LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Gospel Keyboard / Piano => Topic started by: Saxman on July 17, 2006, 08:38:38 AM
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Yes, reading music is very important. Some of you may say that I can't read or I don't have the time to read music. Well, I am encouraging you to learn how to read. It will benefit you in the long run. The benefits of reading music are similar to the benefits of normal reading. Just like the benefits of reading will help you in your everyday life, reading music helps you to develop certain skills and techniques that you would not obtain if you were just learning to play by ear. Don't get me wrong. Playing by ear has its benefits also. However, if you learn how to play by reading music, you will learn some things that will help you in playing by ear. Therefore, don't procrastinate. Don't put it off. Learn how to read music. Believe me and I come from experience. The benefits are really great. Again, read music.
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Saxman
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YEA SAX.... I read treble and bass clef, but reading music out of a hymnal, and playing it on the board.....to me it's like deciphering the MATRIX. :)
Definitely easier to to read music for horns...or even drum rudiments for that matter.
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Yeah....I am not necessarily talking about reading out of a hymnal. Now, there are many songbooks to CDs that are out there and it would be helpful if one would know how to read the music in those books. Some of those songs in those books could be challenging.
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I read music too. Just not good enogh to pick it up and play it on the spot. I need time to review it first.
I like it when the chords are on top and you just have to follow the treble-clef. Following both the treble and the bass makes it a little bit difficult for me, but with more practice I will get it even more. :)
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YEA SAX.... I read treble and bass clef, but reading music out of a hymnal, and playing it on the board.....to me it's like deciphering the MATRIX.
Definitely easier to to read music for horns...or even drum rudiments for that matter.
Reading music for instruments who only play only one note at a time is always easier than reading piano, organ, or lead guitar music. I think what saxman means is he wants us to learn how to read and understand sheet music, so that we can reproduce it wit no problems. You don't have to necessarily be a good sight-reader (read & play at the same time), but if you can look at a chord written with symbols like quarter notes and half notes, and know how to play that on the keyboard, then that's a good tool to possess. Sometimes, sheet music is the only available way for some people to get chords, but if they can't understand it, then it's of no use to them.
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Imma put it like this.. there are a lot of gospel musicians who don't know how to read music but play well without reading music, but that does not mean that they will not benefit from reading music. Let me break down the benefites of reading music:
First of all, there is a big difference between sight reading and reading to interpet a piece of sheet music. Sight reading is when you can read and play a piece of sheet music that you never practised or heard of before, and you can play it well.
Then, there are music musicians like me who read music only to interpet it. I read music to look for such things as chord progressions, tritones, to learn new chords or chords that I never used before in a song, and to get the basic feel of that song before I start to play it by ears.
You see...it is more of a benefit to a gospel musician to learn how to read music to interpet it, simply because people will not hand you a piece of sheet music on Sunday before they sing a song and tell you to play it. Plus, it is a slim chance that they will actually sing in that key anyway, unless they are a trained vocalist or musician themself. What a lot of musicians who don't read music don't realize is that Hymn sheet music was composed and arranged for voicing, and not for instrumentation. So by reading hymn sheet music a gospel musician can learn such things as chord substition by using tritones, because believe it or not hymn sheet music contains tritones in it.
If anyone have any questions you can email me at shadowphace@yahoo.com or message me and I will answer your questions. I can also give you some great books to teach yourself how to read music, because I taught myself to read music and play piano.
God bless you.
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I read music too. Just not good enogh to pick it up and play it on the spot. I need time to review it first.
I like it when the chords are on top and you just have to follow the treble-clef. Following both the treble and the bass makes it a little bit difficult for me, but with more practice I will get it even more. :)
same here
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well i agree with all of the post and i too read, intrepet and play through the glory of God. I am truly tryin gto learn how to pick up by ear but i have been readig since i was 6 so it is rather hard because there are many wonderful musicians out there who can play by ear and i love to hear it. so i am truly trying to learn the concepts of playing by ear and the chords methods.