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Why cant we all read?

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#321
Brad Johnson said:
No offense... you're here in this thread again doing just that... offering your side of the "argument".

Right?
:D
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Brad,
What "side" am I taking?

You know Brad, you are the hottest, mofo bassplayer that I ave ever heard. I would never know you couldn't read a lick of music, cause, dude, I know that all great, mofo, bassplayers like you read music :eek:

You are also really handsome. Cause only us butt ugly bass players know how to read music.

Man, I wanna be just like Brad when I grow up
 
#322
Sorry I'm late.................



downhill-mountain-bike-snow.jpg
 
#323
Speaking of tab - that's just another form of reading music (maybe reading "for music").

How many "ear players" out there have looked at a tab sheet, even once? Isn't that because you wanted to cop a tune or even a bass line? Doesn't that approach reading music?

So, there really are no "ear only" players?
 
#324
Mike Dimin said:
Brad,
What "side" am I taking?
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Can't remember? Read your posts... there's clues in yer words.
:D

Here's a hint: if you have no position in this thread, you apparently have no problem repeating it.
:D

You know Brad, you are the hottest, mofo bassplayer that I ave ever heard. I would never know you couldn't read a lick of music, cause, dude, I know that all great, mofo, bassplayers like you read music :eek:
Click to expand...

Reading actual English is alot tougher, eh?
:D

I can read music. As far as bass clef, I'm rusty. But why let that get in the way of another completely misguided rant?
:smug:

You are also really handsome. Cause only us butt ugly bass players know how to read music.
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Not interested, not in the least, Mike. Just sayin'

Man, I wanna be just like Brad when I grow up
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There's still time...
:D
 
#325
dvh said:
Speaking of tab - that's just another form of reading music (maybe reading "for music").

How many "ear players" out there have looked at a tab sheet, even once? Isn't that because you wanted to cop a tune or even a bass line? Doesn't that approach reading music?

So, there really are no "ear only" players?
Click to expand...

Huh?

There are ear only players who don't look at tab. Looking at it once hardly qualifies as reading tab
 
#326
bassbully said:
Hendrix and SRV didnt read and they did pretty good in their time. Elvis Costello said in an interview he hardly knows guitar chords and what the notes he plays are...doing pretty well too.
To me music is from the soul and we use out heart, mind, body to guide it out of us. If you need a book to guide your path thru music great! If not that's great too but learning to read and music theory is not going to make you a better musician. A more complete one? Maybe.
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how do you know this? do you read? the reason i ask is because i've yet to hear a reader say that. every single reader i know says it absolutely made them better musicians. many seriously doubt they could have ever played music without it, myself included. yes, i know it's romantic to think of the notion that reading causes a disconnect with the soul, but i'm here to tell you it's a lot of bs put out there by those who can't read in order to make themselves look better. as long as you believe in what you're doing and give it full commitment, soul is there whether you read or learn by osmosis.
 
#327
JimmyM said:
how do you know this? do you read? the reason i ask is because i've yet to hear a reader say that. every single reader i know says it absolutely made them better musicians. many seriously doubt they could have ever played music without it, myself included. yes, i know it's romantic to think of the notion that reading causes a disconnect with the soul, but i'm here to tell you it's a lot of bs put out there by those who can't read in order to make themselves look better. as long as you believe in what you're doing and give it full commitment, soul is there whether you read or learn by osmosis.
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"If not that's great too but learning to read and music theory is not going to make you a better musician. A more complete one? Maybe"

Actually I'd have agree with this at face value.

It's not going to make you a better musician... it MIGHT. It will likely make you a better musician than you were if it's something you NEED to get there. Some don't.

And reading does not necessarily make you a better performer. Not saying it'll make you worse of course, in the event that someone errantly chooses to read that into this.
;)

Anyone else see the importance of reading words for content?
:D
 
#328
btw mike, i argue so much about this subject because there has been so much crap spread over the last few decades about reading music causing people to play without soul or heart, and it's just completely untrue in every way. what's the old joke?

"do you read music?"

"not enough to hurt my playing."

that's a feel-good way of saying, "no, i can't read." to which my next question is, "how do you know it'll hurt your playing if you don't know much about it?"
 
