Learning to read with Berklee/Leavitt books?

[MiloCroton]

Has anyone here managed to work through and learn to read with "A Modern Method For Guitar By William G. Leavitt" ?

I found that it seemed to be highly recommended everywhere as a very complete, structured time tested course. And apparently, you can work through all 3 books in a year.

I got the book and have been really really struggling. Even though I know how to read music fairly ok for keyboard and drums. (Certainly single note melodies).

But I have been struggling to even get through the first couple pages. The book has an absence of any 'familiar tunes or standards' which has made me realise just how difficult reading music is. When trying to read fast enough to even play at 50bpm, its hard to be sure of what note you are actually seeing, then simultaneously figure our which finger to fret.

Its driving me crazy

 

[dconeill]

You're doing too many things at once. Suggest you ditch the metronome for the time being and concentrate on the pitches. In the fullness of time you'll be able to read the pitches more readily, then you can start worrying about smoothness and tempo.

One of the problems with guitar is that the same pitch occurs in several places on the fingerboard. Consequently, before you even start to play a piece you have to figure out where on the fingerboard to play it. (Hint: early in the book, first position is almost certainly the best choice.)

 

[klasaine]

And I'm fairly certain that in book 1 he tells you the suggested position - I think?

How long are you working on sight reading in your practice session?
20 minutes minimum, 5 or 6 days a week is standard for any noticeable and real improvement.

And yeah, you can ditch the metronome in the very beginning.

 

[guitarbiker]

The Berklee books will take more than a year to do all three. More like 3 years. It's very dry,(not exciting) but very thorough. The thing that's lacking in the books is how to apply all the knowledge you're getting. So you'll need to do some other reading, chord playing, improvising to fully take advantage of the stuff you've learned.

 

[klasaine]

IMO, these books are a lot better ...
http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Studies-Clarinet-Educational-Library/dp/1423445252
http://www.allmusicmethods.com/products/Rhythms-Complete-By-Bugs-Bower/AEB-RC.aspx

For higher ledger line reading (essential for guitarists) ...
http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Duets-Flute-Educational-Library/dp/1423445309

*And for more advanced students and when your really serious about your reading this is the mac daddy of rhymic and intervallic reading (never mind that it says for singers, it's just single staff melodic notation) ...
http://www.amazon.com/Rhythmical-Articulation-Complete-Method-Technique/dp/0793505011 (this book is HARD!)

 

[dconeill]

IMO, these books are a lot better ...
http://www.amazon.com/Selected-Studies-Clarinet-Educational-Library/dp/1423445252
http://www.allmusicmethods.com/products/Rhythms-Complete-By-Bugs-Bower/AEB-RC.aspx

For the OP, I think I have to disagree. He's just starting to learn to read. These are too advanced for the OP.

That said, the clarinet book would be excellent for reading study, but I think only once the player knew how to read with some facility. As for the Bower book, good rhythmic studies but not for the halting reader. For later, I think.

 

[guitar dan]

My reading is pretty poor, so you can take this with a grain of salt....

A few years back, I was taking lessons and focusing on jazz. My teacher wanted me to improve my reading. He said that the hardest thing about reading was rhythm figures.
We worked out of the book "Melodic Rhythms for Guitar" (also in the Berklee Series) It was short little jazz pieces that are a lot more fun than the regular Berklee Books. We also did a few of the Bach Inventions arranged for 2 instruments. That was rewarding when I finished it.

I think I might still have the midi files that go along with the Melodic Rhythms book. I liked using the midi files so I could adjust the tempo. If I can locate them, I can email them if anyone wants them.

Some other books:
Sight Reading for Guitar- Warner Brothers publishing
Louis Belson- Modern Reading Text in 4/4 for All Instruments

Both of these books deal with playing one note and learning rhythm figures.

I tried to work out of the books and then do some 'real world' reading work, which for me, was reading heads out of the Real Book and big band charts. I was getting better, but ultimately, I stopped going to school there and playing reading gigs, and thus, my reading stinks. I have not continued to work on it at home. I read a lot of chord charts and number charts now, but the only way I can ever be a good sight reader is to be consistant about working on it.

 

[klasaine]

For the OP, I think I have to disagree. He's just starting to learn to read. These are too advanced for the OP.

That said, the clarinet book would be excellent for reading study, but I think only once the player knew how to read with some facility. As for the Bower book, good rhythmic studies but not for the halting reader. For later, I think.

Yeah, the clarinet book (first selection) is not for beginners (I forgot that that one is an intermediate edition), sorry.

