It can't hurt, that's for sure. And it definitely comes in handy for me. But don't stress it. Just learn some basic notes, other than the open strings of course. then as you play and practice and read charts (which is how i learned) you'll get better at knowing where notes are on the bass.
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Can you read music? Do you think it important?
- Thread starter Aussie Player
- Start date
Good point. Most Western instruments have an established pedagogical tradition that integrates reading, and theory, into the overall technical learning process.
The rise of rock/pop last century seems to have divorced the technical and theoretical aspects of learning music for people playing in those genres. Even if you learn to read music and understand theory eventually, it's often done independent of technical learning. Some people just don't bother because they don't need to. Rock/pop drummers, bassists, and guitarists are probably the only significant group of non-readers among Western musicians.
This not a judgment on people - I learnt to play songs using TAB and didn't pick up reading or theory until a few years after I started playing.
But the point remains, even rock and pop session musicians will inevitably need the ability to read music to get through their day jobs.
(Many non-Western music and instruments have different traditions, but I assume we're concentrating the discussion on Western music.)
The point here is that there are those musicians who while musically "illiterate", can exhibit talents on a specific instrument which we all wish we could emulate, or sorry we didn't originate. Those are rare indivuduals, but they DO exist (I can think of some myself)...however, to be a well rounded "musician", one should learn all the fundamentals and disciplines before hopefully, using it all to create a personal musical thumbprint...what seperates you from all others. If you're just looking to jam on Friday nights at the local pub...who cares?
don't know if this has been stated, but reading helps the ear, and vice-versa.
I am a Music Education major, (Percussion is actualy my main instrument) and an asst band director by trade, so I use my reading skills everyday. I started playing bass in 7th grade, and could read a small amount from piano lessons. I started learning bass by picking stuff up by Iron Maiden, and Rush by ear, BUT, I would also write the stuff I was learning down on manuscript paper cause i wanted to see what it looked like in musical terms.
My ear gave me that sense of "instant success I needed as a young'n to keep my interest, and my music reading knowledge allowed me to figure out things that got past my ear.
Now, having a long road of hind sight in my rear view mirror, I am glad that I always took reading seriously. I know MANY friends who got out of music when their ears could only take them so far. I am making a nice supplemental living off of my music reading skills doing side gigs and fill ins.
I am a Music Education major, (Percussion is actualy my main instrument) and an asst band director by trade, so I use my reading skills everyday. I started playing bass in 7th grade, and could read a small amount from piano lessons. I started learning bass by picking stuff up by Iron Maiden, and Rush by ear, BUT, I would also write the stuff I was learning down on manuscript paper cause i wanted to see what it looked like in musical terms.
My ear gave me that sense of "instant success I needed as a young'n to keep my interest, and my music reading knowledge allowed me to figure out things that got past my ear.
Now, having a long road of hind sight in my rear view mirror, I am glad that I always took reading seriously. I know MANY friends who got out of music when their ears could only take them so far. I am making a nice supplemental living off of my music reading skills doing side gigs and fill ins.
Of course, because that's usually how those instruments are taught. But you seemed to imply that because a musician reads the dots, that's the only effective way you have to communicate with them, which it usually isn't; and also that guitarists and bassists are the least likely musicians to read, which they aren't IME.
I have met plenty of people who can read and know some theory, but are lacking other basic skills - like learning a tune by ear, or playing with swing - and sometimes wondered if they shouldn't have learned those first. Of course it may be that those people couldn't do music at all without having theory to prop them up.
Not talking about pros here, of course, but amateurs who perhaps don't have the time to learn everything they'd like.
Most singers I've played with don't read... rappers and beatboxers... DJ's... turntablists and samplists... ambient and techno musicians... there's a whole bunch of people who IME read less than guitarists and bassists.
But pub jamming is only one is an incredible universe of things you can do with music without needing to read or write music in conventional notation. (Hey, there are a great many things in music that you can't write in conventional notation...)
topo morto said:
I said they were a significant group, not the only group. Guitarists, bassist, and drummers far outnumber electronic musicians. With singers I've found that it depends on their background. Most jazz singers I've played with can read well, for example.
And you'd be surprised at how many ambient artists have a very strong background in formal music composition
I too feel my bass lines and do get compliments.
I also read music.
It hasn't hurt me yet and I certainly would not have declined the studio work.
For many jobs, reading is not essential but it is nice to be able to say "yes" to those for which it is.
I thought you said they were the probably the only significant group of non-readers among Western musicians...
...but it would not follow that electronic musicians aren't a significant group. Also, these proportions can shift from generation to generation.
