sight reading sheet music?

[dadm]

about 1967 mama said i could buy a guitar if i took lessons. teacher seemed
ancient-about 40. she used the mel bay method (of guitar torture). one day
i cut loose with a little solo of my own. suprisingly she said "your vibrato is
very good but you don't practice your lessons. i can sight read anything.
bring in the sheet music from what you like and i will play it. " so i brought in
led zeppelin. she played "dazed and confused". it sounded exactly like "these
are a few of my favorite things" from mary poppins.

[esteban]

That's from Sound of Music.

I can do it, but not that well. It's one of those things you learn in band in middle school.

[klasaine]

Taken out of context and without Zep behind the melody, they are actually quite similar ... what's your point? Do you want/need to learn to read music? We can help.

[dadm]

i can do that. just thought it was a funny story. guess you had to be there.

[Theusla]

LOL I thought it was funny!

[Larry F]

Someone (Vince Vance and the Valiants?) did a very funny version of Stairway to Heaven. It was cross-cut with the Theme from Gilligan's Island. The songs are nearly identical, allowing them to mix and match with hilarious results.

[Valvey]

In a Brent Mason interview he says that Nashville session players usually don't have to read music because they collaborate in creating the arrangements. But sometimes they have to call in a guy who specializes in sight reading. I tend to imagine these players wearing thick horn rimmed glasses and sitting behind a music stand like you see on Lawrence Welk.

[klasaine]

You mean like this ...
http://www.kenlasaine.com/images/gadson_1024.JPG

[blue water girl]

Originally Posted by Valvey

In a Brent Mason interview he says that Nashville session players usually don't have to read music because they collaborate in creating the arrangements. But sometimes they have to call in a guy who specializes in sight reading. I tend to imagine these players wearing thick horn rimmed glasses and sitting behind a music stand like you see on Lawrence Welk.

that quote is not correct. That has never happened at a session, calling someone in who specializes in sight reading. It does not happen. In sessions in Nashville the musicians play from demo cd's or the writer or artist actually sits down on a stool and plays an acoustic and sings the song to be recorded. Nothing is put down to paper but number charts written as the song is heard for the first time. So put that horn rimmed glasses guy out of your mind - he isn't coming into Nashville studios. That's not to say that some of the studio players may or may not have sight reading skills. I know for sure that most of the keyboard players are unbelievable sight readers. And all of the LA transplants of any instrument are very good readers too.

There have been a few situations where Brent has come into sessions in New York or for movie scores and there have been detailed symphonic charts that he just can't make out. He explains this and after hearing the song once and jotting down his own version of a chart he is good to go. He has such an amazing memory he can take it from there. But never does anybody say "Oh, let's call the sight reading expert down to the studio."

[blacklinefish]

Originally Posted by blue water girl

that quote is not correct. That has never happened at a session, calling someone in who specializes in sight reading. It does not happen. . . . So put that horn rimmed glasses guy out of your mind - he isn't coming into Nashville studios.

Dang, I was going to go get some horn-rimmed glasses and get something started! (I can read, and I had Lasik.)

--gh

[Larry F]

Carole Kaye is a bass player who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a group of LA session musicians who played on gazzillions of records. She has a great website that includes many tips on doing the job, including how to sight read.

When I was 15, I would set some music on a stand in my bedroom. Then I would walk in, take my guitar out of the case, tune it, and try to play at sight the music. My goal was to not stop, repeat, stumble, or play any wrong notes. However, I could leave notes out. I had read somewhere that leaving notes out is a trick that some session pros used. I don't know how common that was, though. Ken?

[Larry F]

Originally Posted by klasaine

You mean like this ...
http://www.kenlasaine.com/images/gadson_1024.JPG

Very cool. A question. How detailed is your part? For notes, are bends and effects specified? How detailed are the rhythms? Are feels assumed rather than notated (swing, triplet, dotted). Are chords written out often?

I guess I'm curious about how specific or general the parts are. Different for records than film or TV?

[klasaine]

It's better to miss a note, or even a complete phrase altogether, than play something horribly wrong.

Occasionally there are things written out of range, both too high and too low. Intervallically impossible sometimes but most writers now understand the limitations of the guitar so there's not a whole lot of "un-playable" parts.
There's "usually" time to look over parts and ask questions and even suggest changes. Like you've probably read and/or heard hundred's of times - session work is 95% below your technical ability, and 5% sheer terror.

Sometimes voicings are totally written out. Many times it's just a top or bottom note.

Sometimes bends (usually notated as a grace note with a slur marking), effects, rhythm patterns/style etc.

It really just depends on how specific the part 'has' to be.
If it's a movie cue cut to picture then it will usually be exactly notated.
If it's a record or demo for a singer/songwriter then, as bluewatergirl said, maybe a chord chart or a few listens to a rough home demo, or the artist playing it on guitar or piano.

In the photo link you can sort of see that the drummer (James Gadson) is reading probably a 'lead sheet' - melody/chords/form. James is a good reader and likes to have a chart that shows the form/bar structure of the tune - so he knows where the phrases begin and end.
I don't really remember that 'specific' date but I know the composer and I'm sure I had a chart with both melody and chords as well as a few voicings written out that would match (or not clash) with horn parts.

[Larry F]

Originally Posted by klasaine

If it's a record or demo for a singer/songwriter then, as bluewatergirl said, maybe a chord chart or a few listens to a rough home demo, or the artist playing it on guitar or piano.

I hadn't heard that sometimes you might learn or derive a part from listening. Very interesting hear about that.

[monfoodoo]

When you handed her Zeppelin,did she look at you like this?