Thats 99% of the sub gigs I get called for... usually with 12-24 hour notice. Sometimes less. Not so much these last 10 months sad to say. They’re usually pretty fun.
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Sheet music vs chord sheets?
- Thread starter WrapRough
- Start date
Thats 99% of the sub gigs I get called for... usually with 12-24 hour notice. Sometimes less. Not so much these last 10 months sad to say. They’re usually pretty fun.
Amen to your words. Why bother to attend high school if you can get thru with what you learned in elementary school? Regarless of skills, limitations or fear of the difficult, aim to do your best.
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IMO if you spend the time to learn to sight read proficiently, and you are willing to spend a bit of time regularly keeping it up, you won't regret it ever and you will have many more possibilities available as your career develops. I read piano notation from previous training and that's enough for my needs.
If you aren't going to become proficient at reading, IMO you must at least learn chord theory because chords/arpeggios are the backbone of the lines you will play.
For me a very large part of the enjoyment comes from creating the bass line so that it sits (I hope) perfectly as a bridge/connector/interface between the rhythmic and musical aspects of the piece. So, solidly in the pocket with the feel but with a nod to the melody line or horn parts from time to time. Some band leaders/producers let me do my thing, others didn't.
If you aren't going to become proficient at reading, IMO you must at least learn chord theory because chords/arpeggios are the backbone of the lines you will play.
For me a very large part of the enjoyment comes from creating the bass line so that it sits (I hope) perfectly as a bridge/connector/interface between the rhythmic and musical aspects of the piece. So, solidly in the pocket with the feel but with a nod to the melody line or horn parts from time to time. Some band leaders/producers let me do my thing, others didn't.
Sub gigs are the most intense, nerve-wracking and rewarding gigs around! If you can read, you can do these gigs with little or no warning. There's nothing quite as fulfilling as the "thanks" you receive from people you've never met before after filling their gig with only a day's notice. If you can read well, it can happen. And this means either charts or standard notation. Either way reading well can be fulfilling whether you gig of not.
A day or so ago someone asked about studies for bass. Someone posted a link to a Mel Bay book of etudes for bass. I bought it and it arrived today. Tomorrow, just because, I'm going to have a blast reading through the whole thing. THANK YOU to the cat that posted the link!
Yeah, I miss the gigs. Hopefully soon.
In the meantime I’ve been doing transcriptions, mainly Ray Brown and Oscar Pettiford. Good way to keep the ear and notation skills up.
The only time I'm handed a written out part with no chord changes above the written notes is in big band jazz situations. If you can't read individual notes, you will have to get your ears together enough to fake your way through the chart. Otherwise if you don't think you are going to be in that type of situation I would recommend working on lead sheets and keep developing your ears.
Here's my story about exactly that.... about 20 years ago I was playing in a trio using the real book and Jamey Aebersold lead sheets (chords with the Melody written underneath). My sight reading skills were modest but not great. Eventually word got out that I was a bass player and I was called in to sub for a big band. Most of the charts were note for note but they had the chords above them so I survived well enough following the chords and only reading the notes when it looked like the band was hitting all together. All was well until ..... "Mack the Knife", no chords or lead sheet just straight written out notes for the bass line. I was fine until the 2nd or 3rd key change then it went downhill after that. It just felt like the band was getting faster and more key changes kept coming. I felt like I was skiing downhill in front of an avalanche just trying to survive. I'm not even sure I ended the song on the right note. I was horrified. In the end the band leader and other band leaders called me back and I continued to grow as a player. I did add sight reading into my practice regime and have improved since. It's all about growing as a well rounded player. Do what makes you happy. Good luck!
Here's my story about exactly that.... about 20 years ago I was playing in a trio using the real book and Jamey Aebersold lead sheets (chords with the Melody written underneath). My sight reading skills were modest but not great. Eventually word got out that I was a bass player and I was called in to sub for a big band. Most of the charts were note for note but they had the chords above them so I survived well enough following the chords and only reading the notes when it looked like the band was hitting all together. All was well until ..... "Mack the Knife", no chords or lead sheet just straight written out notes for the bass line. I was fine until the 2nd or 3rd key change then it went downhill after that. It just felt like the band was getting faster and more key changes kept coming. I felt like I was skiing downhill in front of an avalanche just trying to survive. I'm not even sure I ended the song on the right note. I was horrified. In the end the band leader and other band leaders called me back and I continued to grow as a player. I did add sight reading into my practice regime and have improved since. It's all about growing as a well rounded player. Do what makes you happy. Good luck!
