown was a decent keyboardist and played some bass and guitar, but he couldn't read at all.

Dr. Cheese · #17 10-07-2009, 08:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by two fingers

It's a play on how Paul does these corny jingles between Dave's bits on the show. Imagine music in the background.

OK, I guess I have forgotten aboout some of the banter on that show since I have not watched Letterman very much since he went to CBS.

DblG · #18 10-07-2009, 10:09 AM

http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/1...kmybutthq8.gif

electracoyote · #19 10-07-2009, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I was just listening to NPR, and Paul Schaeffer from David Letterman was pushing his memoir. At the end of the interview, PS said he would love to learn to sight read! He said he learned by ear, and can read, but cannot sight read.

Given his gig, there is no reason why he couldn't do it without sight reading, but I am surprised that he cannot.

I think he means he doesn't read cold well. There is a big difference between being able to read music and play a piece correctly cold on the spot. He's probably saying he could read a piece of music and play it if you give him an evening to digest it.

Paul Schaeffer is a walking talking jamming encyclopedia of music. If he's heard it, he can play it, in any key, faithfully. Guys like that don't need to be good (cold) sight readers.

electracoyote · #20 10-07-2009, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

I just thought of one more thing. Schaeffer said that his goal is to one day have his band as tight as those that James Brown led. As far as I know, James Brown was a decent keyboardist and played some bass and guitar, but he couldn't read at all.

James Brown was a meticulous arranger, conductor, and task-master. I don't know how advanced his formal music skills were (I assume he knew something about it), but he knew where every note on every instrument should be because he put them there, and he drilled his band until they did it exactly like he wanted it. He knew when a single note was off, even during the heat and sweat of a performance. If one of his musicians missed a note, Brown would smile, wink, point, and say "Gotcha!" indicating that particular band member would be fined for the muff.

They don't call him "The Hardest Working Man In Show Business" for nothing.