• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Missing out by not being able to read music?

#181
jmattbassplaya said:
I can read but have yet to ever come across a situation while either subbing or doing studio work where it was needed to get the job done. Like two fingers says, it really just depends on what your goals are. If you're wanting to make bass playing a career then learning to read is a must. That said, if you're content being a weekend warrior type then you'll probably never need that skill for most gigs out there. As to whether or not learning to read will make you a better player, I can't tell you for sure. It'll help you analyze basslines more, but so does learning songs and transcribing them by ear. And just IMHO, the latter is the exercise for that sort of thing.
Click to expand...

See, i have a couple of books, and most exercises on the internet come in the form of sheet music. I get frustrated trying to read without much experience or knowledge. Perhaps being more fluent to it id be able to get better results out them.
 
#182
singlemalt said:
Can-O-Worms? check! Screwdriver? check! Right, let her rip!

Can you get by in this world being functionally illiterate? Sure. Job prospects somewhat limited? Yep. It's not quite that dire a situation with music, but close.

Do you want jobs that require fluent reading skills? Maybe, maybe not. But learning to read at any level will help.

I wish I'd gotten it as a kid, since everyday, I see what my kid can do with it. I can slowly decipher and eventually memorize a bass or melody part, he can read and play piano both hands (up to a certain complexity) at tempo. He's had a thorough musical education that started ten years ago at age five. It shows.

I tell my wife I'm a tad bit jealous, and I'd give anything to be able to read like the kid. She asks if I'd give it an hour a day. Ouch! As poor a reader as I am, I still give it some time each week. I'll never be fluent or even good at it, but the parts and pieces I learn by reading really stick with me, and I have a better memory, since i can "see" the page when I try to dredge it up from memory. Learning to work lead sheets and follow charts has been well worth it. I don't have to try and keep everything in the sieve of a brain I have left. Certainly saves time over learning everything by ear.

Reading, ear training, sight singing, theory, and private instruction on your primary instrument: these are the curriculum of an educated musician. You can certainly build formidable skills with little more than your ears, but every little bit helps.

My 2 cents worth, YMMV.
Click to expand...

Exactly, the problem is giving an hour of my time to study theory, and sight reading. Ah if i was stil a little kid with the privileges of taking music classes.
 
#183
Dieps17 said:
I apologize for the delay, and im thankful for all of you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Now, i like to play music period, Ive never taken a lesson before n i feel like i should. I started out by playing at church mainly playing rock type music. Like you said playing rock/pop doesnt require much. But id love to play jazz, fusion, some funk/gospel. But simply because im not in that context, everytime i start practicing sightreading i get discouraged. Ive been playing for about 2 1/2 years now. And i kno i wont be able to follow a career for bass playing. And quite frankly i havent but in the studio at recordings ive seen some people saving time and effort by recording with sheet music. Idk i think after i learn whats on that sheet of music id try my best to memorize the piece and play by heart. My thoughts.
Click to expand...

I would try to find a good local bass teacher and start studying with someone if you can afford it. Having that weekly accountability and guidance can get you where you need to go much quicker.
 
#184
bass_lord_mutha said:
Like what's been said here before, it depends on the situation. I had an interesting gig last night filling in with a Tejano band and I had less than a week's notice to learn 20 songs, which really, since I had work during the day and a couple of gigs and rehearsals at night with other groups during the week, only gave me about 3 days to work out the tunes. I'm not very familiar with Tejano music (no gringo jokes, please!), so I couldn't guesstimate chord progressions, but fortunately I've got knowledge in using the Nashville number system to take the songs and chart them out, showed up at the gig last night having never met the other members before and with no full band rehearsal (they were from San Antonio, I'm from Midland/Odessa and we played in Alpine) and aside from a few transitional blunders on my part was able to play three 1 hour sets fairly comfortably, and it turned into a pretty profitable gig and made some connections as a result of it. Had I not been able to chart out the songs, this gig would've been a disaster! So having said that, I don't think being able to read music or charts is completely necessary in playing music, but it definitely opens you up to more opportunities to perform in various settings and situations successfully.

BTW, I now have a LOT more respect for Tejano music, some of that stuff is pretty damn challenging!
Click to expand...

I have to check this tejano's style. I'm gonna look at the Nashiville # system as well. Thanks.
 
#185
Roy Vogt said:
Learning to read Music will help you communicate with others in a different way. Instead of searching Youtube to find someone playing Donna Lee or Bach Cello Suite #1, for example, you can just buy the sheet music and figure out where you want to play it.
If you want to do this long term for a living, I think it's going to make it possible to have a long term career a great deal easier. I wouldn't be making a living at this point in my career if I didn't know how to read well. It's never too late to learn, IME.
Click to expand...

I wonder if theres a good system to learning how to sight read, starting with a few notes and progressing. Do you know of any?
 
#186
lowfreqgeek said:
I've done some very cool stuff because I can read. I'm not a great reader, but I read well enough to have been called to do 24 studio tracks arranged for a jazz big band for TV music beds. 1-2 takes and you're on to the next one - no time for being taught the part on the spot when a studio full of other musicians is ready to go.

I just did a subbing gig last week with an excellent Americana, Roots and Blues band. The first question I was asked when I got the call was "do you read?". When I got the book - just a couple days before the gig - about half the tunes had specific written lines to match the rhythms of the drums on the band's original tunes. Some of the material was sophisticated New Grass with bars of odd meters, unison bass/banjo lines, unison rhythms, etc.

