Reading Music

ceaser67
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Tue Sep 28, 2010 6:27 pm

hi Al.
I think the silent guitar is excellant .what price tag is on that,also you seem well educated on youre computer stuff,i know nothing about computers but a really couple of interesting things going on there,
great post
Tommy


Lavallee
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Tue Sep 28, 2010 8:13 pm

I read the tabs for the notes but I am getting better at reading the standard notation rhythm wityh the accent given like dotted notes , rests, etc..

Marc


Catman
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Wed Sep 29, 2010 5:04 am

The first instruments I learned (formally, with teachers) were melodic instruments: violin, then clarinet, and of course I was taught standard notation. Back then I could sight-read melodies (that means play a melody with correct timing and phrasing on first sight of the music).

I never developed this skill for the bass clef, or for chords that are more than double-stops.

And now, I am very rusty.

For classical and session musicians I would say the ability to read standard notation is mandatory.

For the rest of us, it can be useful but not mandatory. I think it is more important to know where the notes are on the neck without looking.

For finger-picking songs, I tend to go with the standard notation. For strumming--tablature

-David


frybaby
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Wed Sep 29, 2010 7:11 am

Alrighty then, I going to put up a poll. Vote if you would like to see a TG lesson on basic music reading skills. Neil may go for it with enough intrest, then again he may suggest we get a MelBay book.


Hydroman52
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Sun Oct 03, 2010 11:30 am

I have just purchased a little app for my iPod that is a drill for sight reading music for the guitar. It's put out by Rolf Steenge and is called GuitarAtSight. Cost is 2.99 and available for the iPad, too. This is probably a tool that you will use until you master and then never have need for it again, but how many apps do you do that with anyway. I have used other fret board tools similar, but they didn't tie in with sight reading. They just fired a note letter and then you designated a fret. Also, this one has a time feature (gives you up to 7 seconds before it gives you another note) and a practice mode (touch a fret and it gives you the note without being timed or scored). There're probably other programs that do the same thing, but I haven't found anything like it, yet. Please, let me know if there is something like this for the PC.

Here is the review that I just wrote at the iTunes app store (might not show up for a little while):

"I have played guitar for many years, and always used TABS and chords to figure them out. Now I am ready to advance to sight reading and wish I had done this when I first began. This little tool is very handy for drilling the notes on the fret board. In a few minutes, I had improved my knowledge noticeably. It's easy to understand, and, given the constraints on my iPod (small screen and big clumsy fingers), is well designed.

Only difficulty is that when designating a note, you must touch the close to the fret rather than area behind the fret where my finger would actually land when playing the note. The point where the app decides which fret you are designating seems to be halfway between frets and when I touch where my finger would really land, it could select the fret above or below. This isn't too difficult to get the hang of . . . . and not a deal killer for me deciding to buy this.

It's not loaded down with fancy features and does what it's supposed to do. It's a great application to hone skills while waiting at the dentist, airport, or on a break at the office. Others may argue that it might not be worth the 2.99 that I paid, but for me, it is a bargain. Heck, I would have thrown in another penny to make it an even $3.00. The only reason that I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that it is just a tool and I don't want to mislead others into thinking this is the greatest thing since sliced bread."


Hope this helps,
Hydroman52


6stringbostic
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Thu Oct 21, 2010 7:13 pm

Hmmmm....I guess some people already said it, tabs can be enough, but reading standard notation can be véry very handy! I'm really happy that i've got that down when I was a kid!

But I don't think that a lesson from Neil would help, I mean he could tell you wich note is wich and where you can play it. But learning to read standard notation and pláying it can only be done by starting from the beginning and practicing a lot. It's kinda like typing blind, you see a letter and you type it ten times, then you go to the next, you do that for ten times, then you form a word and you type it ten times, your brain will remember. Later when you type, you don't think like, oh A, then C, then E, or whatever, you've done all those movements with your fingers before so it'll come out without thinking, I think it's the same with playing music with standard notation. You will learn to read the intervals instead of wich note is wich. I'm not sure if I make any sense, it's harder in english than in my own language..

But then again, tabs do the job as well, it's limited though, as for timing etc. On the other hand, they do tell you where to play each note on the guitar. There are lots of notes that you can play on several spots of the neck and the tabs can tell you where. But usually sheet music with standard notation does tell you in wich position you need to play, so it'll work either way. .

Anyway, I'm rambling on (as Neil usually says, lol), all the best!


cavi
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Thu Oct 28, 2010 1:57 pm

I agree with Marc, I also learned with Mel Bay and can still read standard notation, but I am very rusty. Currently I use the tabs to find the notes and the standard notation for the timing it really helps there. If you really want the timing perfect you need the Standard notation.


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