Re: Reading Music

[Glenn Weiser <glennw@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> ------------------------------
>
> Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003 06:51:56 -0800 (PST)
> From: Michael Carreira
> Subject: Re: Reading Music
>
> The comment about not reading = infancy and is only
> for teenaged punk rockers is just plain stupid. Many
> of the most advanced musical cultures in the world
> haven't even considered the idea of writing and
> reading music. Take a look and listen. You may learn
> something.
>
> For me I truly enjoy playing music with non-readers
> and non-theory buffs. Coming from a history and theory
> heavy institutional approach to music I find musicians
> with a different non-visual approach refreshing.
> Although it can sometimes strain communication in
> English about music, but it also forces me to express
> musical terms in a new way (for me), a good challenge.
>

I know many great musicians past and present never read a note. But I think it's a great advatage to learn to read for a couple of reasons. You don't have to rely solely on memory, and it's probably easier to be stylisticly diverse if you read. To know theory, which is best learned through written music, is also a big advantage-it's made a big difference with my improvising, for example.

Glenn Weiser
http://www.celticguitarmusic.com/harppage.htm