I pretty much nailed every tune on the first read through. The band was impressed and very happy that I could nail the feel and sound they were after just reading their book. I had the freedom to put my own spin on the written lines, but the written lines were invaluable in helping me to play like I knew the material - and the band let me know I had done that. They told me I "fit like a glove", sounded like I'd "been in the band forever", and was "really smooth". Nice to hear when you're playing originals for the first time with pro's who've been together for years. That whole gig was on upright, by the way.

I also get to use my reading chops (which, like I said, aren't great) when I play with an orchestra + Band for big church services (Easter, Christmas Eve, etc). There's often new music that we're all seeing for the first time at the first rehearsal (usually 2 days before the event). We don't have time to fumble through all the rhythms and modulations and what not by ear. Having the rhythm chart with all the rhythms notated (not necessarily specific notes, but sometimes) means we can blast through it once and we've got it.

I've done quite a few other gigs with all kinds of people who hand me a book, usually on the gig, and expect me to read through it on the spot. One guy has a 2" binder full of everything from Elton John to Joe Sample to Frank Sinatra to George Jones to The Jackson 5. You never know what he's gonna do, but you better be ready to read the parts when he does...

Don't think for a minute that I can't improvise or learn on the spot by ear. I do that most of the time, but I've done some really fun things because I'm not totally illiterate. What I've found is that reading is a passage way to getting in with the best pros; the guys who don't have time to rehearse their 3 hour set 2 or 3 times cause they're playing every night but that one they gave up to rehearse with you.

Or you can hang out in the garage...
Click to expand...

Wonder if theres a good system for learning sightreading.
 
#187
LouisV said:
Yes, it all depends on your goals.... However, I look at it this way: what would your life be like if you couldn't read these replies, if you couldn't write your questions? I'd look at music the same way. You may not "need" to read music to get some gigs, but if a gig you really wanted was there for you, but required you did know how to read, then what? The more skills you have, the more you can do. In my opinion and experience, anyway.
Click to expand...

Very true, im getting convinced! Summer lessons here they come !
 
#189
jmattbassplaya said:
I can read but have yet to ever come across a situation while either subbing or doing studio work where it was needed to get the job done. Like two fingers says, it really just depends on what your goals are. If you're wanting to make bass playing a career then learning to read is a must. That said, if you're content being a weekend warrior type then you'll probably never need that skill for most gigs out there. As to whether or not learning to read will make you a better player, I can't tell you for sure. It'll help you analyze basslines more, but so does learning songs and transcribing them by ear. And just IMHO, the latter is the exercise for that sort of thing.
Click to expand...

Hi, Nice track. The instruments remind me of Captain Beyond.
 
#190
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
#191
People who read music are proud that they read music, and therefore will insist that it's better than not reading.

That's cool.

People who don't read music are proud that they play by ear, and therefore will insist that there's no need to read music.

That's cool.

OP: Whichever camp you select for yourself, go forth and enjoy life!
 
#193
SactoBass said:
People who read music are proud that they read music, and therefore will insist that it's better than not reading.

That's cool.

People who don't read music are proud that they play by ear, and therefore will insist that there's no need to read music.

That's cool.

OP: Whichever camp you select for yourself, go forth and enjoy life!
Click to expand...

Here's the difference: many -- if not all -- of us who read music can also play by ear and can therefore give some perspective on both sides of the issue. The converse does not appear to be true.
 
#194
SactoBass said:
People who read music are proud that they read music, and therefore will insist that it's better than not reading.
Click to expand...

I don't think pride has anything to do with any of the recommendations I've read here that the OP learn to read music.

The arguments have mostly been based on the idea that reading music will open doors to the player, such as playing for theater or jazz. It affords the opportunity to communicate with other musicians who don't play fretted instruments. And having a skill is better than not having a skill, even if you never use it.
 
#197
AngelCrusher said:
Yes it is called practice and hard work.

Check out this site as a resource:

http://www.studybass.com/tools/bass-clef-notes/
Click to expand...

No doubt. But when i mean a system i think of typing classes back in high school, they had a sofware where it started you out with the keys asdf for left hand and jkl:/; for right and gradually added other keys. Progressively getting more difficult and and the faster n more accurate youd get. Makes sense?
 
#198
Yeah it's not pride..haha. I mean maybe for some people.

the disconnect here is that when you can read notes, you "think notes". That means that when you see F, you play F, you think F you HEAR F. It develops your ears a lot faster.

Play a Dminor run on the fretboard and name every note. It is easier when you look at a piece of paper and see that run went D-F-A-G instead of seeing lines and 5-8-7-5. Who's ears develop faster?
 
#199
Dieps17 said:
No doubt. But when i mean a system i think of typing classes back in high school, they had a sofware where it started you out with the keys asdf for left hand and jkl:/; for right and gradually added other keys. Progressively getting more difficult and and the faster n more accurate youd get. Makes sense?
Click to expand...

Did you even look at the link? I literally linked you to something like that.

Buy Mel Bay's intro to bass playing and combine it with the link I sent. Then start doing exercises and learning chords from the book.

Every day, use that link.

Just do it..if you need a hand held, you will never be motivated enough to be a great player.

In the time you spend responding to everyone searching for an easy way, you could have already learned to read the C major scale. It is not that hard man.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back