There is no doubt that being able to read and understand a piece of music is invaluable. But it seems like, outside of getting certain paid roles, taking that to the level of being able to play on the fly, without practice, is just not a good use of my time. But using that time to really under chords, keys, transposition, walking lines etc would be much better for me personally. Honestly I have no desire to have a career in music, or get paid gigs in theatres, or anything like that.
So I think a good plan for me is to keep working on both, but with a focus on charts, keys, theory, while still allowing time to improve my general reading skills...
So I think a good plan for me is to keep working on both, but with a focus on charts, keys, theory, while still allowing time to improve my general reading skills...
Reading skills are great if you use them regularly and often when you pursue those skills you tend to work more. For the last 30 years we had a lot of touring acts come through, some with a band and others with just the key players and subs for the rest of the band.
I learned to read at a young age learning piano and it sort of stayed with me, I ended up picking up some of these sub gigs. Word gets around among promoters and then you find you're working more and more on these types of gigs. No band leader wants a guy who is going to take ages to get the material down, they fly in, there's usually one day or rehearsing the show and the next day it's show time.
Now that we're older and just play in the band for a bit of fun we don't chase those sub gigs but there are still some shows that require reading so I tend to write out most of my parts just to keep my skills sharp. Sometimes we still tour and we either have charts or we write an arrangement to suit the band.
If you're playing in a band that has no requirement for reading then you don't really need to work on those skills but if you want more work options it's a great way to opening up opportunities.
I learned to read at a young age learning piano and it sort of stayed with me, I ended up picking up some of these sub gigs. Word gets around among promoters and then you find you're working more and more on these types of gigs. No band leader wants a guy who is going to take ages to get the material down, they fly in, there's usually one day or rehearsing the show and the next day it's show time.
Now that we're older and just play in the band for a bit of fun we don't chase those sub gigs but there are still some shows that require reading so I tend to write out most of my parts just to keep my skills sharp. Sometimes we still tour and we either have charts or we write an arrangement to suit the band.
If you're playing in a band that has no requirement for reading then you don't really need to work on those skills but if you want more work options it's a great way to opening up opportunities.
I'm not... I'm throttling
It's kind of like a school kid learning languages at school. You spend more time learning English than you do, say, French or Spanish. Perhaps if you want a career in languages then you'd up your Spanish time... That's kind of how I'm thinking about this
I've been investing time lately in improving my reading, and I have been mixing it up between sheet music and chord sheets. It's slow going but i'm improving, which is the main thing. Last night i got to thinking about which one gives me more bang for my buck in musical situations. I know the advice here will be "learn both", which I am doing.. But, in my head, it would seem that a more common scenario would be that I would be handed a chord sheet rather than a piece of sheet music that I need to play note for note. I dont plan on being a pro, or a session player, but I do plan on finding other musicians to play and jam with, and maybe some open mic jazz nights in the future. I am finding much more enjoyment and value from playing to chord sheets as it's really helping with my (lack of) improvisation skills.
So, which is the more common scenario you find yourself in? Being handed a sheet that you have to play note for note, or being handed a chord sheet and you deciding what to play? Would you rather be "ok" at sight-reading sheet and a demon with a chord sheet, or vice versa? And yes, i know, demon at both would be the ideal situation
For me, Music sheets. A lot of guy’s like Tabs, and Nashville Style Charts, but you get more information from the Sheets. You can get everything that Tabs and Charts offer and then some. The sheets that just have the chord changes over lyrics are about worthless unless you have the sone memorized which sort of defeats the purpose.
As for reading charts and having dyslexia, when the notes get above the staff can be challenging for sure, but if I can do it there is little excuse not to read the music. Besides, being able to read music will make you more employable.
