What Percentage Actually READ Music?

[Bighouse]

I play mostly by ear...it's difficult to do- you should see the callouses!

OUCH

Thank you- I'll be here all week- and try the veal!

[scotty]

[StringTheorist]

I never learned to read music properly, meaning I can't sight read - I can't look at a piece of music and have any sense of what it sounds like. However, I do know how it all works (took one music theory class in college, but otherwise self-taught), so I can write music out (slowly and painstakingly) and pick out a melody one note at a time from a piece of music, but not in real time or anything close to it. Lately I've even gotten some jobs doing arrangements - I just did a string quartet arrangement of "All I Want is You" by U2.

Consequently, I've always learned songs by ear. But that doesn't mean I'm much of an improvisor. You say "Steve, take a solo!" and I say, "Um... wait, let me sit down for a half hour and write one."

Marc, one of my bandmates in college was great at figuring things out by ear, even when he didn't have his guitar in front of him. He came in one day and said "Hey, on my way over I figured out the opening riff for 'Vanishing Girl' by The Dukes of Stratosphear" - and proceeded to play it (I hate him!). And that's how I learned it, from him. And I'm looking forward to playing that on my Ric when it shows up next week - Dave Gregory used one on that song.

[Rubsoul]

Saw this old post..
I read music, but learned playing Bass by ear. It helps knowing how to read music & understanding basic music theory... But it is not required in the least.
Having a good ear helps identify the music key that leads to the general chord progression in a song. Jazz is the exception. (Let me know when you are warmed up and ready to play!
"The Gratful Dead" is one of those bands.. a lot of their songs did not have normal song structure.
Just my 2 cents.
John

[westaussie]

I never learned to read at all. Did a year of music at school in the fifties. I grew up in a musical household and successfully winged it without reading a note, simply because I knew the simple tunes we were given to play. I was the star pupil, ........ until one day we were given a test with something to play that I'd never heard of and I was picked to go first.
Couldn't play a note. Sat there like a rabbit in the headlights, with no Idea what to do, ...... and watched my sweet diminutive genteel music teacher transform into a raging, snarling monster. She was annoyed. So ended my formal tuition

[kenposurf]

I can read musical notation for piano For guitar..tab and charts

[pocaloc]

Not a note.