Dumb question: Pino doesn't read music?

[DiabolusInMusic]

What about a session that's for a movie soundtrack, or a commercial advertisement? There are definitely situations where a bass player will be expected to read a piece of written music.

They still hire bass players for that?



I think regardless of Pino's education, it doesn't change the fact that if you want to make it pro, you should learn to read.What other field does education get met with so much resistance? Could you imagine a machinist that refused to learn how to read blueprints?

 

[Bob_Ross]

They sit around discussing inversions, modes, etc., while I play Angry Birds on my iPhone.

^^^This honestly made me laugh out loud! Thanks.


Pino's done a couple of gigs that I can't imagine how a non-reader did them -- that PSP album, or subbing at the last minute for Tony Levin with Peter Gabriel during last year's RockNRoll Hall Of Fame induction -- but for the most part he strikes me as an iconoclast who gets hired because people want his sound and his musicality, irrespective of whether it might take a tiny bit longer to teach him song structures than it would a reading bassist. iow, he's a lot closer to someone like Mick Karn (as Whousedtoplay pointed out on page 1) than he is to someone like Levin or Nathan East or Will Lee etc.

 

[DWBass]

My inability to read well hurt me a grand total of 1 time in over 40 years of playing. And that was during an audition with a group of Navy musicians about 10 years ago. Among quite a few standards from the Real Book, they hit me with Spain by Chick Corea. Ugh!

I have since learned it (by ear).

 

[Kmonk]

Having the ability to read music doesn't necessarily lead to more work. I don't read music either but the Chair or Professional Music at a very prestigious music school always hires me for his recording projects. He told me that he hires me because I always play exactly what he is looking for even if I have only heard a rough track once or twice and he finds me easy to work with. In the past few years I have done music for several television shows, tv and radio commercials and a movie. Two weeks ago he needed to submit music for a television show and only had 48 hours to do it. He called me and asked if I could not only do the bass tracks but also guitar. I went to the studio and 2 hours later I had done 3 guitar tracks and a bass track. He was able to finish and submit the work on time. Ability and having the right attitude will do more for you than being able to read music. However, being able to read wouldn't hurt either.

 

[Dogbertday]

Having the ability to read music doesn't necessarily lead to more work. I don't read music either but the Chair or Professional Music at a very prestigious music school always hires me for his recording projects. He told me that he hires me because I always play exactly what he is looking for even if I have only heard a rough track once or twice and he finds me easy to work with. In the past few years I have done music for several television shows, tv and radio commercials and a movie. Two weeks ago he needed to submit music for a television show and only had 48 hours to do it. He called me and asked if I could not only do the bass tracks but also guitar. I went to the studio and 2 hours later I had done 3 guitar tracks and a bass track. He was able to finish and submit the work on time. Ability and having the right attitude will do more for you than being able to read music. However, being able to read wouldn't hurt either.

You've posted about this in the past. I don't doubt your story or skill level as I don't know you, but your story is the exception to the rule.

I would be VERY suprised to hear that Pino couldn't read music, or even that he doesn't very often. My guess is that he probably doesn't have to for most of the gigs he gets called for (as pointed out earlier).

On the broader merits of reading music topic that's inevitable here, written music is like written English. It's just the written version of an art form that is based on sound. It's a way to communicate and record musical ideas so as to share them with others or remember them on your own. Recordings can work for this also, and sometimes one works better than the other. That's it.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

I've played music without hearing it first many times, I played stuff that I couldn't get by ear so I read it. Just like being able to read English let you learn many thing that you couldn't learn otherwise it sped up the process quite a bit ... just like in music, many concept are hard to grasp without being able to read music ... but many of those thing are maybe too ... well it's far from popular music.

 

[MDBass]

So I was watching this clip -- not a huge Paul Young fan but Pino's amazing (saw them both live in the late 80s as opening act to Genesis) -- and it struck me. Pino is a world-class session musician. How does he do that without reading music? I'm woodshedding trying to really learn to read bass clef after decades of half-assedly scraping by kinda being able to (mostly) fumble my way through, and this guy can walk into a studio and do some of the most impressive work without being able to read?

Sir Paul couldn't read music, I don't think Sklar does either, and something tells me neither did Jamerson.

Some people just have phenomenal ears.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Some people just have phenomenal ears.

and phenomenal memory!

 

[joebar]

back when I was in high school learning bass, I wasn't good at reading music.

25 years later, I learn to read all over again and realize I am a lot better than I was then-
the reason?

I believe it is because i developed a great ear and learning tons of theory and how to apply it, reading is easier because a lot of the time you can anticipate what comes next from all your experience.

