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Anyone in their 40's,or later, that started learning to read ?

Session1969

Session1969

Supporting Member
Dec 2, 2010
3,084
1,507
#1
Here's my deal. I've been playing actively since my teens and have developed a pretty good ear. A huge minus is that I don't read. I've considered taking time to go to a week or month long clinic at some of the schools we're familiar with but I have a feeling they're going to sit me down and teach me basic reading which, in my opinion, is something I should know before spending all that money. I don't want to spend thousands of dollars on something I can learn at my community college. I guess I'm curious if any of my fellow TBr's learned to sight read at a later age ?
 
#2
I'm not in my 40's, but 35 is close, right? I only started to read music last year. I'm not good at it. I can't sight read, but I've also not put all that much effort into it.

I don't think starting later in life is impossible or even all that hard(obviously would have been easier when I was a child...). You just have to want to do it.
 
#3
I'm 58, used to be able to read pretty well, then stopped playing for 20+ years. Have started again. Not really that hard. I go a few basic "learn to play electric bass" books and worked through them, now incorporate reading into my everyday practice. The thing that you won't get away from is that it takes time, and on a regular basis. If you spend 15-30 minutes every day, you'll get it to a reasonable level in a few months.

Keep in mind, its like learning to read a language. Remember how long it took to learn how to read books??

Other tip - rhythm (in my opinion) is harder than reading the notes themselves, especially when it gets into more complicated stuff.

Bottom line, not that hard to do, just takes dedicated time. I am actually enjoying it now, as it makes lots of stuff accessible that is hard to do (or takes more time) done by ear.....
 
#4
I am in my 50s and have been playing for years, just started learning to read last year with the Hal Leonard Bass Method - Complete Edition: Books 1, 2 and 3. They are awesome and there is a thread all about the books going on if you do a search.

Reading music has already started to open doors for me that were shut before. Wish I had started years ago.
 
#5
dougt said:
I am in my 50s and have been playing for years, just started learning to read last year with the Hal Leonard Bass Method - Complete Edition: Books 1, 2 and 3. They are awesome and there is a thread all about the books going on if you do a search.

Reading music has already started to open doors for me that were shut before. Wish I had started years ago.
Click to expand...

Those are the books that I used (actually, its 3 volumes combined into one)
 
#7
I've been playing for many years, guitar and bass, but seem to be playing bass much more in recent years. I do read music, last year I bought the Hal Leonard Bass Method: Books 1, 2 and 3 just to improve my bass reading, but they also show tabs and unfortunately my eyes gravitate toward the tabs. I also purchased Bass Aerobics, same thing, eyes just look down. Takes a bit more concentration to read the notes and not cheat with tabs.
 
#8
pathalogical said:
I've been playing for many years, guitar and bass, but seem to be playing bass much more in recent years. I do read music, last year I bought the Hal Leonard Bass Method: Books 1, 2 and 3 just to improve my bass reading, but they also show tabs and unfortunately my eyes gravitate toward the tabs. I also purchased Bass Aerobics, same thing, eyes just look down. Takes a bit more concentration to read the notes and not cheat with tabs.
Click to expand...

Funny thing this - when I started out there were no tabs so I never used them. When I look at them now they make no sense to me.

All what you are used to I guess...
 
#10
Pretty wild timing for me: started playing bass in April, starting learning to read Saturday. I am 43 years old. I am lucky. My best friend since we were 13, has a masters in music comp and is writing a music theory book. I am his Guinea pig. He has a lot of short cuts and tricks to learning to read music early in the book. There are some strange rules that govern the notations that are the key to learning the "grammar" of the language. I think I got a pretty good handle on it the first day. I now try to exercise reading and writing in my practice sessions. Being new to tabs as well, it doesn't seem that much different as far as reading along. I just have to train myself to think in notes rather than fret numbers.
Advice: find a teacher or good book to start off… I think getting down the basics (and having a few rule of thumbs) will prove beneficial. After that, it's up to the student… A few lessons or a good book would be all one would need. If you're going to spend thousands of dollars… Spend it on GEAR! :bassist:

fnord!
 
