Reading advice required

[Bilbo]

Yes. It is easy, when reading, to read rhythms as the points where notes atart but easy to forget that the chart also tells you where they end. Its a common mistake in developing learners and one that can easily br overlooked. i.e. the length of the note is the distance between the start of the note and the end. A simple point but am important one.

[phil625sxc]

great, got it - thanks for clarifying that

[TPJ]

Another way to help reading is to transcribe. It helps develop the ear as well as recognising rhythms and intervals. Start with something easy and when you get comfortable then move on to more challenging pieces. What you'll find is that after a little while you can read both treble and bass clef. Practice transcribing all the parts, bass as well as melodies and solos. You'll be able to read fly sh*t on a wall after transcribing for a little while

[phil625sxc]

thanks Tom - it's not something I've done much of at all so will give it a go. Maybe a silly question but when transcribing is it done with your bass in hand or all mentally ?

[Bilbo]

If you can do it without the bass in your hand, more power to you!! I have done short transcriptions like that but its really hard and takes me longer so I tend to do it with a bass/guitar/keyboard to hand!!

[phil625sxc]

haha, ok thanks - i think I'll be really struggling even with the bass !

cheers for all the good advice on this one guys, as it happens so far I've hardly had any spare time to put any of it into practise but I'm determined to give my reading a push this year and get to a better level.

Will let you know how I get on !

[TPJ]

[quote name='phil625sxc' timestamp='1327584336' post='1513722']
thanks Tom - it's not something I've done much of at all so will give it a go. Maybe a silly question but when transcribing is it done with your bass in hand or all mentally ?
[/quote]

Now I just do it in my head after getting the pitch, but generally when starting out I used the bass or guitar or keyboard... Mostly I just sit and listen a few times then start and stop my way through it until completed. Then, play it all on your bass when done. IME it all works together, hearing the parts and understanding the intervals and rhythms that make up the music. If you transcribe a lot eventually you can just listen to the song and write the lines as it goes by with out using an instrument. This site is in my bookmarks [url="http://www.blanksheetmusic.net/"]http://www.blanksheetmusic.net/[/url]

[phil625sxc]

thanks Tom - doubt i'll get to that level but will definitely give it a go !
thanks for the manuscript site as well. :-)

[musophilr]

Can I put 2p worth in please? Hearing the pitch often isn't a problem but knowing how to notate the rhythm is. I end up putting the music into Sibelius and if it doesn't play back right then I've written it wrong, and have to nobble what I've written until it plays back right.

[Doddy]

I've just found this thread and wanted to put in my 2 pence worth.

I agree with Laimis about practising out of time.I've never practiced 'sight reading'.
What I've always done,and taught others,is to play through a chart and when you come to a
part that you struggle with,stop and break it down rather than just plough through it.
For example,if you see a semi-quaver,quaver,semi-quaver pattern and you don't know how to
play it there is no point in just glossing over it and carrying on,because the next time you see
that rhythm,you'll invariably make the same mistake again.But,if you stop and take the time to
work it out and count it,the next time that rhythm appears you will know how it goes and will
be able to read it through.
The only time you have to read in time is on the bandstand,the whole point of practice is so you can,
(and will)make mistakes and correct them. The whole point of 'sight reading' is that you have practised
enough that you begin to recognise patterns and the notes and you can play them instantly at sight.
Allow yourself to make and correct mistakes in the practice room.
I read well and have done a lot of reading gigs,and I have always used this method.

[deepbass5]

I think it is best to take a section at a time, break it down may be a phrase or even a bar or two. Use a metronome just to ensure you are dividing up the tied and dotted notes correctly. If you start reading it wrong your brain will keep throwing in the wrong phrase later. So learn it right slowly then speed it up. Always good to have a few lessons to keep you on track, this does not have to be a bass player it could be a piano teacher a brass player just a good reader to start with.
I had an issue for a while about the best place on the neck to start the piece. This comes with experience but found an ex pro, to reassure me. This does mean the dusty end has to come into play. Reading dots and flying up and down the neck back to your comfort zone = bum notes. So anchor your hand over the key centre of the piece. Say Eb where you would play that scale, and you will find most of what you need under your hand, but you won't if you start at the first fret.
That’s my tip of the day, look at the key and the range of notes in the piece first. Always look over it to check where the repeats key changes, and signs and coda is etc.

[Faithless]

[quote name='deepbass5' timestamp='1331397000' post='1572371']
I think it is best to take a section at a time, break it down may be a phrase or even a bar or two. Use a metronome just to ensure you are dividing up the tied and dotted notes correctly. If you start reading it wrong your brain will keep throwing in the wrong phrase later. So learn it right slowly then speed it up.
[/quote]

Common mistake. Metronome will not prevent you from counting/playing it wrong, that's the main problem.
What you want instead, is counting out loud (just like metronome: 1 - 2 -3 -4) and playing at the same time, but only after you get down the material out-of-time. It won't be easy - it's not supposed to be, but at the same time it will develop your internal time, and you'll always be able to go back and correct the mistake, unlike doing the same thing with metronome, which implies 'real-time'.

easy
L

[Bilbo]

I still maintain that there is an element of learning to read that requires the ;doing; of it. The stopping and starting is important when you are learning the different patterns etc but, at some point, you have to learn how to link bar one to bar two to bar three etc and reading one bar perfectly is only useful if you read the next one perfectly as well and so on. Joining them up is an iimportant part of the learning, Reading prose requires you to read the words but also to make sense of the sentences. If we don't learn to join up the words inot a coherent chain, spelling each word will only have limited value. The important thing is that this is an
'as well as' not an 'instead of'.