#330
bassbully said:
Hendrix and SRV didnt read and they did pretty good in their time. Elvis Costello said in an interview he hardly knows guitar chords and what the notes he plays are...doing pretty well too.
To me music is from the soul and we use out heart, mind, body to guide it out of us. If you need a book to guide your path thru music great! If not that's great too but learning to read and music theory is not going to make you a better musician. A more complete one? Maybe.
Click to expand...

"Need a book to guide your path thru music theory..."???

Being able to use a book in the first place is what this thread is all about, no?
It has nothing in the least to do with music being from the soul, body and mind which is something most readers will agree to just as much as the non-readers anyways.
 
#331
Brad Johnson said:
"If not that's great too but learning to read and music theory is not going to make you a better musician. A more complete one? Maybe"

Actually I'd have agree with this at face value.

It's not going to make you a better musician... it MIGHT. It will likely make you a better musician than you were if it's something you NEED to get there. Some don't.
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to which i'd reply just as i did in my post above this one..."if you can't read, how do you know what it can and can't do for you?" yes, some can play very well without reading, but if you don't think reading music helped make you a better musician, brad, you would be the first one i ever met in my almost 50 years on this planet.

And reading does not necessarily make you a better performer. Not saying it'll make you worse of course, in the event that someone errantly chooses to read that into this.
;)
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performer? that's the entertainment side of music, and while i'm totally down with entertaining a crowd, it's totally n/a here.

Anyone else see the importance of reading words for content? :D
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blabbadey blabbedey boo!
 
#332
Because, if I'm lucky, I get a sheet of fake book music. Otherwise, a lyric sheet with some chord symbols scrawled in or, of course that old favorite: nothing. I think I've seen one written out part in the last four years. By the way, when I worked out the part I found it was not to my taste.

On the other hand not being a good sight reader caused my most embarrassing musical moment. I was asked to substitute in a big band and at the first (and last!) practice the band leader announced that the first piece started with a bass solo which he handed me. The rest of the band watched me, waiting for me to play it. I think it might have been worth practicing my sight reading just to avoid the way I felt at that moment!
 
#333
Tampabass said:
again, please, what, exactly, are the benefits of NOT reading?
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yes, THIS is the most pertinent question of the thread. all right, i will shut up for a while and let the non-readers answer this. and i really want answers from you...we've told you what we consider the benefits of reading...now it's your turn...

what are the benefits of not reading?
 
#334
Sorry but being able to read does not enable you to play ANYTHING. And it does not mean you get more work.
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Pretty strong statments for someone who can't read? Where did you come by this marvolus insight into skills you do not posess?

Tab? Tab isn't music. It's play by numbers and teaches you nothing, not to mention 99% of tab comes from ameteur hacks on the net with no background in theory trying to figure it out by ear. Nails on a chalkboard are more accurate for most tunes. Tab is only good as a way to avoid having to actually learn what you are doing.

Lots of people can't read or write in their given language and get through life.... maybe not a great quality of life, but they get by.. Non-Readers get by also, they don't know how much better things could be, but they are ok with that, they get by....

I think strongly that those most vocal against reading music do so because they are simply too lazy and would rather attempt to hold others back than see them get better than they are.

Only an idiot would suggest a good road to take would be to avoid learning.

-eSmith.
 
#340
JimmyM said:
to which i'd reply just as i did in my post above this one..."if you can't read, how do you know what it can and can't do for you?" yes, some can play very well without reading, but if you don't think reading music helped make you a better musician, brad, you would be the first one i ever met in my almost 50 years on this planet.
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Again, wasn't the focus of this reading as a bassist?

As I said before, much of the pro reading side has a tendency to overstate the results. In very plain language they are guaranteeing what will result if you learn to read.


performer? that's the entertainment side of music, and while i'm totally down with entertaining a crowd, it's totally n/a here.
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I didn't say "entertainer" for a reason. I said "performer". How do you perform music without being a performer? You can perform music and not be the least bit entertaining.
:D

Again, reading is very important. Even words.
;)


blabbadey blabbedey boo!
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Brilliant. Best point of the post. Inciteful yet succinct.
:D
 
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