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Post by dawkins on Sept 20, 2014 19:47:01 GMT
Hi All,
I'm interested to know how many people here sight read standard notation?
I have been studying classical guitar for about two years now and practice sight reading every day but it appears that a lot of steel string players use TAB. Is there a general lack of music in standard notation for acoustic music or do people prefer to stick with TAB.
I must say that getting stuck in and learning to read (even at my level which is Grade 5) has been one of the best things I have ever done with music.
I might add that I only started to play classical studies to help with my acoustic playing and this seems to have worked out for me.
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leoroberts
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Post by leoroberts on Sept 20, 2014 19:49:23 GMT
I'm assuming that others will chip in with whether or not they can sight read notation ... I can't. And I can barely read TAB.. I need to hear what the music is supposed to sound like before I can make any sense of TAB. At my level, though, it's not held me back
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Post by dawkins on Sept 20, 2014 19:58:49 GMT
Yes it shouldn't hold you back. My guitar teacher is a brilliant reader and really encourages me but he also is very clear in his opinion that it is not the be all and end all and cites numerous world class players who were not readers or who had limited musical theory.
But for me it has opened up a whole new world of music. For example, I can (up to a certain point) start playing a piece from the notes and see what it sounds like. I can't fluently read difficult pieces but I can get through them at a pace that helps me determine what it's like.
At first it was like torture but now it is getting easier and easier. For example, pieces in the keys of C G D E up to 7th position are becoming very easy to recognise and whilst I can't rip through them it feels good that I can do this.
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Post by vikingblues on Sept 21, 2014 10:01:40 GMT
I can sight read. I used to play classical so it was pretty much a requirement.
Playing steel string acoustic I find I prefer to use a mixture of tab and standard notation if I can. Playing from TAB seems to allow me to be more subtle in timing of notes and phrasing - I use the standard notation to get an idea of the rough timing that I'll use in the phrases and then develop the way I want those phrases to sound while reading the TAB.
Don't know if that makes any sense at all. Possibly those lessons in classical guitar I had where the requirement was to play every note exactly as it was written have left their mark on me as far as being able to use standard notation in any flexible way goes.
I do also find standard notation less satisfactory for me, and rather unintuitive, when the requirement is to play notes higher up the fretboard. Laziness on my part in the learning process probably.
Mark
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Post by jonnymosco on Sept 21, 2014 12:08:23 GMT
Most TAB is so limiting, at least being able to read the time values of the notes of the notation would enhance the experience.
Sight reading is a creative form of soduku - problem solving which helps keeps your brain active and helps slow the onset of alzheimers, I suppose reading TAB would also help, but fewer problems to solve.
I teach all my students to sight read, even if they aren't initially interested, the benefits are huge. Sad that the recorder and sight reading is not taught in all primary schools like the good old days.
And, it's never too late to learn - if approached a little at a time need not be soul destroying.
Jonny
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Sept 21, 2014 12:10:45 GMT
Can sight read, albeit slowly. Ditto TAB. Sheets with both are the best for decent full info, but ears are even better. Keith
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walkingdecay
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Post by walkingdecay on Sept 21, 2014 12:36:55 GMT
I can sight read OK, but can only silent read when the notation is in a really familiar genre, such as fiddle tunes, or I recognise classic chord patterns so that I can "hear" the backing and concentrate on the melody. Working from fake books helps to develop the latter skill.
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Post by sweyne1 on Sept 21, 2014 17:11:54 GMT
Most TAB is so limiting, at least being able to read the time values of the notes of the notation would enhance the experience. Sight reading is a creative form of soduku - problem solving which helps keeps your brain active and helps slow the onset of alzheimers, I suppose reading TAB would also help, but fewer problems to solve. I teach all my students to sight read, even if they aren't initially interested, the benefits are huge. Sad that the recorder and sight reading is not taught in all primary schools like the good old days. And, it's never too late to learn - if approached a little at a time need not be soul destroying. Jonny I contacted a teacher in Swansea for lessons in fingerstyle back in March, the object being to at least have some kind of ability ahead of the collection of my very own Fylde Alexander around April/May next year. I had virtually zero fingerstyle ability as Keith can testify having allowed me to try his lovely Alexander. Anyway, the point is that the teacher, while being more than willing to help me said that, in his opinion based on a long time teaching, I should also learn sight reading. I'm just at the end of Mel Bay's Grade 1 book and will hopefully be around the end of Grade 2, maybe a bit further, by the time I get my new guitar. At the same time i'm learning fingerstyle (Making The Grade Guitar, Grade 2) which is my level at the moment. It's nowhere near the standard of the pieces posted on this site but, if you have to start the beginning is a very good place to start, as they say. John
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Post by missclarktree on Sept 21, 2014 20:45:19 GMT
My sight reading has improved since I took up the guitar again. I do rely on notation for working out difficult rhythms. Tab is a recent discovery for me, and I do like to use both. Anyway, I'm dead excited at the moment because yesterday I learnt part of a piece by ear, which I've never done before in my life, and I'm looking forward to learning the rest of it without even looking at anything written down at all! I can't believe it!
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Post by mandovark on Sept 22, 2014 8:31:20 GMT
I'm used to sight-reading vocal parts (mainly classical choral music), so I can read notation. I couldn't just look at a score for guitar and play it, but I could read the note values and could probably work out the score given enough time.
If I'm learning a piece from a written score, I prefer to have both TAB and notation - each gives information that the other doesn't, so it's useful to be able to look between them.
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Post by creamburmese on Sept 22, 2014 13:53:22 GMT
Congrats on the "playing by ear" Alison - I hope one day I'll be able to do that too, though currently I can only figure out single notes and arrangements are a murky cavern of the unknown. I'm just starting to learn to sight read on the guitar - my level currently is at about minus 6.... sucks totally. And I DID learn to read notation through piano lessons and playing recorder in school - I can still sight read on the recorder - it just doesn't help much in finding the notes on the guitar. Anyway I think I'm about to remedy this - I merely mentioned the fact to my classical guitar teacher in passing (who is way flexible) and he got all excited, promising me lots of 'fun' sight reading during lessons and recommending books to buy. I just can't wait....
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Post by slasher on Sept 23, 2014 10:28:10 GMT
Like Leo I can't read music and use TAB a little. I learn new songs by ear and attend 8 or 9 folk sessions a month. I've picked up the ability to join in easy stuff through this. I have a repertoire of about 40-50 songs and usually have a new song "on the go" to avoid boring myself! I think the 'net has been a real door opener for non-readers.
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Post by Martin on Sept 23, 2014 11:13:25 GMT
I don't sight read either. I have started to learn it a couple of times, but each time I've had to stop the tuition, so the sight reading goes too. I can sort of work out what the notes are based on the key, but nowhere near quickly enough to play along. I use a recording and/or video to work out pieces, and use TAB to supplement this where I can't seem to see where my fingers should be going (a lot of the time). If my daughter goes back to classical guitar lessons, I'll learn it again along with her
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Post by brianr2 on Sept 23, 2014 11:46:57 GMT
I can read TAB fluidly and use notation to flesh out timing. Like vikingblues, I therefore prefer the two together. I certainly could not begin to play from notation alone. And my playing by ear is limited by being able only to know what is blatantly wrong but not how to fix it. Brian
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