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Chances are You're not that Special!

Interesting note on this age old subject. I happen to be listening to a live version of Dark Side of the Moon yesterday. It was very different from the original. This totally removes any credibility of the arguments of the 100%ers. And that is without going into detail on Lynrd Skynrd. Time to put that one to bed.

I obviously can't speak for everyone, but I've known a few people who would obsess over knowing every single note for original recordings and in my limited experience they seemed like the type of people who played for the technical challenge and the music seemed kind of secondary.
 
I obviously can't speak for everyone, but I've known a few people who would obsess over knowing every single note for original recordings and in my limited experience they seemed like the type of people who played for the technical challenge and the music seemed kind of secondary.
OCD.
I actually like listening to different recordings of a tune by the band that did the original. The differences are interesting. Some are subtle and some are not.
 
To be fair, it helps to do session work, if you can read, but it's not essential, I don't work any more, but I did a few sessions in my day, also the guys I know who get regular (ish) work, tell me that they are asked to read less and less these days, as fewer producers can read. Also I have a couple of students and give occasional classes at a high school, with very limited reading ability.

There are also different levels of reading, just ask any high school English teacher. There is being able to recognise words in a sentence, to being able to read a novel, to being able to understand complex literary devices, that provide subtext and deeper meaning...
:

That's true. I have done session work, and given lessons too even though I can't do sight reading. There's always exceptions.

My comment about reading was about being able to do it when there's a given score. I can take a notation and analyze it, tell you what the key is in, the time signature, etc. I guess I should have said "sight reading" to be more specific.
 
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Interesting you bring up those who read and work but can't improvise. My mother was like that. She was a music major, taught piano, sang opera, taught choir and vocal, was the organist and choir director for her church, but take her chart away and she was totally lost.
Over the years my sight reading skills have seriously atrophied because I almost never had a gig were I needed to read. Now, I would have to spend a long weekend to do a couple of songs from a sheet.
Well in fairness to your mom, she's classically trained and improv isn't usually part of the classical musician's vocabulary.
 
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That's great for those who do. Too many are not in fact getting it right they are just getting it wrong.
Agreed,
I hav played on and off with my uncle (along with my old man and then whomever else we needed to complete the ensemble) and it has been a battle for years for us to convince him that not learning the song correctly is not the same as putting you stamp on it - unless your stamp is "wrong and bad".
My philosophy is, learn it "right" then add your twist to it.
 
Interesting note on this age old subject. I happen to be listening to a live version of Dark Side of the Moon yesterday. It was very different from the original. This totally removes any credibility of the arguments of the 100%ers. And that is without going into detail on Lynrd Skynrd. Time to put that one to bed.

Not really. When I put out a video for example of something not 100% correct I make sure to disclose that fact. You can tell in the choice of words people use to disclose it. The "I came up with my own version" combined with say poor playing tells one all they need to know.

Now a bass player like here in this video you just know by the skill involved that he could play it 20 different ways on the fly. Yep I'd say this guy did his own version because he has a right to.

 
Most "pro -reading" responses talk about 'business' perks: getting gigs, session work etc, or simply increasing repertoire.
I am by no means 100% fluent, but my experience is that reading ability made me play better.
There is a surprising improvement in musical awareness that comes with musical literacy.
There's no substitute for knowing exactly what is going on.
 
The problem is ... rock music wasn't meant to be played with sheet music, it is dirt simple. Saddly it also bring a lot of dumbing down as the bar isn't so high to be considered good and make money.

I mean at one point popular music was jazz, a lot more complicated than a country songs.


My fav band is Dream Theater and they have everything written, no wonder when the music is so complex.
 
Guys I made progress!!!

Not to derail too much but I've been trying to practice reading for at least thirty minutes each day since that other post. The other day I started to notice "patterns" as in, I could look at a sequence of notes and instead of needing to read each one, I could look at the root and tell it was a triad and octave just based of the the position of the notes.

I'm starting to get it basically, all thanks to my Hal bass method book. I'm still struggling with 12/8 time though. I also have Carol Kaye's electric bass book but it's a bit difficult at the moment, particularly rhythm wise.
 
The problem is ... rock music wasn't meant to be played with sheet music, it is dirt simple. Saddly it also bring a lot of dumbing down as the bar isn't so high to be considered good and make money.

I mean at one point popular music was jazz, a lot more complicated than a country songs.


My fav band is Dream Theater and they have everything written, no wonder when the music is so complex.

Don't look down at simple music. A lot of Pop is trickier than it sounds, and most musicians, great or not so great have a very hard time writing a pop song that people want to along with or dance to.
 
Don't look down at simple music. A lot of Pop is trickier than it sounds, and most musicians, great or not so great have a very hard time writing a pop song that people want to along with or dance to.

Oh I know but at the same time a lot of people start to learn music with that and go play in bar to earn some cash even though they can't play more than root-five and it is good enough for what they do.
 
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