Chord Charts or Sight Reading

[FenderP]

I've always been a good sight reader and it's probably why I'm a go-to fill in guy for some big bands around here. I've walked on the day before the run of a musical and done the dress rehearsal and all the shows. At the same time, I can use the Real Book and just read chord charts, too. I've done my own transcriptions as well.

None of these are substitutes for your ear, either. The challenge with reading music for some is that they are so engrossed in what's on the page, they're tuning out everything around them and not using eyes or ears. Developing skills like looking ahead so you can look at the conductor, etc., takes time. It's one thing to sight read and play what's on the page. It's a whole other thing to be able to do everything.

Another thing with reading - especially big band - is that sometimes parts are written, sometimes they're chords, and sometimes they're both. Figuring out the right thing to play sometimes is contextual. More often than not the arranger had a better idea than you of what would work or was going for something specific, hence a written part.

I'm with others - I can't read tab. Tab also is specific about hand placement and sometimes there's more than one way to do things so ... there's that. Tab to me is useless, but I can see where someone learning the instrument may want it.

Right now most of us won't be gigging or rehearsing for awhile, so a good time to sharpen chops and reading skills

 

[Hounddog409]

Not sure where to ask this question, but here goes. What situation do most bass players find themselves in when playing a gig. Would it be reading a chord sheet or having to sight read or should I say having to read music period. I'm trying to tackle how to read but find this very difficult.

Neither. Memorize songs, or at least the progressions/ changes.

Nothing worse that goin to see a live band with the stage littered with music stands.

How can you entertain the crowd when you are reading a sheet?

 

[JRA]

What situation do most bass players find themselves in when playing a gig.

can't speak for "most" but i'm sure my experience is common enough:
- some gigs = standard notation
- some = chord charts/rhythm changes
- some = combination of above
- some = none! (the expectation that everyone knows the tunes already and/or a "jam")
- some = a part meant for another instrument (requires transposing or reading another clef)

OP: if you're wondering how much you 'really need to know': it depends! the gigs you're shooting for will have a 'culture' which defines those expectations. most bar gigs don't require much if anything. some church gigs require the same as an orchestra while others work with chord charts or less. i would advise that everyone be able to look at 'sheet music' and be able to decipher it --- at any speed. deciphering it at all = knowledge. deciphering it fast = skill.

i "learned music" via piano (grand staff) and Bb/Eb woodwinds in treble clef. i do a lot of arranging for ensembles (standard notation). without my background/experience i could have easily done about 50% of my gigs anyway (with ears and idiosyncratic notations). the other half would have been impossible. most of it has been jazz stuff (although as a kid it was mostly rock/pop).

 

[Carl Hillman]

Not sure where to ask this question, but here goes. What situation do most bass players find themselves in when playing a gig. Would it be reading a chord sheet or having to sight read or should I say having to read music period. I'm trying to tackle how to read but find this very difficult.

Knowing how to read a chord chart is slightly more practical. However, you should learn to read a written part also. Learn to read bass clef and treble clef.

There are things that can't be notated with just chord charts, and reading standard notation not only makes it possible for you to tap into the entire history of music, it also makes you a more valuable and sought-after player.

I might also throw in, learn a little Nashville number system notation as well. It couldn't hurt.

 

[the_home]

Let's see... notation, tab, charts, and my rhythm guitar player's left hand.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Not sure where to ask this question, but here goes. What situation do most bass players find themselves in when playing a gig. Would it be reading a chord sheet or having to sight read or should I say having to read music period. I'm trying to tackle how to read but find this very difficult.

it takes time and practice to learn to read, probably as much time as it takes to learn how to play an instrument.
As for chord charts VS printed music, the information on a chord chart can be found on sheet music if you know where to find it amongst the other information.

Chord charts are linear, basically a horizontal flat line indicating time. You get that with sheet musical too , but you also add to that the element of pitch, or the vertical aspects of the musical piece. An understanding of both of those aspects is essential for for becoming a top flight artist.

That said, there is a lot more information on sheet music that will make you a much better bassist/musician. My advice is to put the time into it and learn to read and understand it.

 

[devnulljp]

Chord charts for everything but theatre gigs.
Reading music isn't easy, you have to keep at it though, it gets easier with practice (although I'm still not great at it, I read like a 4 year old reading Dr. Seuss).

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Not sure where to ask this question, but here goes. What situation do most bass players find themselves in when playing a gig. Would it be reading a chord sheet or having to sight read or should I say having to read music period. I'm trying to tackle how to read but find this very difficult.

