I think the ideal is being able to play by ear well and to be able to read notation well. I certainly don't feel badly for anyone who is an accomplished sight reader. I think it's a super valuable skill.
I can read music, but it's not my strength. I am slow at it, but I can do it when I need to.
We tend to be good at the stuff we do a lot. I spent quite a few years recording top-40 songs off the radio and figuring these songs out for cover band work. So my ability to play by ear is quite good. If I had spent years learning to play guitar pieces by reading notation, I would be a whole lot better at reading music.
- Glenn
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