This ^^^
4 Likes
This ^ and that ^
4 Likes
I can’t read sheet music and it hasn’t prevented me from learning any of the songs I’ve wanted to play. It takes a lot longer this way and is way more difficult than just reading the music though.
That being said I have encountered many horrible tabs and end up transcribing almost every song I have learned. There is great value in reading sheet music however and I would never call it unnecessary. I plan to learn a lot more theory and hopefully can become at least rudimentary at reading sheets. It all depends on what your goals are.
3 Likes
Apologies, I missed that.
You’re absolutely entitled to not learn to read music if you don’t want to.
I can type at around 70 or more words per minute and have been able to since 1997.
I’ve worked in industries dominated by computer users since then and then left the military and was back to being surrounded by computer users ever since. About 5 percent of them have ever been able to touch type. I’ve met people who have sat in front of computers for 40 years and still hunt and peck. They wouldn’t spend three months of practice to get them more effective at data input, so they’ve been operating at maybe 40 percent of what they could have been doing all that time.
That’s their absolute right.
Then there was the day when I proposed a pay percentage bounty of 5% for anyone who could type at at least 50wpm.
“But you only want that because you can type!”
“Yes. Because I produce more work than you do. And you could could also learn to type.”
It’s their right to hunt and peck.
However, if a new guy pointed to one of the old timers and said “Steve never learned to type. Why should I?” I’d mention that to the person in charge of his probation period.
I expect I’ll learn to read music one day. Jeff Berlin’s course is a very gentle entry to it: Jeff Berlin Bass Mastery: A Complete Reading Course https://www.jeffberlinmusicgroup.com/
2 Likes
I’ve asked @V-Bass twice now if he’s doing the excellent Beginner to badass course but no reply.
I don’t care if he reads music or not. It won’t affect my quality of life in the slightest. The reason I ask the question is that if you take the B2B course it contains all the music theory (the absolute basics) you need to be able to play bass.
I can’t read music either but to put a marker in the sand at this stage of my playing and say I’ll never learn it seems silly. Also this isn’t Talk Bass, so on a scale of 1 to 10; I’m about a minus seven on wanting to use my valuable spare time arguing with people who are just trying to be provocative / willfully ignorant.
Cheers
6 Likes
Ditto!, I have the same problem. Though I’m not a music major but growing up I’ve been through a, let’s just say an Asian Bootcamp for music reading. It’s like alphabet thingy but no theory, lol.
2 Likes
Gotta agree. I fail to see the OP’s point in starting this thread.
If someone chooses not to do something, fine: don’t do it.
Essentially, it would be like me proclaiming I have NO plans to ever learn to read piccolo tuba solos (BTW, I don’t 
).
6 Likes
Nice to see this old warhorse still kicking
1 Like
Put the bass guitar down and pick up the Hal Leonard Bass Instruction Book-Vol.1. Start at the beginning and plod along. Learn the notes, test yourself with a ruler or card over the answers so you know the notes. When I work out on the recumbent bike at the local health club I go through the notes out loud (just like 2nd grade) on open, third, fifth, seventh, ninth, twelvelth frets, every 10 minutes. Seriously, you are selling yourself short by NOT knowing the notes. Knowledge is power so get to work.
3 Likes