#11
I did and have a similar story playing in bands in my teens and 20s before there was internet andaccess to tabbed out songs and such so you had to develop a good ear to figure tunes out. I basically learned HOW to read by just buying bass instruction books. Then about 6 yrs ago I really got into bass and getting better. I bought this book called daily grooves for bass and it is written all in standard notation and no tab. It has you learn one groove every day. They are all just 2 bars so you wont be up all night but they progressively get harder, cover all different time signatures, etc. It also gives you the bassline on cd. So I would learn it and get it where I could play it at tempo then listen to the cd. It is funny how off timing wise I was at first but week after week I was getting better and it opens up a whole new world to you and was by far the most valuable thing I ever purchased(it was only $10!!!). A
 
#12
Just think of it as a language that's definitely worth learning. And, to me, it seems like a more logical language than some others I've studied. Of course, I did start reading as a kid, but memorizing the lines and spaces is pretty quick, and the rhythmic notation is about the same as understanding fractions. I think you'll be glad you made the effort, and I don't think your age is a factor, from one forty-something guy to another.
 
#13
dougt said:
I am in my 50s and have been playing for years, just started learning to read last year with the Hal Leonard Bass Method - Complete Edition: Books 1, 2 and 3. They are awesome and there is a thread all about the books going on if you do a search.

Reading music has already started to open doors for me that were shut before. Wish I had started years ago.
Click to expand...

Same here, used these with an instructor. I'm 60 and played in my late teens but could not read - so I started from scratch. These 3 Hal Leonard books authored by Ed Friedland, seem to be unique as they are primarily written in notation. TAB is used here and there but mainly to emphasize a technique or fingering. From scratch - took 6 months to reach an intermediate reading level.
 
#16
i am 69 started playing and learning to read when i was 61.. before that i did everything by ear..i was a jingle singer for over 30 yrs and never bothered to learn to read.. now i can read and play quite well
 
#17
I'm 46 with a similar background to yours. Gigged for years and did everything by ear and memorization. Now I have been teaching myself to sight read, learning all the scales and chords as well as the notes on the fingerboard. I really wish I would have started when I was 18 as it has already improved my music greatly.

I guess I'm a late bloomer.
 
#18
I am 63 and have a great bass coach who breaks down the process into bite size chunks. Reading gives you so much information to use, tempo , pitch, rhythm, I can't see any reason why someone who is serious about improving their lot wouldn't want to give it a shot. My coach has me use a metronome at 60 bpm and "Sight Reading for the Bass" by Ron Velosky. Also supplementary books such as Latin bass Play Along and a bunch of others. His guidance is very useful as it keeps me on target and on a direct path forward. Without his guidance I wouldn't be anywhere near as far along.At my age time becomes a key focus , and wasted time and effort going in circles on my own would be demoralizing. Find a good coach , ask around......pony up... roll up your sleeves and enjoy !
 
#19
Just turned 47 and just started learning bass. No previous musical experience. I've got a good teacher and am reading everything i can find about bass and music theory. It's starting to slowly sink in but i know it's going to be a long road. Also, i know it's not my eyes but musical notes are hard to see on a staff sometimes. I mean seriously, it can't be my eyes. It just can't be ;)
 
#20
I have been playing for 27 years and I am a very strong reader. Unfortunately I am rubbish at remembering songs because I have gotten so used to reading.....I didn't even know what TABS were for ages. I would seriously get a teacher. A really good teacher. A TRAINED and qualified teacher. There are a million different approaches to learning to read. Having a good teacher will give you direction. Get a basic theory book and work through it also. It's not as difficult as learning a language but its certainly not easy. It takes time. A heap of time. Be patient.
 

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