Rocker Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 I am in my 60s, took up bass a few years ago and love it. Still play 6 string electrics and have done so for yonks. I know very little theory and zero about reading sheet music. One of the reasons to learn to read is that someone on this site publishes bass transcriptions in sheet music format. Considering I am not brilliant at reading tab, would it be a waste of time and money to learn how to read? In other words is it too late to learn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 If you enjoy doing it it's never too late for anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 (edited) [quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1509221864' post='3397446'] If you enjoy doing it it's never too late for anything. [/quote] ^^ What he said. I'm 58 and learning how to put bass guitars together. It's never too late. When you're 90 you'll wish you'd learnt to read music thirty years ago, or something. Edited October 28, 2017 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 (edited) I didn't into playing bass at all until I was 50. So you're probably well ahead of me. I too have been learning to read. To get started you can use www.studybass.com. Also we have a thread here of sheet music to help learn sight reading. Good luck with getting started. Edited January 17, 2018 by Grangur Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisDev Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 Also, it's not necessary to become the best (sight)reader ever. Being able to figure out what's written, seeing the notes and the rhythm, is often enough to learn a song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 28, 2017 Share Posted October 28, 2017 You've got this far without reading so I guess this isn't a skill that is necessary to your bass playing. If you're looking to take your playing abilities further I'd have some lessons and extend your technique in different directions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 Fair point there that Chris makes. If you've made it this far without reading, what do you believe reading will give you that you don't already have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 can't read and have no motivation to learn but I've asked this question before and nobody answered, how accurate is sheet music? Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember a quote from John Lennon on the subject of Beatles sheet music, his reply was "That's not what I play" and I've got a Never Mind the Bollocks sheet music book I bought years ago when I first started on guitar, it's got minor chords in it and stuff, that's not right either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerdO Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 [quote name='Rocker' timestamp='1509220306' post='3397435'] I am in my 60s, took up bass a few years ago and love it. Still play 6 string electrics and have done so for yonks. I know very little theory and zero about reading sheet music. One of the reasons to learn to read is that someone on this site publishes bass transcriptions in sheet music format. Considering I am not brilliant at reading tab, would it be a waste of time and money to learn how to read? In other words is it too late to learn? [/quote] For me it didn't take long until I could use notated music like tabs. Every minute I invested in the learning process was worthwhile. Being able to read unknown music straight off the sheet at a gig is a much more difficult task that can take you several years to master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 All of the above... If you want to read to improve your bass playing, it's probably not necessary unless you want to advance it as a career. If you want to do it as a project and maybe increase your self-esteem, then go for it. There is a simple answer... just start learning. If it's not for you you'll soon bin it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 [quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1509221864' post='3397446'] If you enjoy doing it it's never too late for anything. [/quote] +1 - I started to learn to read a few years ago just before I turned 50. In real terms my chances of making it a career are long gone, but I've got all these bass books with written bass parts kicking around that I would like to able to play. It's a slow burn process, but definitely worth it as it increases your harmonic and rhythmic awareness, especially when you're playing in a band setting (imo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jaywalker Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 (edited) . Edited November 28, 2017 by The Jaywalker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 thanks for that. I guess it depends whether the original composer could write music, otherwise it's down to what someone thinks it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted October 29, 2017 Share Posted October 29, 2017 The best time to plant a tree is thirty years ago. The second best time is now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKenrick Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 [quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1509264517' post='3397574'] can't read and have no motivation to learn but I've asked this question before and nobody answered, how accurate is sheet music? [/quote] As Jay has already said, it's largely down to the skills of the person writing it - the quality of the original recording also plays a huge part, especially if you're trying to decipher basslines. Although I spend a fair bit of time writing sheet music, I'm often appalled at the stupid mistakes that I find in my own charts - ears get fatigued like anything else and it's easy for them to start playing tricks on you. [quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1509285947' post='3397777'] thanks for that. I guess it depends whether the original composer could write music, otherwise it's down to what someone thinks it is [/quote] The fact is that there are lots of elements other than the rhythms and pitches that contribute to the overall sound of a piece of music, and these are often very difficult to capture on paper; the phrase 'the map is not the terrain' definitely applies to this. Even the most accurate transcriptions will lack some of the nuances of the original performance, because notation can't fully represent every sound that people produce from their instruments. