Learning to read standard notation

[OutlawSteph1975]

I'm pretty determined to learn how to read music because I think it will help me learn the fretboard. I've been pretty TAB dependent over these past few years since I started learning but I want to get away from that. But when you are going just by the TAB you don't know what note you are playing.

How many people here read music and did it help you a lot? Any pointers for making it all sink in?

[esteban]

I think it helps in writing music. By writing music in a staff instead of in tab, you are free to decide where on the fretboard you'd like a certain note played; tab makes this concrete.

Tips? Read some scales and simple songs. Say stuff outloud as you play.

[Leon Grizzard]

Reading has been very important for me, although that is partly generational. When I started learning, all there was was standard notation for guitar books. Nowadays of course, with audio and tab it is not so necessary. But standard notation helps you see the musical structure much better than tab, lets you use non-guitar music, etc.

I think the best way to learn it is to get old guitar instruction books without tab, and work 'em. You'll learn some new guitar and learn to read. There are lots of great jazz books for instance.

[Larry F]

I'm a composer and teach composition, so of course reading and writing music is something I do all day long. For guitar, I keep a little diary-sized book that I use for writing down licks and ideas for my improvisations. Mainly these are things that are designed to break me out of old habits.

To get started on reading, you might it useful to break it down into several components:

1. For practice with melodies, try the Real Book of jazz standards. The melodic writing isn't fussy and presupposes that the player will be able to jazz it up and embellish.

2. For practice with sight-reading, try clarinet books. The music is an about the same range as guitar, and the writing is often based on scales and arpeggios. Set a slow metronome marking and endeavor to plow through without stopping.

3. For rhythm, try writing out rhythms to practice without changing notes.

4. For music where rhythm is projected through contour, rather than duration, fiddles tunes are great practice. They would also be good for work using open strings and leaps.

5. For practice in using the different positions of the guitar to color the phrasing of the music, try playing easy songs, like from a beginning guitar book, by selecting notes along the strings (up and down) rather than across in one position.

6. In music away from the guitar, you could work on sight-singing using the solfge system. Then you will be able to look at a piece of music and mentally hear it.

7. On the theory side, you can analyze music by identifying scale degrees, chord functions, non-harmonic tones, key changes, phrase structure, and motivic variation.

8. On the writing side, try transcribing melodies or solos. Also take a stab at composition.

In general, you might benefit from analysing what you want to achieve and what your specific weaknesses are. Then choose music that will address those areas.

If you have any questions, you know that there's a bunch of us here in the forum that love to talk about this stuff. It's like tossing a bone to hungry dogs.

[maestrovert]

Thanks once again Professor !
although i can "spell", i really struggle with sight reading, so these tips are much appreciated !
i have friends who can effortlessly play their way through heretofore previously unseen sheet music, while it takes me hours and hours to get through the same....

[OutlawSteph1975]

Larry, my bone for now is what is the theory behind double flats and double sharps? For instance, if you're going to write out double B flat (Bbb) on a staff, why not just write A?

[Chris S.]

"Melodic Rhythms for Guitar," by William G. Leavitt:



http://www.berkleepress.com/catalog/...oduct_id=11166

Also available through Amazon (including used sellers), among many other vendors:

http://www.amazon.com/Melodic-Rhythm.../dp/0634013327

It presents the rhythmic figures you'll encounter in a very logical, systematic, and easy-to-understand (and practice!) way. You'll be reading in no time.

LOTS of other good ideas above, too. :-) Once you start learning to read, also start writing, transcribing, reading some piece of music you've never seen before every day, etc. All good stuff. :-)

About your "double accidental" question above: let's say you're playing in the key of Eb. The 5th of Eb is Bb, right? But what if you want to notate a flatted 5th, say in an Eb7b5 chord? The correct way to spell that note is Bbb (pronounced "B double flat"). An A natural in any sort of Eb chord would be a raised 4th , not a flatted 5th. YES, they're the same pitch -- but the function is different, hence the need for different (enharmonic) spellings.

