The process of learning to read music is a
wonderful journey into the discovery of new musical
horizons. Try it, you will not be sorry. Learn to read
music today.
1. Essential to communicating with other musicians.
Music is a language unto itself. Given that, how can you
communicate if you cannot speak it? Ensembles, bands,
choirs, opera, jazz all operate on the written notes
first. Way before improvisation was the written note.
Simply put, if you cannot read you will never be in any
ensemble that requires it. We could really stop right
there.
2. Essential to understanding theory.
The theory of
music is by necessity based on the written note. All of
the structure of chords, melody, harmony and so forth
can only be understood completely through the written
note. I know you say well this is boring, but someday
you will be so glad you started now.
3. Learn a song without any other reference.
You will
not have to replay the tape or CD a million times or
learn from someone else. How many times can you try to
learn from a cd or from someone else and not know if you
got it right? If you can read you can go straight to the
book and get all of the basic information on your own.
This greatly speeds up the learning curve. You cannot
learn from a book the particular way a band performs the
song, but you can get the basis of the song and go from
there.
4. Know the way the author of those songs meant for them to
sound.
This is very interesting I think. I have
many times been very surprised to find out a song was
written very differently than I have always heard it
performed.
Perhaps the performer left of the "intro"
for example. "Georgia On my Mind" by Hoagy Carmichael
for example. Nobody plays the intro. Also there are
other examples.
I know this example is an old
song that many of you may not know, but the fact remains
that just because you have heard it on the radio a
million times does not mean it was written that way. It
may be even better the way the author originally
intended it!
If you are a song writer I am sure you
would want people to know the way you wrote it. Think
about that for a moment.
5.Discover new music.
It is a wonderful thing to "find"
music just because you are leafing through a songbook
and you find something that really speaks top you. I
have found many this way. These are songs that I
absolutely love. I would never have known they existed
without being able to read.
6.It is Fun!
It may seem a little hard at first, but so
was riding a bicycle as I recall. In fact the first time
my father let go from holding me on a bicycle I ran into
a post and knocked it over! I rarely do that these days
now that I have learned how. In fact there are days when
I don't knock anything over.
7. It will make you a better musician.
This may go
without saying, but it really bears repeating. After
all, don't we all want to be a better musician? Of
course we do.
Are you prepared to discover new
music, perform with people you might never have met
otherwise, speak with authority about the origins and
intent of a particular piece of music or composer? I
think I know the answer. Learn to read music, you will
not be sorry.
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