How many of us can read music?

[cyclistbrian]

After numerous failed attempts, site reading was my "covid project". I've stuck with it and it's paid off for me. I really wanted to play what is sometimes described as "plectrum guitar" (see Rob Mackillop YouTube videos by way of example.) For very complex pieces my reading can exceed my ability to crank it out on the guitar but thats gotten better as well. Fluency came as I began recognizing patterns and common similies. I don't think reading is necessary for the vast majority of popular music but it opened doors for me that otherwise wouldn't be open and I wanted to learn it. I'm glad I did.

[JKA]

No. I find guessing works for me best.

[Merak]

Not yet but it’s on my retirement list of things to do.

[ytse43]

(Apologies in advance for the what follows. Blame/Thank the whiskey.)

Yes, I can read grand staff (G treble clef, F bass clef) notation. I have no experience with the C alto clef.
I was in symphonic band from 6th grade on, starting with the alto saxophone, then switching to the tenor. In hindsight, I probably should have stuck with the alto; tenor parts were boring--Jazz band made up for that! For marching band, I played the tenor sax, euphonium and tuba, and did a bit of drum line. I also played electric bass for school musicals. In addition, I was in choir and Madrigals (Renaissance music, sung a cappella), and sang both bass and tenor.
I studied classical piano for ~10 years (but started "late", so never got "great"!) I still play, but don't have a keyboard at home. (Need to remedy this)

I am self-taught on guitar, but had the benefit of (see above). I learned to read standard notation for classical guitar, but also TAB for all genres.

As to sight reading, at the height of my sax playing (haven't played since high school, nor have a sax to play), I could sight read pretty well. I was never great at sight reading for piano--likely due to looking down at the keys too and not getting corrected of that habit. On guitar, I am decent, and hopefully getting better.

Sight reading is a skill, and skills can be improved upon. If one plays an instrument, but doesn't read notation, then one is likely learning by ear, which is a skill, and as such, can be improved upon. I include this, as I not great at it--partly because I read?

All this said, learning to read music is certainly easier achieved when younger, as is the case with most skills, languages especially, yeah? Is it worth it? I can see no demerits.

[Dave Hicks]

I took mandolin lessons from Lou Martin back when we sent a cassette tape back and forth in the mail. He made me learn to read, and I'm glad he did. (But I still find it easier to read with a mandolin in my hand rather than a guitar, and bass clef is strictly hunt'n'peck.)

D.H.

[PapaLobo]

While I can sight read both standard and tab , I prefer to play by ear . after 63 years it works for me

[srbell]

I took a couple years of piano lessons as a kid and learned to read then. In those days our school music lessons were actually pretty good, so most of us learned to read music by Jr. high school. I started playing guitar afterwards and went through a few books, probably the Mel Bay books, that were geared towards reading. Guitar just seemed easier to me to play by ear though so that's what I ended up doing. I've sang in church choirs so I'm still familiar with reading music, but any sight reading/playing on piano or guitar for me is long gone. I can't say I've really missed or needed it, but then I'm not a professional musician in situations where it would be needed. That being said, having some music theory training and some ability to read has still been helpful when playing with others (for instance, in a church praise team) as I can effectively communicate with others who play only by score. I'd still like to devote the time to being able to sight-read for guitar, but I think having a music theory background is probably more important than being able to site-read/play a score that's placed before you - unless you are or aspire to be a professional where those skills are needed.

[fazool]

I took a music theory in college....a really enjoyable antidote to engineering classes.


So technically I understand the basics of music theory and reading music.

But I am not fluent enough to play while sight reading. I have to translate it in order to learn it as I play it.

[zuzu]

I can follow the timing and arrangement things, repeats, etc.. The notes draw a blank for me...

[GCWaters]

Yes, treble and bass clef, guitar, bass, piano, and trumpet…

[Golffishny]

Took trumpet lessons for a year at 10 years old. Was given a guitar and learned chords. Was given an accordian and learned bass by trial and error. I was able to read and play on the fly. Learned how the circle of fifths worked without realizing what it was. I learned to play by ear on guitar and accordian after about a year. Just play guitar the last 30 years.

[JonPR]

I learned to read notation in high school aged 11. I had no interest in music back then, but when I got interested, and decided to teach myself guitar (age 16), it was enormously useful.
I had a tutor book, which used notation (not tab), but mainly I taught myself from songbooks: reading melodies, making sense of the piano staves as best I could.

I can't read especially fast. I could sight-read a simple tune straight off, but the more notes there are, or the more complex the rhthms are, the more it slows me down.

But if I had been unable to read when I started learning guitar, I doubt I'd have got very far at all. Even if there had been tabs (there were none back in those days), I think I'd have felt bogged down in numbers, and not quite seen how things worked, My ear was terrible, I couldn't sing, and notation opened the door to melody in particular (my main interest). When I couldn't find notation for a song, I'd used a tape deck to slow it down and get it note by note, and transcribe it. Notation also helped me write my own songs, because I could literally write them, in a book, which was satisfying.

[AX17609]

Like many others here, I learned to read music when I played trumpet in my grade school band. I never found the skill of much use with guitar and vastly prefer TAB. But, I've only been at it for 61 years, so maybe revelation is right around the corner.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

I taught fingerstyle (intermediate and advanced) and my experience with guitarists is most classically trained guitarists read, and in fact have problems learning to improvise spontaneously, and figure out musical 'things' without a score. They take pride in their ability to read scores...

And non-classical players (folk, country, rock, metal etc) mostly do not know how to read music. And they are much more likely to be proficient at improvising.

I agree. My wife and I are good examples: I started in classical music and actually studied at the master's level but I can't sight-read to save me. I can count up and work it out but sight-reading? Nope. However, I intentionally studied, learned, and developed an ability to improv. My wife, who had a purely classical background, can right-read anything including twelve-tone rows and nearly a-tonal music. She can't improvise, however.

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

If you think you might want to compose/arrange on a semi-pro/professional level, you'll need to be proficient in reading/writing standard notation - time is money in the recording studio, and it saves a heluva lot of both if you can walk in with pre-written part sheets for the supporting players to peruse and practice while you're setting up and getting your own levels...

I would qualify this by saying: Don't close yourself off from studio work because you can't sight read or generate scores. There are many types of recording sessions where no parts are distributed and the arrangement is based upon cooperation and improv from the musicians. There are many types of scoring sessions, specifically single-individual sessions, where parts are generated on the spot by the musician with the musician sitting with the film or video director and reacting to the scenes being played for him.

The world has changed from the days of all sessions being plenary ensemble sessions with three guitarists who have sheet music on their stands. Much of session work consists of one guy in his home studio receiving an MP3 of a scratch take and instructions to "put your special sauce on it."

Now, I WISH I could sight read but I can't. I can follow the sheet when I am recording but don't see and play. I can dash off a lead sheet when I need to. But my decades of studio session experience have been pulled off without the ability. I do wish I had gotten up the nerve to start earlier, even without sight reading ability.

Bob

[tbirdman]

I picked up the guitar when covid started. I started lessons including playing classical guitar so I learned to read the treble clef. Then I started to learn the piano. I didn't know there was a whole another clef to learn. LOL

Sight reading is coming along slowly. After 1.5 years of playing the piano, I find I can slowly read music. I'm seeing notes to play without trying to translate the notes with my brain.

I asked my instructor who is very fluent with sight reading, how does he read the score so easily. He told me said he sees patterns. He said there are a finite patterns.