Depends on where you're playing and who you're playing with:
• If you're hired to play with a group on a cruise ship, you better be prepared to sight read the music as that is what you will actually get. And your sight reading needs to be top notch!

• If you're part of a group doing covers you've played together, you probably won't have any charts or sheet music regardless of where you're playing - cruise ship or not.

• If you're learning new songs you'll typically learn them using chord charts and you may keep those charts up in case you need to reference them for various parts of a song.

• If you're playing with a bunch of musicians you've never played with before, you may get charts with markings like I-IV-V, I-II-V, etc instead of specific chords where the changes take place. If the key isn't specified (usually isn't) then they'll tell you, "This is in Bb, E, A, or whatever key they choose to play it in at that moment."

• If you're playing with some really good musicians, they may very well tell you, "this is in the Key of _. It's a I- IV-V (1-4-5) progression. Listen for the changes. They might also say, "We do the turnaround a little differently - just follow along" (love to hear that. It means I'll screw it up at least once or twice).

So lots of different circumstances, lots of different materials you will need to use.

I mostly work off of chord charts when progressions aren't simple blues, but my sight reading sucks. I can read music, but grew up singing and reading from the treble clef from about 8 through my college years. So I have to use a different mind set for the bass-clef. I'll figure it out a couple of times and then recognize what that group of notes is supposed to sound like when I see them. Then following the music as written is easy. Used to do that on the piano too, and about the time I'd figure the whole thing out, I'd have it memorized...memories not quite that good anymore ...CRS (can't remember ).

 

[FenderB]

Learning to read basic music notation isn't that hard. Sit down with simple songs and learn the notes, takes some time but much better then reading tabs, which I hate. I'm a novice player and just do it as a hobby, could never play in a band, but I've managed to teach myself to read music as long as it's not to complicated. You can do it too, just need to work on it. Good luck.

 

[JimmyM]

I get charts that I have to read or sight read all the time on gigs. I'd say they're evenly split between chord charts and notation written out.

I also find people who think reading is too difficult try to cram too much about reading into a session and move onto the next concept before they understand what they just learned. Better to spend 10 minutes truly grasping a single concept instead of spending that same 10 minutes trying to grasp several.

 

[ToneMonkey]

I used to be a military musician. When I played legit music it was 100% sheet music with written notation. When I played big band it was a mix of written notation and chords on the same chart. Some charts had written out walking bass lines, but often this was only for a few bars. You might also occasionally get a written out soli section where you're playing a fast technical melodic line with the horns. In jazz combo I usually read from the C version of the Real Book 5th Edition, so chord charts. In cover bands we scratched out lead sheets for rehearsal and archival purposes, but we generally performed from memory. Most of the lead sheets consisted of chord notation, with a few written out cues. Each musician was expected to tailor their lead sheet for their own needs, which entails writing in whatever cues you need.

If you are going to be a pro, it's helpful if you can read bass cleff, treble cleff, as well as chord notation. In some circles it's also necessary to read Nashville Numbers. Some guitar players use TAB for chord voicings, but IMHO TAB is not very useful for pro bassists since we tend to use different fingering systems.

Most cover bands don't use charts as far as I know, but individual musicians may take notes in whatever form makes sense to them.

I have a personal cheat sheet format that is designed to cram max information into the smallest amount of space. I can usually get 12-15 songs on a single sheet. I never advertise their existence, it's just what I need to get up to speed. The goal is to gig without it. But I'm astonished the number of times another band member will look at it and ask for a copy. I'm always happy to oblige.

 

[dreamadream99]

As a professional musician, you should be able to do it all.

• Knowing the greatest hits of your genre(s) gets you cover bands
• Playing by ear gets you into garage bands, jams, and fill-in work
• Reading chord charts gets you church gigs, country and blues jobs, and variety bands
• Reading notation gets you classical, pit band, cruise ship, big band, and studio jobs.

If you can do all four, you will never have to turn down work.

 

[dpbass66]

Its both, not either/or. Written music is expressed in MANY different ways, and often it's a mix of notes and chords. My Bass clef Real Book (from 1986... choke) is chord charts with the melodies written in, and has served me well when I didnt know a melody (assuming I wanted to play it), since I could read it. As some people have posted, reading other clefs helps too... starting with treble. You need to do it all. Big band charts and sometimes pit orchestra parts are a big mix of may ways to express music in written form. Ive had big band charts that have walking basslines written out, then a section (usually the solo section) where its improvised walking bass, then a section where it's a written out unison with the horns, then another section where its a groove, and the part repeats and it says simile, meaning "repeat a groove like this on the changes, but you dont have to play it EXACTLY like this"....

