Should I Learn To Read Music?

I’d like to explore the question “Should I learn to read music?” by looking at the questions that have come up in the lessons, clinics and gigs I’ve done over the years.
I’m going to hold my hand up straight away and tell you that I’m very new to music reading.
I didn’t get started properly till Sep 2009, 27 years after I first touched a Bass Guitar, and nearly 25 years after turning pro.
So, it’s never too late.
I took on a tour that required me to play EXACTLY what was written every night. I finally had to get it together.

What’s The Point Of Reading Music?

Reading music notation doesn’t qualify you as a great musician any more than the opposite being the case.
It does, however, open opportunities up in work (Film/TV music, jingles, Big Band, Orchestral,etc) and education.

My Ears Are Great And I Learn Fast. Do I Need To Learn To Read Music?

From the time I started learning Bass Guitar in my bedroom, I was blessed with a good ear so I could pick things up very quickly. My memory was good too so, generally, once I learned something, it stayed learned.

Now, great as that is, no matter how quick you are at learning by ear, the challenge is that you have to hear the music before you play it.

There are many musical situations where there is no chance to hear the music in advance. You get the charts and you get the count off.

How do you handle that?

Is It Difficult To Learn?

My answer to this is simple. Most of you reading this text have some level of ability in reading words in English. Some better than others but you’re all doing it, right?

It’s a language that many of us learned from childhood, along with the associated symbols to represent the sounds of that language.

That’s all music reading is.

You can do it.

Will it Hamper My Creativity?

This is a common question and it comes from everyone from young to old, from beginner to musicians who have played by ear for years (I was one of those long-term non-readers. I never asked that question but I did feel I was missing something by not reading music).

I answer this question with a question;

How can INCREASING your understanding of
something get in the way of creativity?

It’s only a tool for representing the sounds of music.

Have you ever heard anyone say; “You know, I wish I never learned to read English at school. I’m SURE I’d be able to express myself so much better without it”?

If you learn to read music, you have access to a whole universe of MUSICAL INFORMATION,
some that has existed for centuries. You can study this music, practice it, add it to your vocabulary.
All because someone mapped it out on paper. It’s just a map. Not the territory.
But if you can’t read the map, you’re lost.

But I Can Name Many Great Musicians Who Don’t Read Music!

Now, this is NOT to say that “literate musicians” are better musicians. Everyone can name
legendary innovators in music who couldn’t read a quarter note if their life depended on it.

This isn’t about them. It’s about YOU and what YOU want to do musically in the future.

If you’re an innovator, a strong musical personality and/or a leader who will never play anything other than your music on your terms, that’s fine.
In fact, it’s fantastic. Then you just need to be lucky that what you do is in demand enough for long enough.

If not, it’s just handy to have the skill of reading music in your toolset.

For me, I always wanted to play as much music as possible, in all genres, with any kind of band, as long as the vibe was good.
I had the talent to “get by” in a lot of situations but I knew there were things that I was excluded from.
NOT because I couldn’t play the music.

Just because I couldn’t read it.

Couldn’t I Just Stick With TAB?

I won’t go into the TAB debate too much here, other than to say this;

The time you spend on an incomplete system of notation (which lacks rhythmic
information, dynamics, etc) could be spent learning a complete system.

If you’re going to look at a piece of paper anyway, why not just go the whole hog?

Ok, I’m Convinced…Where Do I Start?

• Find A Good Teacher.

Shorten your journey by taking some lessons with a teacher who can show you how to relate the notes to the dots on the page in an efficient and systematic way.

• Make Mental Associations.

Link what you see on the page with what you know about chords, theory, harmony and rhythm. You’ll begin to see patterns emerge (for example, the lines of the stave are arranged in thirds, as are the spaces. If you don’t understand what that means, find a good teacher!).

• Learn Single Notes But Also Intervals.

As reading music is a process of “map reading”, try to find as much “shorthand” as possible.

Can you recognise a “Root-Fifth” type Bass line without playing it through? Do you know what a triad looks like on paper?

•Practice Regularly. You don’t have to do eight hours a day, just look at a single piece of music and work on the SAME piece till you have it mastered.

Only then do you choose another piece of similar or slightly higher difficulty level.

• Never Give Up!

So, with that said, are you still asking;

“Should I learn to read Music?”

Tags: bass, bass guitar, read music, should i learn to read music