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| On Reading Music The subject of whether or not to learn to read music seems to be a large topic of controversy among modern musicians. I believe the issue has become controversial due to a large number of historical and sociological factors. In the 1920s, musicians had to read music because there were no tape recorders. Today, with the proliferation of technology, musicians have an opportunity to learn music by ear. Talent and a tape recorder are combined, and the student gradually develops a degree of technical facility, without any formal training. As time went on, the business of selling records exploded and record companies began to grant recording contracts to anyone with a unique sound. The marketing people didn’t care about the skills of the performers. Image became more important and many young musicians raced to get a guitar and become an overnight sensation. To compound the problem, as these overnight success stories began to accumulate, many of the artists who had become instant millionaires, were very outspoken in the press about their inability to read music. As a result, young musicians, hungry for every tid-bit of information about their favorite artist got the message that, they needn’t develop their musical skills in order to succeed in the music business. Consequently, fewer and fewer musicians took the time to learn to read music, and unfortunately, this has become the norm. What these musicians failed to realize is that for every one of those overnight success stories, there are literally thousands of broken hearts. The music business is full of people who thought they had what it takes, yet failed to make any kind of career for themselves. Usually what happens is, these musicians end up playing for peanuts, part time, in a bar. Their playlist includes covers of pop-tunes. They become the weekend warriors. There are no other options available. Eventually, they must find another way to make a living, or develop their skills. Stardom would be nice, wouldn’t it? Alas, it eludes most of us. Even those who may be deserving. There are many brilliant musicians who never become famous. The good news is, there is another way. A skilled musician can make quite a good living in the music business without getting stuck in the bar scene. Production shows, recording studios, conventions, trade shows, film scores, jingles, all provide fun, lucrative employment for skilled people. While you are working on recording that hit song, while you are waiting for that record deal, you could be making a living. Paying your rent, making that car payment, putting food on the table, and doing it from within your chosen profession. Honing your craft as you build your financial base. These jobs are only available to reading musicians so the weekend warriors rarely get the call. One argument I hear for not learning to read is that it will somehow “Rob me of my style.” or “Make me play stiffly.” The simple fact is that some people play stiffly, whether they are reading or not. Just because you are reading doesn’t mean you should turn off your ears. If you are one of the ones who doesn’t feel what we call “the groove”, then you will probably struggle with rhythm no matter what. If you do feel “the groove”, then learning to read can only increase your knowledge base. Knowledge is power. Don’t let some misconception rob you of the education you deserve. Written music is a language. It is the only standardized, universal language. Musicians all over the world read the same notes. There are other systems, but standard musical notation is one that is recognized everywhere. You cannot communicate with other musicians if you do not speak the language. If you know how to read music, nothing will prevent you from playing with musicians who can’t, but you probably won’t want to. In truth, it is a very good system for communicating. Once you get used to working this way, you won’t want to return to the old way, because you will find using standard musical notation to be the fastest, most efficient method of learning new music. No one has come up with an alternative that encompasses so much information, in so little time. Before a reading band rehearses, a chart is prepared. On the chart, the different sections are marked using rehearsal letters or measure numbers. As a result, when the band sits down to play the chart, they share a common point of view regarding the “form” of the song. Each one sees the verse as a verse, the chorus as a chorus, etc... If there is a problem, it is easy to focus on the specific spot in the song where the problem occurs, since we all share a common road map. When a non-reading band rehearses, the best of them prepare and copy a tape which is distributed in advance of the rehearsal. The individual members go over the material on their own and ideally, they know the song when the rehearsal begins. If the song is simple enough and everyone has done their part, there are no problems but, sooner or later problems arise. First of all you have the inevitable fact that someone will not have done their homework. That will slow things down. Even if everyone is prepared though, you each see the song from your own unique point of view. Time is lost as you struggle to define the sections of the song. Due to the fact that there is no “road map”, it is difficult to zero in on specific problems and the band winds up “taking it from the top” , just so no one gets lost. Arguments ensue about which chord is “right” and the learning tape is brought out to settle the dispute. The musicians sit around the tape recorder trying to figure it out and the whole thing is a frustrating mess. It seems to take forever to learn one song. The reading band may learn 4 or 5 songs in a rehearsal, and that rehearsal only takes 2 hours. The songs are performable right away and sound very polished right out of the gate. Typically, easy songs can be read on the spot for an instant performance and more difficult pieces come together after about 2 or three attempts. If a tape has been distributed in advance, things go even better still. This method is ideal for recording sessions since the studio time is so expensive. At $150.00 an hour, producers don’t have time to wait for you to catch on. They want one rehearsal take, and one performance take, and on to the next tune. In production shows you may be paid by the hour to rehearse, and those producers don’t want to waste time either. Reading musicians have the ability to teach themselves advanced musical concepts, and have access to millions of written scores with which to advance their knowledge. They have everything the “ear” players have and so much more. In fact, reading players have access to “ear training” excercises which actually improve their listening skills. Reading players have the potenial to actually hear more efficiently. Resolve to learn to read music. Even if you never become a “sight-reader” per se, you will improve the efficiency of your efforts to grow, and increase your ability to communicate with more musicians in less time. It can only make you better. |
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