how long does learning to read music sheet takes?

[alembicguy]

12 minutes

 

[Saetia]

As long as your basic ability to learn holds you to. Everyone is different and apt in different ways, not all minds are wired as quick and from reading this thread thus far... everyone has a different structure to their learning. Just know regaurdless of your aptitude, hardwork is chief and nothing else trumps.

-Benny

 

[Saetia]

P.s. in highschool (13 to 17 years ago) I learned to read music during a class called music theory. We used a program called Finali which utilized a midi keyboard. We learned the staves, then the relations, circle of 5ths and so on. The class was a build up to a final project where we wrote a piece of music in finali and were able to hear ot orchestrated in midi. We also had to notate and describe what was taking place. I feel lucky to have had that oppertunity.

-Benny

 

[hsech]

Depends on your talent or lack of talent. Depends on the difficulty of the music you wish to play. If you have a tin ear, can't carry a tune in a bucket and have poor eyesight................. it will take a very, very long time.

 

[elgecko]

You could probably learn everything there is to learn about reading standard notation in a few hours...the thing is, reading music is like Othello. "It takes a minute to learn, but a lifetime to master".

 

[RURUBASS]

nice comments from you guys. i just registered at a local orchestra band and hopefully will be starting to learn to read soon. these comments kinda gave me the "overview" of how the process and the length of time to learn how to read music sheet. hopefully will be able to "read" the music in short time and still be able to play with the choir, and still utilize my ears as some people on the comment section said that it'll be a lifetime to actually master the reading

 

[brianrost]

Learning the basics so you can play slowly from sheet music takes almost no time, with some instruction you can read in a few days. Playing what you read can take a lifetime...reading complex rhythms is the hardest part. Bass players (and anyone playing monophonic instruments like woodwinds and brass) have it easy, reading piano scores (two staves with chords, yuck) is way beyond my ability.

I'm old enough that I learned to read music in elementary school! We had a piano in the classroom and a music teacher came once a week. She taught us treble clef and we would sing from songbooks. A few years later I studied clarinet for two years and in high school had a few months of organ lessons where I learned the bass clef...all from notation. Since I started with written music, learning by ear was what was always hard for me.

I began teaching myself bass strictly from sheet music (no tabs, videos, etc. in those days)...the day I bought my first bass I bought a Carole Kaye book and off I went. When I finally took lessons a few years later, it was still all from notation.

 

[albertus]

with my new students I follow a simple method. each week we study one string, first four frets and open string, first position. I write random notes and the student have to play them. start with whole notes and half notes. start with natural notes, then add accidentals. everybody can read that.
then, second week add a string and add quarter notes. practice new string apart and then mix the two strings
third week add rests, add a string and so on...
-don't go further quarter notes, you just want to learn the notes.
-read the exercices straight, no start over if you make a mistake, go to the end no matter what.

in a month you will be able to read the notes quite fluently, then begin to add rhythmic complexity. keep things all random, no scales or triads or rhythmic patterns.

 

[Lownote38]

It takes as long as it takes. Plain and simple. It varies greatly from person to person.