 

[smeet]

I remember reading an interview with Pino years ago. I believe he said he can't read, but he can listen to a song once and then know it. So all of you who can memorize and play back any song with one listening, you are in good company. The rest of you... Aren't Pino.

 

[Jeff Bonny]

If you listen to the stuff Pino has been hired to do a lot of it's not really stuff you'd really expect to see written parts for. Paul Young, John Mayer, The Who.....
And I you know he has GIANT EARS and can tear through a chord chart.

 

[devnulljp]

I guess I was just surprised because so much of his career is as a session man, and I'd have expected reading to be a big part of that scene. It's a totally different gig than being in your own band playing your own music, like Paul McCartney or Mick Karn. I bet he knows a lot of theory though, so as you all say can rip though a chart.

 

[lfmn16]

I remember reading an interview with Pino years ago. I believe he said he can't read, but he can listen to a song once and then know it. So all of you who can memorize and play back any song with one listening, you are in good company. The rest of you... Aren't Pino.

There are certain people on TB that can't seem to understand that people like Pino are a success in spite of their lack of formal training, not because of it. I agree, if you are as talented as Pino, stay as ignorant of theory and reading music as you like. If you aren't, better get to work.

 

[Joebone]

Sir Paul couldn't read music, I don't think Sklar does either, and something tells me neither did Jamerson.

Some people just have phenomenal ears.

Jamerson is supposed to have been an excellent reader. Per pages 27 and 38 of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"

https://books.google.com/books?id=WV5HlgC6HU4C&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq="james+jamerson"+read+music&source=bl&ots=_dlSliKa_Z&sig=hqnRwFVEfDD4FyBOW8kIOc6c5ag&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vY3AVP7MEo7ooAS7joDICQ&ved=0CGUQ6AEwDg#v=onepage&q="james jamerson" read music&f=false

 

[kenneffdupriest]

Who's Pino?

and if your gonna learn the bass clef, you might as well learn the treble clef while your at it. It makes playing the piano a lot easier. I'm just sayin

 

[ryco]

Jeff Beck, who is a master at the signature lick, the signature riff and soloist extraordinaire, can't read a note of music. The guy never even practices - never looks at a guitar if he is not off on tour. He says practicing "gets in the way of building me hotrods." Some people just have the gift of incredible ears and know where to put their fingers and how to manipulate the strings to get the ariculation and nuance of the sound they want.

One doesn't need to read music. But one does have to be able to hear ideas and lines in their head and be able to get those expressions out onto the fretboard. Hard work? Practice? A gift? Magic? I don't know. for me it's a lot of long hours playing by myself. For Beck it's walking over to a geetar and picking it up. Each has his own journey!

I can sightread bass clef pretty well. But truthfully I can count on both fingers in 40 years of playing where it's been necessary to read notes - all in pit or show gigs. A lot of times it's chord sheets out of a fake book or piano charts with just chords. Reading is a good skill to have and it's fun to be able to do. It's good for playing out of lesson books as standard notation reads 1,000x faster than tab. (I like tab, too.)

For rockers it's all ears - both in studio and especially on stage. I have never seen rockers use cheat sheets - well maybe a couple guitar players who had a few sheets down on the floor. But it's an ear based music. The chords are relatively simple and progressions are pretty easy to follow. Easier than jazz - which is what I work on now = hearing progressions by ear without charts - challenging without sheets.

+1 on being able to read treble clef, as well. 95% of the musical world is treble.

 

[SamJ]

I'd say there's a world of difference between hiring someone to play a pre-written bass line, and hiring someone to LAY DOWN a bassline...

That being said, I can't imagine it would ever hurt anyone to be able to sight read music, and I'm sure it's nothing but a huge plus, but I guess some guys are just talented inspite of their academic background. I sure wish I could read music, but I've never put the effort in, and nor do I really have a desire to as a non-professional musician.

 

[bassistheplaceofcourse]

As other have said I guess he doesn't need to read much for the groove based stuff he gets called for. But if you are a session player people are inevitably going to shove dots in your face now and then. Pino is famous for his modesty; I bet he reads better than most.

 

[SamJ]

Pino is famous for his modesty; I bet he reads better than most.

that's probably true to some extent.... plus there's a world of difference between "can read" and sight read..

 

[devnulljp]

+1 on being able to read treble clef, as well. 95% of the musical world is treble.

I can read treble clef -- played classical guitar for decades -- that's part of the problem with bass clef. I keep playing the notes as though they were on treble clef and it gets all muddled up. I don't know how piano players do it -- read both at the same time. Just practice I suppose.