I'm not... I'm throttling
It's kind of like a school kid learning languages at school. You spend more time learning English than you do, say, French or Spanish. Perhaps if you want a career in languages then you'd up your Spanish time... That's kind of how I'm thinking about this
That’s cool. Sounds like you know what you want. However, coming to a place like this and asking a question like that is gonna get you answers based on our own experiences for the most part.
Your analogy is slightly off though. Your focus is one language... you’re just choosing to learn to speak it and not read or write it. Which is fine, it’s your journey. Most of us that have taken the time to read and write it are simply extolling the fact that overall literacy can have far reaching benefits.
I'm not... I'm throttling
It's kind of like a school kid learning languages at school. You spend more time learning English than you do, say, French or Spanish. Perhaps if you want a career in languages then you'd up your Spanish time... That's kind of how I'm thinking about this
Well, I would recommend you devote a little time every day to reading, regardless whatever else you study. This is not based on future work, just that you will be able to access a lot more knowledge if you can understand notation.
Yeah that's a better analogy...however I'm not saying I'm not going to read and write...I'm just saying that, based on this entire thread, it would seem prudent to spend more time on something I'll use regularly. I can read sheet music now. I could learn a song from a piece of sheet music. But what I can't do is take a piece of music and just play it. so it's that skill that I am doubting the value of for me personally, and it seems from this thread that it's a skill that only certain formal scenarios require, none of which I will ever be in.
When I was just doing a church gig, learning the songs by ear each week and everything was written out using the Nashville Numbering system I thought that way too. Now here I am.
Fair enough. I'm genuinely looking to understand the best way forward and learn from experienced players, so I'm in full listening mode.
When you say "here I am"... Where is that? What's your situation at the moment when I comes gigs and stuff?
This sounds right to me. I note that some folks are contradicting what I mentioned about almost never being handed notated charts. Again, I think context is important, and I'd remind those folks that you asked about what the common situation is likely to be. Those are players who have the skills to do this, and they're in demand because of that skill. You gain entry to those jobs if you know how to read well. If that's what you aspire to be able to do, then you can work to get there.
A friend of mine is a bassist who works at that level. I am called on sometimes to sub for him and i can do some of those jobs, but not all of those jobs. That's ok with me; at my age I'm not expecting to become first call for anything that significant here. But if I were younger I'd surely be working toward that as a goal.
The point is, that guy has dots and stems in front of him because he knows how to read them. The vast majority of situations you'll encounter in casual playing don't require that, but the best paying situations do. If you're looking to pick up any significant extra income with this, reading well is a must, but not reading will not keep you out of the local clubs or jams.
Don't let yourself off the hook by telling yourself "I'm just not focusing on reading"
Tack 10-15 minutes of reading practice on to of all that other stuff each day and you're gold.
It's false dilemma.
I'm probably one of the guilty ones here. However I did mention that my response is based on personal experiences, which are quite possibly unique in the larger picture... but in my world that's a fairly common occurrence. It was never an aspiration, it just sort of happened because I took the time to learn how to read and I found I enjoyed it. I acknowledge the fact that this is his journey and I'm merely interjecting opinions at his request. Sounds like he's building up his chops and that can lead to the most interesting gigs in the most accidental ways.
Current situation... musically destitute (thanks COVID). I'm not a full time musician, I'm actually a nurse in the real world... worked in a county trauma center for years doing shift work in the ER (rotating 12 hour shifts including evenings, nights, and weekends). Then I moved to a more administrative type job where I wasn't working crazy hours and finally had time to play music again (after a 20 year hiatus). Dusted off my jazz chops, brushed up on my reading skills, and starting playing with just about anyone I could.
Pre-pandemic I was playing two to three nights a week and subbing a few times a month for other bands or impromptu combo type gigs with people I had played with in other bands. Some guys I play with are absolute monsters and the reading gigs are insane. Some of them are with non-profit bands that mainly do fundraisers and the musicians are absolute hobbyists who don't read that well and the charts are pretty simple, but it's for a good cause that I believe in (scholarships in underserved schools here in town)... so I sit through their rehearsals and try to provide the best foundation possible for them. I miss it all and hope to return to it soon. Jamulus and Sonobus can only provide gratification to a certain extent... but so far it's sort of working for rehearsals with my jazz quartet.
That's where I am currently.