 

[Greenstreet]

You should definitely learn to read. There are times when you'll need to play something note-for-note.

That being said, when I was a musician (I was mainly a keyboardist, although I played bass and guitar on occasion in the studio), I actually preferred not to have the part written out, and if it was a cover, I preferred not hearing the original. It only got in the way of how I heard the piece. I prefer a simple lead sheet with the lyrics and melody written out, and the chords marked at the changes.

If, when playing someone else's song, the goal is to sound as close to the original as possible, any live band will always be outclassed by a $20 MP3 player. My goal is not to sound like someone else. When the part is written out for you, it's hard not to be effected by that in some way.

.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Sight reading is very different than reading through a chart you know. Sight reading is getting it right or kinda right the first time through. You have to be able to count in your head to keep the flow correct. A pro in a studio will sight read something correctly first time through then second or 3rd time make it sound like he is not reading but making up his part. Quite a skill at that level.

I find big band gigs irritating because they so often write the bass part note for note in horn friendly keys like Db and Gb. Kind of a drag to me.

So reading comes up on some gigs. Sight reading correctly is a higher skill. Faking tunes correctly another high level skill. Chord charts should be a no brainer, you gotta know your chords. Reading treble clef can come in handy. Being able to transpose a tune on a gig comes up too. Horn players and singers often change the key last minute, like on the stage live.

Reading seems to use a different part of the brain compared to faking a tune or playing a tune from memory.

I read classical with an upright bass tuned in 5ths. I play jazz with an upright tuned in 4ths. My electrics are in 4ths. Mixing things up are a good thing imho. Our brains can handle it.

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I am by no means a great sight reader and do not require it in my current projects, but I find it to be a very valuable tool to have. When I learn tunes in my various bands, I transcribe them myself for all but the simplest songs. Most of the time, I will go for note-for-note standard notation, but sometimes they will be chord changes or a combination of the two. I find I know a song better when I see it mapped out (an extra bar of 2/4 in the second chorus? - I knew something a was a little different there...) and that will help me memorize them better later. And seeing as many songs tend to come back up over the years, I am making my own archive of repertoire. It takes more time up front, but ends up being more valuable as I really learn the songs well and now have them available for reference for years to come.

Being able to read is also great when you need to learn a lot of material in a short period of time and cannot memorize it all. Plus, as I am getting older, my memory is not what it used to be!

 

[ComeHomeShane]

As a professional musician, you should be able to do it all.

• Knowing the greatest hits of your genre(s) gets you cover bands
• Playing by ear gets you into garage bands, jams, and fill-in work
• Reading chord charts gets you church gigs, country and blues jobs, and variety bands
• Reading notation gets you classical, pit band, cruise ship, big band, and studio jobs.

If you can do all four, you will never have to turn down work.

end conversation.

 

[StatesideRambler]

Not sure where to ask this question, but here goes. What situation do most bass players find themselves in when playing a gig. Would it be reading a chord sheet or having to sight read or should I say having to read music period. I'm trying to tackle how to read but find this very difficult.

What are you looking to play? What you’ll encounter depends on the music you’re playing. Very little rock or blues or country uses charts of any kind; it’s nearly all played “by ear.” Jazz standards will mostly use chord charts. Theater pit orchestra playing will be mostly if not all standard notation with improvisation neither expected nor desired. Wedding gigs use lead sheets or fake books. Folk and bluegrass are either chord/lyric sheets or “here we go, just keep up!”

There are mighty few gigs where sight reading is required. For starters, there’s “reading music” and there’s “sight reading music.” Sight reading is the [advanced] ability to play your part, written in standard notation, either cold or with just a run through. Sight reading is what stood the “Wrecking Crew” on the pedestal they’d earned.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

I should add ...to audition a cruise ship gig (heaven forbid) you have to read. For a theatre gig you have to read and play 5 string.

One regret for me over the years is not singing. Although I’ve gigged consistently (often crazy busy) for almost 5 decades, I would of got even more opportunities if I sang.

Read, sing, & add upright to your tool box

 

[JimmyM]

I should add ...to audition a cruise ship gig (heaven forbid) you have to read. For a theatre gig you have to read and play 5 string.

One regret for me over the years is not singing. Although I’ve gigged consistently (often crazy busy) for almost 5 decades, I would of got even more opportunities if I sang.

Read, sing, & add upright to your tool box

It's the only reason I keep working in a town with a ton of great bassists