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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »

Permalink Do you read music?

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That is hilarious. I've got that one bookmarked now.

Ralph
The Storm Surfers

Be at one with the universe. If you can't do that, at least be at one with your guitar.

This post has been removed by the author.

Last edited: Sep 24, 2009 00:21:08

zak
It amazes me that some people can champion ignorance with such unbridled enthusiasm.

Not really, go read YouTube comments for 15 minutes. Laughing Your faith in humanity will be shaken.

Site dude - S3 Agent #202
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zak
Snobbery requires grounds for a presumption of superiority.
This isn't snobbery, that is more like being proud of ignorance.

Touché. Very Happy

zak
What I don't understand is the stigma that musical literacy carries in some circles.

You should try talking to traditional Irish musicians and devotees of that form of music. Many of them are quite scornful of "the dots" as they call them.

I have always assumed that the stigma comes from a belief that the ability to read music somehow precludes the ability to play by ear or to improvise, as if the two abilities were somehow antithetical. I don't know how that idea got out there, but it's definitely held by many people.

Ralph
The Storm Surfers

Be at one with the universe. If you can't do that, at least be at one with your guitar.

Mind you, many ITM players feel that to play from the notes means to always play the tune the same way, and that is sterility. Of course, if you change the song too much, you've deviated from "the tradition" and that is heretical.

Maybe the stigma against musical literacy is note reading envy.

Ralph
The Storm Surfers

Be at one with the universe. If you can't do that, at least be at one with your guitar.

This post has been removed by the author.

Last edited: Sep 24, 2009 00:22:23

zak
Unless you are a natural-born musical genius, you'll be best off learning as much as your brain can handle -

For some reason this thread has me wondering where Mark Gormley's abilities would fall on the scale.

Bill S._______
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My pet peeve is that statement that I have read/heard many times. It goes something to the effect that learning how to read music/learning music theory will some how kill creativity, rather than enhance it. The person saying this seems to hold the belief that once you become "musically literate" you will be limited to only "play by the rules". It seems like a way of justifying the player's "musical illiteracy".

Rev

PS: I fall into the I can sight-read anything you put in front of me category

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

I always thought learning scales is what kills creativity, not learning how to read Very Happy

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

DNAdude

zak
Snobbery requires grounds for a
You should try talking to traditional Irish musicians and devotees of that form of music. Many of them are quite scornful of "the dots" as they call them.

I love hearing the stuff periodically, but it's pretty rigid stuff. Not much difference between it and most other folk music genres. The consistency and predictability is there for a reason. It's supposed to be comforting and nurturing. After a couple numbers it's as numbing as those peruvian bands hocking tapes and CDs and keeping away the giant Guinea Pigs...

DannySnyder
I always thought learning scales is what kills creativity, not learning how to read Very Happy

I keep hearing how Nels Kline is a genius. And he is a brilliant technician, but just when I start getting into one of his solos, he goes into a "scalar/modal run" that has nothing to do with the melody. It's no different than Eddie Van Halen saying "see how fast I can play!" I'm not saying it makes the song bad, but it always takes me out of the moment. Always.

One of the reasons I love Nels
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STvoZMkpRpY&feature=related

I agree he does do the scale thing often, but he does amazing things in between.

Also, I think he has amazing tone, despite the fact that he takes the amp du jour route. He lets the venue supply the amp, no matter what it is.

revhank
My pet peeve is that statement that I have read/heard many times. It goes something to the effect that learning how to read music/learning music theory will some how kill creativity, rather than enhance it.

Having thought about this some more, and writing in terms of the spoken language analogy, I think it's a matter of application (what I was referring to as 'context').

For example, I might be "learned" (LEARN-ed) in a spoken language and know the rules of grammar, syntax, etc... and I can communicate certain thoughts well. However, I'm not a poet and couldn't write anything that moves people emotionally to save my life.
I think the same might apply with music. We might have the knowledge (of theory) and the muscle skills (to play the notes) but we stilll don't really 'speak' to a listener. Personally, I can say I've noticed this a lot more since I started my study of guitar more in-ernest in the last couple of years. I might have been playing keyboard instruments for 30+ years but the emotion in my playing was kindof forced, mechanical, often non-existent. Since playing guitar, though, I seem to have a better understanding of what the 'performance' is about, how improvisation, for example, can 'speak' to a listener... but it's virtually certain that I couldn't make the note choices, rhythm selections, etc I do "as well" if I didn't have the theoretical knowledge that I do... which includes being able to read the 'dots and lines' (from orchestral scores, piano music, etc), which has helped no-end in my general understanding.

Sidetracking off purely reading sheet music into theory usefulness, I admit... but it's all related Smile

I'm as free from money as a frog is from feathers

I went for the second option. I took college-level theory, and I can nearly sight-play simple heyboard stuff (even organ pedals), but I'm not nearly as good with the guitar.

And, not surprisingly, I'm anothe ex-trumpet player. Played violin for 2 years (in elementary school, where strings were offered), played trumpet in middle school, and keys since. Messed around w/ guitar for several years, but not seriously, until recently.

And I got lucky. My theory prof. was a guy who played session guitar in L.A. in the 60's. He stressed the the dots without sound is nothing, but that sound can be made into the dots to tell someone else what the sound could be.

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