Re: [Harp-L] Reading Music

[sheltraw@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Smojoe

Nome sayne! My intention is to play bluegrass presently and later jazz.
It's hard to imagine a bluegrass environment in which I would be handed
anything written in conventional music notation. In the jazz environment
one may from time to time be given a specific harmony to play that you
may be unfamiliar with. That's when reading is useful. I don't expect
that I will be in that situation often and hence will not benefit much
from further development of my paltry music reading skills. But in the
musical environment in which I want to play I will always always always
benefit from further development of my ear and ear-to-harp connection.
Hence my emphasis.

As I have said previously, it's not that reading isn't useful. It is.
But is it useful to you? You decide.

Cheers,
Daniel





>
> The way I see it is that if you are playing in a combo of 4 people
> and used to switching the lead, you don't need to read music. If you
> are playing multiple part music (as in a 5, 6, or 7 piece band),
> where there are 2nd and possibly 3rd parts for harmony, you had
> better learn to read music. There is nothing like playing a part and
> having a player on both sides of you doing completely different
> parts. THATS where your 'ear' will fail you.
> But then people who can read shouldn't be elitist about it. Looking
> down on a person who can't read music is the same as looking down on
> a person who doesn't read French. That person may not be bi lingual
> but they may be able to turn on the panels at a neuclear reactor. I
> have known readers who couldn't play their way out of a wet sheet of
> toilet paper. Nome sayne?
>
> smokey joe
>
>