Yes, but tabs are a lot easier to find. The lack of rhythm is frustrating and confusing in tab. I've taken tabs and written them out with Finale for tabs that were written in tunings I don't use.
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Can you read music?
- Thread starter Frettage
- Start date
I can sight read fluently playing trumpet but not at all playing bass (I can read bass cleff but I don't know the fretboard yet).
Sounds like most of you learned how to read at some point in the past but have gotten out of practice. Sounds like it's a good skill to have, but surprisingly one that many people don't use.
I read standard notation and am pretty functional, but it sure wouldn't hurt me to practice it more though.
When I was young I learned quickly and learned well. Now that I'm old I can't learn -or is it I can't remember what I learned?
When it gets down to it, I guess there's no difference in not learning and forgetting what you learned -or if you learned it or not.
+1 to Blake Base's response!
I really got my reading chops in shape while in the Navy band program back in the early 80's. I got to read all kinds of stuff both notated and chord charts and wound up in a gig-du jour kind of situation. From that experience I really don't have any fears about showing up at a gig and playing with folks for the first time. I have to say that's one of the best end results of reading for me.
I am now in the Atlantic City area and even though showroom gigs are few and far between anymore .... I do get calls simply from being able to walk in and after the typical 3 hour showroom rehearsal ... do the gig. Now ... I do feel stressed sometimes to be sure .... but what the heck .... I just tell them to "start the tune and I'll meet you at the end"!
I really got my reading chops in shape while in the Navy band program back in the early 80's. I got to read all kinds of stuff both notated and chord charts and wound up in a gig-du jour kind of situation. From that experience I really don't have any fears about showing up at a gig and playing with folks for the first time. I have to say that's one of the best end results of reading for me.
I am now in the Atlantic City area and even though showroom gigs are few and far between anymore .... I do get calls simply from being able to walk in and after the typical 3 hour showroom rehearsal ... do the gig. Now ... I do feel stressed sometimes to be sure .... but what the heck .... I just tell them to "start the tune and I'll meet you at the end"!
Very true. The problem is that tab is too easy to use and pass around the interwebz. Four lines in .txt, some numbers on those lines and off you go. I don't know how you'd post standard notation on UG.
Having picked up bass after spending most of my time as a keyboard player I much prefer reading music. Tabs are just horrible except if your just beginning to play.
Honestly though as a bass player that has to learn tons of songs at this point, I don't use either one. I either play and practice what comes to mind or pick up the part by ear.
Honestly though as a bass player that has to learn tons of songs at this point, I don't use either one. I either play and practice what comes to mind or pick up the part by ear.
scottbass
Bass lines like a big, funky giant
One of the better things my parents ever did was start me on formal piano lessons when I was about 7 years old. I continued for about 9 years and learned so much - how to read music, musical theory, chord structure, arpeggios, appreciation of the classics, and many more things too numerous to list. It also spurred me on to learn other instruments, which I did. I similarly started each of my 3 children on piano lessons when they were 6 or 7. One of them is employed in the music industry today and another one continued playing through 4 years of college and is now playing in adult community band. The third one? Well, not EVERY kid is gonna become a lifelong musician, I guess. But she did continue in vocal music through high school.
I can read music pretty well and about as well as tab. My biggest problem with tab is the ambiguity with rhythms, especially on songs I don't know. Although if I do know the song I'll most likely just play it by ear.
I *hate* chord charts, especially when there is absolutely no direction about phrasing or even the order the different parts are played.
I *hate* chord charts, especially when there is absolutely no direction about phrasing or even the order the different parts are played.
I consider my self a decent reader, as i played a few instruments over the years...all in orchestras of some kind. I'm quite rusty...and could i sight read a whole chart of frank zappa without missing a note...no way!
chord charts....easy peasy. My preference.
I could fumble through tabs if i had to.
chord charts....easy peasy. My preference.
I could fumble through tabs if i had to.
Yup. If your half decent at that, you'll use that more than either notes or tabs, IME.
I can read music, because when I was ten years old i had to learn for playing trumpet in middle school band. However because I haven't really played a bunch of sheet music in the past seventeen years I am very slow at reading while playing. Which is very agrivating, so I have to memorize the key and chord changes and roll with it mostly by ear when I have to read music.
If you handed me a piece of music I never saw or heard before and you told me to play it, not a chance. I can slowly work through a piece of music and then once I've learned it I can (sort of) use the sheet music as a reminder, but I'm just not a good reader in general. I'll probably never hit that point.
However, sight reading was one of my goals when I first started taking lessons about a year and a half ago and now I'm finally starting to work on it. It's hard, it's frustrating, but I can already see improvement and I'm glad I struggled to make it to this point. It's easier to push myself now that I've proved to myself I can do it - all it will take is time.
The unfortunate thing is that it's not always easy to find sheet music for bass but instead there's a plethora of (often bad) tab out there waiting to tempt you. So now that I covered a lot of theory in my lessons we're also starting to put it into practice by working on ear training and learning songs on my own as part of each week's lesson.
However, sight reading was one of my goals when I first started taking lessons about a year and a half ago and now I'm finally starting to work on it. It's hard, it's frustrating, but I can already see improvement and I'm glad I struggled to make it to this point. It's easier to push myself now that I've proved to myself I can do it - all it will take is time.
The unfortunate thing is that it's not always easy to find sheet music for bass but instead there's a plethora of (often bad) tab out there waiting to tempt you. So now that I covered a lot of theory in my lessons we're also starting to put it into practice by working on ear training and learning songs on my own as part of each week's lesson.
my ear is my only care,.. ask josé, ray, and stevie! i learned to read from adolesence until late teens on piano, flute, and violin. when i started playing to the bass, i forgot everything with no regrets.
do i ever consider re-learning to read,.. nahhhh!!!
i used to be pretty good at speaking spanish,... forgot that also. do i care... i even forgot Ohm's Law, but i can still fix my own amps! who cares,.. just ramblin'
i know what girls like!!!
do i ever consider re-learning to read,.. nahhhh!!!
i used to be pretty good at speaking spanish,... forgot that also. do i care... i even forgot Ohm's Law, but i can still fix my own amps! who cares,.. just ramblin'
i know what girls like!!!
