Should You Learn To Read Music?

Many of us see learning to read music as a chore, something we don’t really want to do, especially if we already know how to play a bit, but we were never taught how to do it. In this post, I am going to tell you why I think you should put the effort in learning to read music, and what will you gain from that.

When learning music, or playing the guitar, you are actually learning a new language, with rules, stories, secrets, sentences and a full vocabulary! And the key to understanding this language is to understand how to read music. Learning to read standard notation can be divided to 3 sections: rhythm, pitch and the combination of the two.

Rhythm

We are all born with a basic understanding of rhythm: you felt the rhythm of your mother’s heart beats when you weren’t even born yet! But when you learn how to read rhythm, and by that you experience different kinds or beats, rhythms and patterns, you expand your rhythmic vocabulary when playing! Because, if you do not know that a specific rhythmic pattern exists, how can use it in your own music or improvisation?

Pitch

Pitch is the specific note that you are asked to play. It can be any one of the western

twelve notes that we usually use. The easy part is that there are only twelve notes to learn. The hard part is that each note can be written in several different places on the music staff. Once you know how to read and write the pitch on the music sheet, you access the ability to write your own music on paper (or computer, these days) and to play music written by other musicians. Your song repertoire will grow endlessly.

Combining The Two

Learning to read rhythm and pitch is relatively easy and can be accomplished pretty fast if you put your mind into it. But now comes the hard part: combining these two abilities. It takes time and effort, but the payoff is huge! Now, you can hear a beautiful song, melody or chord progression and, just by looking at a piece of paper, play it yourself or write your own beautiful musical ideas.

But Do I Have To?

You do not HAVE to learn to read music in order to play or be a good musician. But I believe that what you gain from putting the effort is huge. You gain the ability to write your own music, to learn a new piece of music on your own, you can start analyzing the music you listen to and play with a deeper understanding, you can even get so good at reading music that you are able to play a new piece of music on the spot, just by looking at it.

Reading music is a gift. It gives you the opportunity to open yourself to new genres, collaborations, a deeper understanding of music, and it can only make you a better musician. I always tell my students: give yourself the chance to learn reading music, if you won’t enjoy it, you can always stop. Most of them never stop.

For more information about online classes and learning to read music, contact me today.

Gal Dornay