The Flute duets and the Bower book though start out very easy.
If you've done the Mel Bay bk.1 you can move to those. I did and I maintain that they are superior to any 'guitar' reading book (Leavitt is a close 2nd) ... at least as far getting one to be able to sight read music other than guitar music or 'method book' music.

 

[wblakesx]

the print is too small so blow it up some on a copier.

Learn to see your fretboard as easily as you see a keyboard. Do this by memorizing each interval... remembering the tuning change for the b and e strings needs to be compensated for... Otherwise The Intervals Maintain the Same Fretting Across the Neck (but that would make many chords difficult to impossible to play.

Look for intervals on the fretboard and relate them to the sheet music.

Berk books aren't that hard ust boring... but that has it's uses too.

Good luck.

Now how can I get my ear to work? Why can't I listen afew times and be able to play it back after a bit of work? Would all that practice with the bERK BOOKS HAVE HELPED?

 

[KCKC]

I don't have any book suggestions but as a beginning reader i've found the following helpful.( I had posted this in another thread on learning to read

... Shows a dot on the fretboard and you have to click on the proper note below...

http://www.musictheory.net/exercises/fretboard/yy9br

Started doing this one in the evening. It shows notes on the staff and you have to click on the proper string and fret. Great for intro to reading standard notation and learning the fretboard.

http://www.emusictheory.com/practice/guitarFrets.html

Also during the day I'm picturing the neck and naming notes along each string and across the fretboard in my head. The link below is for a neck diagram for labeling.

http://www.zentao.com/guitar/theory/neck-diagrams.html

And this link is an online overview of the neck. As mentioned earlier, believe it was JT, "Not rocket surgery". (Nice combo JT!) Simply memorization. I found it helpful FWIW.

http://www.zentao.com/guitar/theory/notes.html

Also say 'em and play 'em, play 'em and say 'em. Repeat, repeat, repeat, :

Good luck!

 

[Chris S.]

BY FAR the best book I've ever seen for learning to read on guitar is also a Berklee book written by Bill Leavitt, but it's called "Melodic Rhythms for Guitar:"

http://www.amazon.com/Melodic-Rhythms-Guitar-William-Leavitt/dp/0634013327

The Modern Method series is a wonderful and wonderfully complete course for mastering both left and right hand concepts, but "Melodic Rhythms" is strictly for learning to read. $15 from Amazon. HIGHLY recommended. CS

(P.S. Full disclosure: I studied with Bill briefly while at Berklee, so I'm admittedly somewhat biased, but I've turned many, many students on to his books in the past with great results.)

 

[lesliewolf]

Using the "one finger per fret" method, learn the names of the notes in the fifth position and in the twelfth position on the fretboard. The fifth position will play in "guitar pitch", which sounds one octave below "concert pitch", whereas the twelfth position will play in "concert pitch" or "piano pitch", which is more correct. In these positions a middle G note is always fingured with the first finger, and a middle A note is always fingured with the third finger, and so on. Occasionally shift the first finger one fret down the fretboard to play a note, or alternatively, stretch the fourth finger up one fret on the fretboard. I prefer the first finger downward slide.

 

[Texas Picker]

BY FAR the best book I've ever seen for learning to read on guitar is also a Berklee book written by Bill Leavitt, but it's called "Melodic Rhythms for Guitar:"

http://www.amazon.com/Melodic-Rhythms-Guitar-William-Leavitt/dp/0634013327

The Modern Method series is a wonderful and wonderfully complete course for mastering both left and right hand concepts, but "Melodic Rhythms" is strictly for learning to read. $15 from Amazon. HIGHLY recommended. CS

(P.S. Full disclosure: I studied with Bill briefly while at Berklee, so I'm admittedly somewhat biased, but I've turned many, many students on to his books in the past with great results.)

Thanks - just ordered this book.

 

[dmarg1045]

The first 60 pages of the Berklee method are all first position. If a teacher in your area teaches out of these books a series of lessons would almost certainly be a great help. The books are filled with duets, so unless you're going to record one part and then play over it, a partner really helps. For basic reading, the Hal Leonard Method, book one will get you going with simple (but not simple-minded) easy-to-read exercises. If you can't play it, it's not beneath you. Unless you're a highly motivated, extremely talented worker, you will not get through all three Berklee books in a year.

 

[MiloCroton]

The books are filled with duets, so unless you're going to record one part and then play over it,

I was going to do exactly this, and quite looking forward to it actually. Thought it would be a great way to force myself to get the timing on the rhythm parts perfect before doing melodies.

Also, thankyou everyone else for the recent replies. Ill consider getting the other leavitt book.

Those online resources with the fretboard/staff are very good.