Should I Learn to Read Music?
"My guitar teacher is telling me that I need to learn to read music, and I don't understand why. I'm 44 years old, and all I want to do is learn to play acoustic guitar with my friends. Is it really that important for me to learn to read music?"
"Should I learn to read music" is a question I get all the time, and my answer always is "it depends". In my opinion Doug probably doesn't need to learn to read music, considering his age (chances are he's not going to take up playing music professionally), and his aspirations. There are many notable pop musicians who can't read or write music (Paul McCartney being a prime example) who have nonetheless written some fantastic, complex songs.
Having said that, I believe it's important for young guitarists to learn to read music as part of their early training. Although a 13 year old new guitar player may just want to bash through three-chord heavy metal songs right now, who knows where they'll want to take their music in the future. By learning to read music now, they won't limit themselves later in life.
For guitarists like Doug, learning to read guitar tab will probably be enough to allow them to enjoy playing guitar. For guitarists who'd like to learn to read music on their own, I highly recommend A Modern Method for Guitar Vol. 1 by William G. Leavitt.
Comments
Hi Dan
I disagree with your comment that young guitarists should learn music notes. I think people should be able to choose what they would like to do. If learning music theory is something they choose to do, then by all means, do it.
I think the creativity gets killed when people try and play other people’s music and stuff.
Also, when I was learning piano, as a youngster I loved it, until the dreaded day came along when the teacher started forcing me to play this and that. I then stopped. I hated piano after that.
I personally think that creativity should take preference, and that does not really include being able to read music. Rather be able to make your own music.
Thanks for a great website
Cheerio
Mar:-J
While I agree that theory sometimes gets in the way of creativity, the reverse can also be true. I’ve played guitar on and off casually for the last twelve years of my life (being twenty-eight now), always quitting for extended periods of time out of frustration. Just this last year, I finally forced myself to learn some music theory basics and I can’t possibly explain what a difference it’s made in my ability to express myself creatively on the guitar. Not only that, but learning the ins and outs of rhythm and harmony has also expanded my taste in music, piquing my interest in everything from jazz to gospel to classical and world music. The more I learn about theory, the more I want to know. So I really think the important thing for any musician is balance: learn a little, play with that knowledge until you’re ready to move on, and then hit the books some more.