Here's another example of the same thing: F#7 augmented. The correct spelling is F# - A# - C## ("C double sharp") - E... even though the raised 5th is the same pitch as a D natural. Likewise, an F#maj7 is spelled F# - A# - C# - E#. ("E sharp" -- same pitch as F natural, but different spelling.)

Does that help? Hope so, CS :-)

[Ed P]

+1 on using the Real Book for reading - especially sightreading. For years I've been opening it to a random page and "reading it down". I've also found it's great practice to give the chords a read as well - it's really expanded my chord vocabulary.

[Tim Bowen]

Originally Posted by OutlawSteph1975

... my bone for now is what is the theory behind double flats and double sharps? For instance, if you're going to write out double B flat (Bbb) on a staff, why not just write A?

Steph,

The short answer is that any given key center (scale) uses each alphabet letter once and only once; otherwise, the entire system of standard musical notation would be a chaotic mess - it's the same basic theory that explains why the key of F major/D minor contains a Bb instead of (enharmonic equivalent) A#; there's already an A within the key of F. Likewise, the key of C# major/A# minor contains an E# instead of an F, within standard notation (gotta have a logical and non-redundant way to notate that F#... ). If you play (visualize/think) a "G# major" (Ab major) scale - the 7th scale degree of G# major sounds like G, but there's already a G(#), so it's F##. You'll see Ab as a key signature instead of G#, but the logic applies nonetheless.

Another consideration is that of the harmony and theory that involves the intervallic relationships between chords within a harmonized scale/key signature (a subject unto itself).

To the best of my knowledge, double sharps and double flats first found their way into standard musical notation in the early 17th century. If you think this stuff is tricky to absorb from the learning perspective, try approaching it as a teacher! I can either tell folks early on that "there's no such thing as an 'E#'." (knowing full well that I'll have to totally eat those words at some point with the few folks that will get that far), or, when I'm explaining whole steps and half steps and scale building via the piano diagram that I use, I can present all the options from jump street and watch them become confused and uncomfortable... it's a tough judgement call; I make it on an individualized basis.

[OutlawSteph1975]

The double accidental make sense now.. thanks Chris and Tim!

I was playing augemented chords in a gypsy jazz progression yesterday and was thinking about the notes in the chords as I was playing them like you guys explained (ie, what the raised fourth was). So I can see why we need the double accidentals.

[jamesbookert]

well i'd like to start by saying reading musis has helped me emensly. I more or less tought myself how to read by learning something by ear, and then finding the music to it and figuring out what the notes were for me, reading music has helped a ton with position playing and things of that sort. if you can get ahold of some scales, and teach yourself a C Major scale, whitch i'd bet you can already play, and then look at the notes and figure out what they are as you play up the scale. and then learn the scale in different positions of the neck and you should be on your way. good luck my friend.

[krashjones]

The best piece of advice I ever heard about reading music on guitar is to read intervals rather than translate notes. So the process is kind of like this:

1. know your scales cold. Every note in every scale (by degree) on the fingerboard. So if you're in the key of F, then know where the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. are (G A Bb C ..) all over the fingerboard, and in relation to one another.

2. Now when you are sight reading, read the key signature and translate the first note (in any phrase etc). Then from that point just read spaces and move intervals. So if you go from a line to a line, then move up your scale a third. A line to a space (skipping a line), move a fourth etc.

I started out as a percussionist (classical/concert) and could read rhythms like my middle name but had a heck of a time reading on guitar and this flipped the switch for me.

Anyway, there's also some halfway decent info in this course I taught at church:

http://joshkarnesmusic.com/MT101.pdf

A lot more than reading but there is one section on reading.

[Joe-Bob]

Tim,

Uhh....there is no key of G# major, sorry. The key signature for it doesn't exist.

[krashjones]

Originally Posted by Joe-Bob

Tim,

Uhh....there is no key of G# major, sorry. The key signature for it doesn't exist.

righto. it would have to have an F double-sharp.