[Harp-L] Re: reading music

["Jerome P." <jersimuse@xxxxxxxxx>]

I'd like to add my two cents.
First I play 99% of the time on the same harp (key of C), and I don't switch
harp when I switch key.
In that case, reading music is really something which helps, like for any
other instrument.
Second, even if I had to switch harp, I would transpose like a sax player
does. Not a big deal when you are used to it, especially if you can play
multiple scales one a single harp.
And there again, reading music can help a lot, especially with all the
existing software enabling to transpose for you if you need them.
There again, reading music is not mandatory, but it helps.
What I mean is that I haven't wasted time by learning to read, it's the
contrary: I gain a huge amount of time now that I can read.
In fact, I've learnt to read to go faster. It was my very first priority.
You can do a lot of things by ear, and it is essential to train the ear too,
but you go much faster in all fields of music if you can do both.
Last but not least, in modern Jazz, you may need some very specific scales,
like altered scales, half diminished, diminished, whole tone scales ...
I don't think you can learn these scales just by ear, they are too far from
the basis of our musical culture.
You need to practice them a lot to hear them, you need to hear them to play
them.
So at the end, I don't think one would be able to play with these scales
without a learning experience through written music (or through tabs at
least).
Of course, none of these are mandatory to play music, it all depends on what
kind of music you like and you'd like to be able to play.

Best regards,

Jerome
www.youtube.com/JersiMuse


-----Message d'origine-----
De : harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] De la part
de JWilliam Thompson
Envoyé : dimanche 30 janvier 2011 17:48
À : harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Objet : [Harp-L] read music? NO

I have to disagree with the chorus of voices advocating reading music
for the diatonic. If you are learning the diatonic, I think it won't
hurt, but it won't help either, because of the tone layout of the
diatonic and the fact that you switch harps when you switch keys.
Diatonic is really an ear player's instrument.

If you are learning harmonica, you probaby have limited time to put
into practicing. There are at least a dozen things that would be a
better use of practice time than learning to read.

In case you are wondering, I do read music (for another instrument).

Bill in DC