True - although when I've collaborated on ambient projects, I have never used notation to communicate. Depending on the flavour of ambient, you might say it is one of the areas where notation could be unhelpful, as thinking of music as being made up of notes can be a real handicap.
Of course knowing notation does not mean that you have to think in those terms, but I have met plenty of people who learned the dots first and then find it difficult to get into other ways of thinking.
The 'cause and effect' could work either way there. I could sight read music when I played violin, but have never felt it worth picking it up for bass (not that it wouldn't be useful, but other things seemed more useful).
I can read it. My sight-reading's pretty awful, though, as I haven't really had to read a score for quite some time.
I think I'm going to agree with a lot of people here: you can get a long way with certain instruments without ever learning to read formal music notation, but you make yourself a lot more versatile if you do learn. Anybody who says it's "a waste of time" or that it will "make your playing worse/make you lose your feel" needs a slap.
I think I'm going to agree with a lot of people here: you can get a long way with certain instruments without ever learning to read formal music notation, but you make yourself a lot more versatile if you do learn. Anybody who says it's "a waste of time" or that it will "make your playing worse/make you lose your feel" needs a slap.
You lost a gig (session work) for lack of reading, so that's one reason.
I am learning RUSH tunes with the help of a RUSH Bass book.
Their tunes are not easy but with the charts it's cutting my time in half
and the licks are much more accurate.
I am learning RUSH tunes with the help of a RUSH Bass book.
Their tunes are not easy but with the charts it's cutting my time in half
and the licks are much more accurate.
Outside of Rock and Blues (same thing really, technically - and also Country, which I am highly allergic to), you HAVE to read. Its like being able to talk, but not read text.
I learned how to read at the age of 11, playing Cornet and singing in the Choir.
Now I pretty much play Jazz, or accompany really good pop/jazz vocalists. If you can't read, you can't get the gig. All of these Singers know how to read. Plus they may want to play that song you know in Bb from years of jams, in Gb!!!
In my experience, now in my 50's. my peers who STILL PLAY know how to read. The non-readers in their 20's are for the most part, now, not players at all anymore in their 50's. (Unless of course they wear shorts, Hawaiian shirts and play blues or root music)
I learned how to read at the age of 11, playing Cornet and singing in the Choir.
Now I pretty much play Jazz, or accompany really good pop/jazz vocalists. If you can't read, you can't get the gig. All of these Singers know how to read. Plus they may want to play that song you know in Bb from years of jams, in Gb!!!
In my experience, now in my 50's. my peers who STILL PLAY know how to read. The non-readers in their 20's are for the most part, now, not players at all anymore in their 50's. (Unless of course they wear shorts, Hawaiian shirts and play blues or root music)
I learnt cello since the age of 7, so by the time I picked up a bass it was pretty easy for me to transfer the reading ability I had on cello to bass. So yes, I can read.
As for weather it's important, I think it depends what you do. For the last 5 years or so I've been involved in larger jazz ensembles in which we played written charts, so reading was crucial. I've also been involved in some musical theatre gigs, and reading was imperative there too.
However, I've also been involved in a few rock bands for which I didn't read a single note. More recently I'm in a jazz quintet where we mainly play jazz standards off lead sheets, so reading is less important, but being able to interpret and work bass lines around chords is the most important skill.
In my experience, rockers generally don't need to be able to read (unless they're doing session work perhaps) whereas it is often important for jazzers and the like
As for weather it's important, I think it depends what you do. For the last 5 years or so I've been involved in larger jazz ensembles in which we played written charts, so reading was crucial. I've also been involved in some musical theatre gigs, and reading was imperative there too.
However, I've also been involved in a few rock bands for which I didn't read a single note. More recently I'm in a jazz quintet where we mainly play jazz standards off lead sheets, so reading is less important, but being able to interpret and work bass lines around chords is the most important skill.
In my experience, rockers generally don't need to be able to read (unless they're doing session work perhaps) whereas it is often important for jazzers and the like
A bit off-topic, but just out of interest: how did you find the transition between an instrument tuned in fifths and one tuned in fourths? I was just thinking about this the other night while jamming with a violinist...is it as confusing as I think it would be?
My point is that I highly doubt anyone on a violin, trumpet, flute, etc. forum would be asking at least once a week whether or not it is important to be able to read music. It seems like a topic of conversation unique to bass and guitar forums. Guitarists and bassists have other tools such as chord charts and tabs that would be of little of use to other instrumentalists. I'm sure there are plenty of famous musicians who can't read music and don't need too. Most musicians aren't famous though.
The OP asked if we read music and if we found it important. I can read music and I find it extremely important since I have to communicate with other instrumentalists who read music quite often. If you play with others that don't use standard notation to play, then it isn't important.
