Re: Becoming good without full time college?

I'll respond to myself, I'm not proud:

Here's the other side of reading: How many of you know people who can sight read, but if they're handed a chord chart can't do a thing with it? I've met alot of people like that. Some of them are college graduates with music degrees. You ask them to play 12 bar blues in A and they can't do it.

Reading can be a hinderance as much as a help. I don't advocate NOT reading, but I spend alot of time in the youth band getting the kids over not having notation in front of them. With some it's like a bad habit they have a hard time shaking.

FWIW, I bought a Credence Clearwater Revival book for my brother to learn guitar on. Some of the tunes are in the wrong key (e.g. Down on the Corner). Ever paged through the Beatles books and looked at the guitar chords? Total rubbish. How is notation from a "reliable source" so much better than the tab from the net again?

Asbestos undies on!

KO

Kraig Olmstead wrote:
John Shaughnessy wrote:

And how do they know how to read a lead ***? you don't learn that on the
streetcorner...

The kids I'm coaching are doing it and they aren't in college yet (8th and 9th graders). I'm not opposed to writing stuff down. I think that anyone who is determined to make a living playing music is a fool if they don't learn how to read notation. I also think that notation makes alot of information that wouldn't otherwise be available to you, available.

At the same time, I think that tab has some merit (don't expect to see it on a pro gig). And I think that notation is not a prerequisit to learning music theory. Theory and notation different things and you can learn one without knowing the other. Reading lead sheets falls more into the knowing theory category than the reading category, except for the lead player.

It's gratifying to see students that were mortified at playing if there weren't notes written down getting comfortable with seeing chords written over the lyrics.

Alot of the jazz greats (boppers like Bird and Coltrane) didn't go to college. They learned their stuff on the job and after hours "cutting sessions". They may or may not have been able to read notation, but they sure knew enough theory to make a go of it (as well as having developed great ears).

KO
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