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Missing out by not being able to read music?

#421
Ukiah Bass said:
Dude: why do people from Sacramento always seem so jealous? :)
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Consider, you're not in LA, too far North.
You're not in San Francisco, too far South.
You're in the state capital....
LA got the Lizard King
San Fran got Santana and the Dead
You got legislators and lobbyists.....eeesh!;)
 
#423
Roy Vogt said:
Consider, you're not in LA, too far North.
You're not in San Francisco, too far South.
You're in the state capital....
LA got the Lizard King
San Fran got Santana and the Dead
You got legislators and lobbyists.....eeesh!;)
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LOL! I would have used a much stronger word that "eeesh", but TB is a rated-G family friendly forum, so I'll keep it clean. ;)

Btw, I grew up in LA. Thank goodness I escaped 24 years ago. And every time I go to Frisco, I can't wait to get out of there......it's even more jam packed than LA!
 
#429
To the "OP"

Consider this; being able to read is not be all / end all and doesnt' guarantee anything. It won't make you a better player. It doesn't make you smarter or even more well rounded. Shoot, I know people that can read the written word just fine but if common sense were gasoline they'd have a tough time put puttin through the inside of a cheerio. I'm sure you know some like that as well. Having said that, put two decent players in the same position for a gig that requires reading and one of those cats doesn't, the cat that can't lost a gig/networking opportunity etc. Being able to read just puts another feather in your cap.

Reading music is, for the most part, no different than reading the spoken word. We all learn how to speak first and then we learn written symbols that express what we do already.

Being able to read music allows us to quickly send and receive information. Imagine not being able to read a book or these posts. Sure, you could watch youtube, listen to records etc and that's totally cool probably even better but look at how much access you have to so much more information just because you can read.


There's my 2fiddy. :-)

Peace and be well wherever you are!
 
#430
SactoBass said:
LOL! I would have used a much stronger word that "eeesh", but TB is a rated-G family friendly forum, so I'll keep it clean. ;)

Btw, I grew up in LA. Thank goodness I escaped 24 years ago. And every time I go to Frisco, I can't wait to get out of there......it's even more jam packed than LA!
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I've lived in LA (yech!) and San Francisco. BTW, locals don't call it "Frisco"; it's "The City." Cities are a maze, kind of like this chart and reading music:
 
#433
Ric5 said:
Different people's brains are wired differently, and some people take to standard notation and some don't. I found out years ago that I play better, that is to say smoother, cleaner, and with more feeling, when I play by ear instead of by notation. I play better when I play with emotion, and I play less better when I play over-thinking theory and reading notes.
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Since I don't know you I can't speak specifically to your case, but as someone else pointed out, playing poorly while reading is more often a case of not being able to read well, rather than reading itself being an issue. Playing with emotion has nothing to do with reading, theory or notes.

It's like the person who has been picking with their fingers for 10 years trying a pick and after 5 minutes saying that picks suck.
 
#434
lfmn16 said:
Since I don't know you I can't speak specifically to your case, but as someone else pointed out, playing poorly while reading is more often a case of not being able to read well, rather than reading itself being an issue. Playing with emotion has nothing to do with reading, theory or notes.

It's like the person who has been picking with their fingers for 10 years trying a pick and after 5 minutes saying that picks suck.
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There's a little whacky, and long, analogy: One summer I took a course in college called "Shakespeare on film"...it was an online class that I thought would be easy. Bull...

It got interesting when I had to watch and analyze 5 different versions of "The Merchant of Venice". I can only remember Al Pacino's version. The man was simply riveting to me. All of them read the same exact lines. Nothing added, nothing taken away but everyone brought their own thing
to it.

What's on the page is, for lack of a better term, "an idea". How that idea is played is up to the performer or the MD (in most pro reading situations). Being able to interpret styles comes from having different experiences and probably most importantly listening to different styles.
 
#435
sonofabass said:
...

What's on the page is, for lack of a better term, "an idea". How that idea is played is up to the performer or the MD (in most pro reading situations). Being able to interpret styles comes from having different experiences and probably most importantly listening to different styles.
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Very true! The idea that readers are somehow less creative or engaged with the music is very narrow. Sure, someone just learning the language is going to be less musical than when they develop some proficiency and experience, but that's true about virtually any skill.

Reading music isn't simply about spitting out the notes on the page through your instrument - it's a 2-way system where the ability to write something down as well as interpret what is written has immense value!
 
#436
As a guy who can read music, but not thoroughly enough or well enough to utilize it's advantages properly, I am going to say hell yes we are missing out. Is it necessary? Obviously not. Is it going to be helpful and convenient and make you ( or at least help you to become) a better musician? I think so.
 
#437
sonofabass said:
It got interesting when I had to watch and analyze 5 different versions of "The Merchant of Venice". I can only remember Al Pacino's version. The man was simply riveting to me. All of them read the same exact lines. Nothing added, nothing taken away but everyone brought their own thing
to it.
Click to expand...


Total hijack here, but Pacino was BRILLIANT in that! I remember seeing a soliloquy on a show once, and I don't think I even breathed during it. Went out and bought the movie immediately.
 
#438
Pacman said:
Total hijack here, but Pacino was BRILLIANT in that! I remember seeing a soliloquy on a show once, and I don't think I even breathed during it. Went out and bought the movie immediately.
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Yo Pacman -
Dude...I was glued, I mean the guy just friggin killed it. EVERY time I the conversation of reading comes up I think of that 'pound of flesh' speech.
 

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