I'm a throwback, I guess, as I play strictly by ear. Sure, I know the notes on the bass, but I never really "studied music" in a formal way. Never needed to do so.

How many of you have had formal musical training? Anyone have a degree in music?

I was the worst student in musical class when I was 11

Then I discovered the Stones, pick up a bass guitar, and started to study standard notation - It is pretty easy - What is not easy is to play it - I learnt it all alone, but now I can decipher and write down 16th notes in regular songs - but it can takes times - because of the groove - Some days, I listen to a very simple, and efficent bass line, for instance Sex Machine, and it seems every time the mext day it has changed, I did'nt grasp it for real - that is the magic of the groove - same line, differnt hearing from one day to the other

I wouldnt call myself a musician, but I was taught how to read music from the age of 9 both at school and in private music lessons.

I always find a bit strange to hear experienced professional musicians saying stuff like "I cant read music" or say theyve never been able to - as if its a badge of honour (ie "look what I've accomplished despite my 'handicap' ")

Its only a few notes and something you could get the basics of in a few hours. Its not like they're being asked to learn Mandarin.

yeah, its not that big of a deal.

for piano notes you Just have to remember the notes inbetween the lines for the trebble are FACE and for the bass its All Cows Eat Grass. (ACEG)



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2008-05-18 01:46 by ryanpow.

I play guitar, and am able to read music; but I don't learn or develop myself anything from doing so. There's too many aspects of playing a solo/pattern, to express it in a piece of paper....honestly. If you play piano, "notes" can be useful - as you can only hit the Ivorite and ebony keys that many ways



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-05-18 01:49 by Erik_Snow.

I learned how to read music when i played Violin. In my later years when i picked up guitar i stopped reading music and started watching Keith's fingers. It is important to be able to read music when you are working with others and writing songs though.

yeah, I learned music through school on the piano & trumpet, where reading is essential, as the lines are usually much more complicated than in rock, at least melodically. Knowing the basics of music was helpful for teaching myself guitar & bass, but reading it has rarely been necessary. For some piano parts, it might still be useful, but probably not for the basic rock 'n' roll patterns, which are similar to guitar riffs. And keyboard synth parts are normally simple to play; it's getting the right sound that's important.

when I played music in school, learning a new piece, they usually didn't play you a recording first; the point was to read it and play it on sight. Not exactly sure why--it means the main thing is having the experience of communicating in music as a written language... but it meant that sometimes in the orchestra you can just play your part "right" without really listening to the others. Playing in your own band then becomes different because it's based more on listening to each other, and I found that ultimately more rewarding. Although it does become more subjective than having it written down... always when we recorded something--something we'd been playing for a long time--someone would say, "Oh, is that what you're playing there?"

I learned how to read music a long time ago, but these days I can only slowly decipher it, so not really play something directly from a sheet of music.

I have never had formal music education, and I really miss that as it stops me from developing naturally. I am a good musician and play with very good musicians, but the ones who studied music are always ahead of me, especially when writing music or making up chord progressions. They know by heart what's notes are in a chord, and how you can connect one chord to another. I know that only because I know the chords by name and sound, but I don't know by heart how those chords are structured. So, in a rehearsel room they're always ahead of me.

Mathijs

I'm not a musician nowadays, (was in my youth, though), but I can read music. Was trained from age 6.

Although reading music is a great skill I am not sure that it is an essential one when the music played is rock and roll and blues. It definitely helps as a mean of communication among the musicians during a session.It is similar to a text that the musicians can all read at the same time; it probably saves lot of time.
But there is also lot of information (feeling, sounds) that can't be put on a sheet of music.Good Rock and roll music is volatile,and maybe never played excatly the same twice.
Rock and roll,
Mops

Quote
rollmops
Although reading music is a great skill I am not sure that it is an essential one when the music played is rock and roll and blues. It definitely helps as a mean of communication among the musicians during a session.It is similar to a text that the musicians can all read at the same time; it probably saves lot of time.

yeah, what rollmops says is very important even if no one can read music in standard notation: you need a common set of terms. And I think you might as well therefore learn the "proper" language for a set of terms, since it's already been thought up for you. That's how it seems to me, but still I never instructed my bandmates in reading music. The feeling of democracy was more important... so every band I think evolves its own set of terms.

I played piano from the age of 5 to 17 and read music. During the middle part of that time I also played trumpet and read music.

Since stopping both of those and learning guitar, I do not read music. It's all by ear or the key chart on piano music if I'm having difficulty with one chord or something. But it's all by ear.

i can read notes, but i'm rather slow and never really use it. of course i know all the roots of the chords and i can tell you where they re on the fretboard.
i went to the academy of contemporary music for a while and the best thing they tought me was "eartraining". learning to hear intervals and chords / harmonies is fantastci and it helps you so much. although i learned it, i dont care so much about theory and reading sheetmusic. but a good ear is worth so much!

I learned to read music in school but
it was for drums...don't know and don't care about keys and chords ...lol

Marv Peck

Y'all remember that rubber legged boy

Verrrrrry slowly.

I can read music, slowly. Forget sightreading, way too slow for that...

But I do have a degree in Music, and my 10,000 word dissertation was on, yep - The Rolling Stones. What was my mark / grade?

66.

When I got it back, I just thought - Route 66!!

Luckily I can play by ear and pick things up really quickly onto the guitar / piano, and I think the ear for music / improvisation is far more important when we're talking about Rock 'n' Roll / Blues.

_____________________________________________________

What's your favourite flavour?...........Cherry Red!!