How many of us can read music?

[Silly Moustache]

I tried to learn notation twice and gave up.
I didn't see any tablature until I had learnt to "see" music in my head (which was better).

I stopped going to bluegrass camps partly because tutors relied on sheets of tablature rather tan actually "teaching"

NOTE: good musicians are not always good teachers!

NOTE: This "might" be provocative - not intended as such but it is my personal observation :

Notation and tablature is only useful if the player needs to copy not for note, same key, same tempo as the person that wrote the paperwork.

Whilst this might be a necessity in orchestral / classical situations but by learning only to read them can tend to make a musician an instrument "operator" rather than a musician.

[gwlee7]

I am gonna learn something I want/need to learn the most efficient way possible. Sometimes it’s by ear. Sometimes it’s by looking at tab or notation. I am glad I can read.

[jay42]

Seems a meaningless question without a poll.

[koine2002]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

NOTE: This "might" be provocative - not intended as such but it is my personal observation :

Notation and tablature is only useful if the player needs to copy not for note, same key, same tempo as the person that wrote the paperwork.

Whilst this might be a necessity in orchestral / classical situations but by learning only to read them can tend to make a musician an instrument "operator" rather than a musician.

I read notation and play from it (much more so on piano than guitar). However, any musician who does such will tell you that simply playing the notes isn’t the point. In piano we call that plonking. My own teacher emphasized reading music, but that one had to also tell the teacher what the music should sound like via the student’s own dynamics, pushing/pulling, and ornamentals. When I asked him what a swan should sound like in Camille Saint-Saens’ “The Swan,” he said, “You tell me.” He told me to treat the dynamics/ornamentals/tempo as suggestions. Playing the notes on the page is only the beginning. One must make it theirs. That’s not just being an operator. The local symphony says of the conductor, “Interpreted by …”

[mr. beaumont]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

NOTE: This "might" be provocative - not intended as such but it is my personal observation :

Notation and tablature is only useful if the player needs to copy not for note, same key, same tempo as the person that wrote the paperwork.

Whilst this might be a necessity in orchestral / classical situations but by learning only to read them can tend to make a musician an instrument "operator" rather than a musician.

In the playing situations I find myself in, a chart for a tune (melody and chords, standard notation) can be used as a jumping off point for improvisation, extending chords, reharmonizing, etc. It is absolutely not just about playing as written.

And I know players that can look at a chart and transpose on the fly!

[fpuhan]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Treble clef or bass clef or both? Like most things it does get less troublesome with practice. Do have to keep at it or memory of what you learned slips.

This.

As a youth, I spent eight years (at my parents' insistence) learning the piano. In college, I spent two semesters studying music theory.

Sadly, for me theory translates to the keyboard, not to the fretboard. Put a piece of music in front of me and ask me to play it on guitar, and I'm like a fish out of water.

[Coler]

Originally Posted by koine2002

I read notation and play from it (much more so on piano than guitar). However, any musician who does such will tell you that simply playing the notes isn’t the point. In piano we call that plonking. My own teacher emphasized reading music, but that one had to also tell the teacher what the music should sound like via the student’s own dynamics, pushing/pulling, and ornamentals. When I asked him what a swan should sound like in Camille Saint-Saens’ “The Swan,” he said, “You tell me.” He told me to treat the dynamics/ornamentals/tempo as suggestions. Playing the notes on the page is only the beginning. One must make it theirs. That’s not just being an operator. The local symphony says of the conductor, “Interpreted by …”

Well said.

There is simply no drawback, downside or disadvantage to learning to read music. It will aid and enhance your playing and enjoyment of playing any instrument.

The line that it might reduce your touch, feel or expression and whatnot is a sorry old trope peddled by people who want to paper over the gaps in their own knowledge.

You don’t have to read music to be a great player, but it will not hurt you to do so.

[gwlee7]

I have recently started working with another singer-songwriter who is able to quickly write out harmonies and guitar parts for us. I can read music but not at his level. It certainly has made my life easier and also spurred me on to improve my skills. There is no drawback to reading both notation and tab. It gives us a way to easily “practice” separately so that we can spend more time “rehearsing” when together.

[rllink]

I think a lot of things can turn into a crutch. I've seen folks at jams who claim that they play by ear who can't play much of anything unless they can read the guy's hands playing across from them.

[Jaxon]

then there's, as Bill Monroe said "I just play by ear, it felt better that way"

[Bowie]

I can but don't unless it's for another instrument. I completed two college-level music theory courses. But, I greatly prefer tabs. There are too many repeated notes on a fretboard and which one gets played is very important to the vibe. As far as rhythm goes, if I know what the song is it's not ever an issue.

[koine2002]

Originally Posted by Bowie

I can but don't unless it's for another instrument. I completed two college-level music theory courses. But, I greatly prefer tabs. There are too many repeated notes on a fretboard and which one gets played is very important to the vibe. As far as rhythm goes, if I know what the song is it's not ever an issue.

Same here. On piano, it’s always the grand staff for me. For guitar, I prefer tabs for finger style/lead or lead sheets for strumming/improvising.

[Coler]

Originally Posted by rllink

I think a lot of things can turn into a crutch. I've seen folks at jams who claim that they play by ear who can't play much of anything unless they can read the guy's hands playing across from them.

In one session I play in anyone in the room who wants go sing a song does so. I along with other musicians have to quickly identify the key, and accompany the song. This is obviously done by ear.

I would say 90% of my playing relies on ear.

A lot is improvised like the above.

I can read music and play piano/keys by sight reading. I can play guitar from tab and things are beginning to make sense so I "work things out" on guitar from sheet music. I taught myself to play and read music. I have in recent years taken some guitar lessons from a few (great) classically trained teachers

The idea that I am a mere "operator" of my guitar or other instruments is laughable and offensive. Of course I appreciate you are not saying this rllink but your post was a good one to discuss playing by ear and how rhis interacts with knowledge of musical notation.

I would never take music lessons from a teacher who can't read music. I agree that such a person could potentially give valuable basic infornation and tips to a beginning player. Also, *any* exchange with another musician is valuable and improves our playing.

If a teacher pooh-poohed or denigrated the idea of learning music I would always call out that BS. Big red flag.

[PineMarten]

As a kid and teenager I took classical guitar lessons and played bass in a school big band, so I can read to a basic functional level. I have a couple of uses of it these days; if I want to brush up on jazz standards or fiddle repertoire folk tunes, or when communicating chord voicings and melodies of original compositions between players of different instruments in a band setting.
I don't use any fully written out guitar arrangements, and probably wouldn't for the more informal styles I play. But a lot of musicians I know from both jazz and folk circles use simple lead sheet notation to establish shared repertoire (like the jazz Real Books, or O'Neills in the folk world), and I would not dismiss those people as mere "operators".