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 It would be a great idea. I read about getting older our brain starts to slow down, so it is going to be similar to that brain training we are told is good for us. If for no other reason, it has got to be beneficial Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted November 2, 2017 Share Posted November 2, 2017 I'm in my 40s and I'm learning to sight-read slowly. I feel like a child who is learning to read, I have to play incredibly slowly to be able to follow the music. If you can already play fairly well but then have to revert to playing basics again, it can be a bummer but I'm doing it anyway because not being able to do it is annoying me. I think it's a bit like learning a language, if you're a kid you can pick it up really fast, but as an adult it will take longer and you may never be completely fluent. My aim is just to get to a point where I can read well enough to play a few transcribed lines without pauses and get ideas down on paper faster than I can now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted November 3, 2017 Share Posted November 3, 2017 Chuck Rainey's Complete Electric Bass Player is a pretty good introduction to learning to read music... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Electric-Bass-Player-Book/dp/0825624258 The basics are fairly easy to get down... to develop fluency you need to be practicing it on a daily basis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrej Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 Yeah, you can. Take it slow and make sure to have a drink while you figure it out. Once you've learned, you will need more time to play and will have less time to enjoy your beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StageAhead Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 On my YouTube channel i put together a Playlist with 16 sightreading exercise videos. Maybe it's a start: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulf Posted January 10, 2018 Share Posted January 10, 2018 I've had plenty of gigs where reading some level of music was valuable but normally to a limited degree - for example, being able to follow a lead sheet in a jazz setting (chords, melody and possibly lyrics). To a lesser degree, there have been some where a degree of reading was essentially at least to get started - for example, playing with groups which provided dots for the bass part - although there are still plenty of opportunities outside of that. However, I want to raise a hand in support of the other side of being able to read music - being able to write it down. The two skills go hand in hand - the better you can read, the better you can write and vice versa. If you aren't blessed with a phenomenal musical memory then, like me, you might find it useful to be able to jot things down with musical notation. In several bands, I've been a bit slower on the initial learning curve but, a little further down the line, the fact I've got my own part written out has helped everyone else remember how we decided to play a song. Wulf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 On 10/29/2017 at 08:08, PaulWarning said: can't read and have no motivation to learn but I've asked this question before and nobody answered, how accurate is sheet music? Somewhere in the back of my mind I remember a quote from John Lennon on the subject of Beatles sheet music, his reply was "That's not what I play" and I've got a Never Mind the Bollocks sheet music book I bought years ago when I first started on guitar, it's got minor chords in it and stuff, that's not right either That's kinda a tricky question to answer, unless you can give a specific example (ie, supply the sheet music you have and a recording of the music). So the other answer - it varies - holds true. I'd say in general though, standard notation sheet music is miles ahead of tab and a massive time-saver compared to trying to transcribe something or play by ear. Of course, there's a debate to be had (and has been had, many times) on reading vs not reading, but let me give an example. I depped for a band for a christmas gig; their bass player had previously tried to find a replacement once he knew a gig clashed with work and he was unable to go, however he was unsuccessful. So, I was asked at short notice, but still enough time to do 1 rehearsal on Wednesday then the gig on Saturday. We didn't quite have enough time to go through the whole set on the Wednesday, so for a few of the numbers I was sight reading, in the live performance. I don't think that would have been possible if I were not competent at reading; and the charts were fairly accurate/correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jezyorkshire Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Time would be better spent learning by ear in my opinion, I can read but reading doesn’t give you the emotional content and subtleties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_c2 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 6 minutes ago, Jezyorkshire said: Time would be better spent learning by ear in my opinion, I can read but reading doesn’t give you the emotional content and subtleties It would depend how good your "ear" is already - the OP has been playing for a few years and has played guitar for longer. I'd not disagree that playing by ear is important but if it were already quite well developed, then time would be better spent learning to read music, than a marginal improvement in playing by ear. Its all relative; what's more, its difficult to know yourself where your own weaknesses are (so its kinda a hint at formal lessons too, or discipline if self taught). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 https://www.jeffberlinmusicgroup.com/bass-lessons/jeff-berlin-bass-education-package-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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