Learning to read music

[frogspawn]

Learning to read music

 

I taught myself to read music only a couple of years ago and rather late in life, so I thought I'd share my experience as an encouragement to others.

 

I didn't have a teacher or a tutor. I did have:

• A book of simple tunes

• An accompanying CD

• A button chart of my concertina

 

I'm easily discouraged so I learnt tunes from the genre I was interested in (i.e. essentially English country dance tunes spiced with some Irish tunes) and in the keys they are actually played, so whatever I learnt could be put to use straight away.

 

(I actually started off with Dave Mallinson's Easy Peasy Tunes, but switched to the Lewes Favourites when I realised this was such a standard in my particular locale (Kent and Sussex). The latter doesn't have a CD, but the tunes are available in Noteworthy Composer format.)

 

I started by focussing on one key. Some would suggest C but I chose G.

• Nobody plays tunes in C!

• Most tunes in my milieu are in G

• G only has one sharp to contend with

 

Once you've learnt G, you also have access to the A Dorian, E Aeolian (Em) and D Mixolydian modes, which use the same key signature and buttons.

 

At first I just had to map the dots to the right buttons. This is laborious to begin with. I found the secret was to orientate myself on certain notes - B because it is in the middle of the stave and G because it is the key note (tonic) of the key I was learning.

 

Having learnt a few tunes in G, I next learnt a G tune with some C#s and then a tune which shifted completely from G to D (Curly Headed Ploughboy). I was now effectively playing in D as well and found I could tackle tunes entirely in D.

 

Being able to handle D, I can also now play tunes in E Dorian, B Aeolian (Bm) and A Mixolydian.

 

And although I never 'learnt' C and will rarely use it, I find I can quite easily play the respective modes: D Dorian, A Aeolian (Am) and G Mixolydian, and tunes in these are common.

 

I don't read time very well, but as long as I have a recording or an ABC/MIDI/NWC file, I don't really need to read the note lengths because I know how the tune is supposed to sound.

 

Three other things I should mention:

 

• I have made many previous attempts to read music in relation to other instruments, and although I never succeeded I did accumulate quite a lot of musical theory, especially about scales and modes.

• I do have the advantage of playing a concertina with a very logical arrangement of buttons (Crane Duet).

• I learnt to play it almost exclusively from music rather than by ear.

[Hereward]

Thanks a lot for this Mr Spawn. I shall give your method a go.

 

I can remember a tune after hearing it once or twice and then slowly use the notes to find out the fingering, writing down 'c', 'f#' and so on, and then forget the notes and just refer to the fingering chart printed on an A4 sheet. Like you, because I have the tune firmly in my head, I don't need the duration. However, it would be good to be able to play fom the notes alone sometimes and would certainly speed up the process of learning (or at least one part of it).

 

Ian

[frogspawn]

Thanks a lot for this Mr Spawn. I shall give your method a go.

 

I can remember a tune after hearing it once or twice and then slowly use the notes to find out the fingering, writing down 'c', 'f#' and so on, and then forget the notes and just refer to the fingering chart printed on an A4 sheet. Like you, because I have the tune firmly in my head, I don't need the duration. However, it would be good to be able to play fom the notes alone sometimes and would certainly speed up the process of learning (or at least one part of it).

 

Ian

 

I think you need to have three things in your mind at once:

 

(1) The position of the dot on the stave

(2) The respective button on the box

(3) The sound of the pitch and length of each note (which you know from kowing the recording)

 

When learning previous instruments I found various ways of 'representing' the music, but if you want to learn conventional written music you really have to put the view of the stave at the centre of things. Obviously you need to know the EGBDF and FACE sequences which will also help later with chords, and understand the conventions for indication sharp and flats.

 

With the Crane's layout it's also possible, more or less, to think of the buttons as dots on the stave because their relative postions almost coincide. If using a different system, one possibility is to draw a button diagram with each button showing a little picture of the note as it appears on the stave. This should help to reinforce the connection.

[michael sam wild]

I seem to have done something similar to Mr Spawn. It's funny that it was the concertina rather than other instruments that led me to teach myself the basics of reading dots . Though I do prefer ABc as it relates to my button diagrams

 

What is proving a longer journey is working out bellows direction and the best buttons for notes when several are available on the Anglo, this is closely linked to ornamentation and speed in ITM ( see other threads). ABc plus my trusty highlighter pens ( for pull or push) are invaluable in this

[Hereward]

If using a different system, one possibility is to draw a button diagram with each button showing a little picture of the note as it appears on the stave. This should help to reinforce the connection.

 

Thanks again. I play English and I have a diagram which has each buttons drawn with the relevant note on it and a picture of the stave and that does help as you suggest.

 

Ian

[frogspawn]

I seem to have done something similar to Mr Spawn. It's funny that it was the concertina rather than other instruments that led me to teach myself the basics of reading dots . Though I do prefer ABc as it relates to my button diagrams

 

What is proving a longer journey is working out bellows direction and the best buttons for notes when several are available on the Anglo, this is closely linked to ornamentation and speed in ITM ( see other threads). ABc plus my trusty highlighter pens ( for pull or push) are invaluable in this

 

For me it's always the same button and bellows direction isn't an issue, but the best fingers to use can vary from the usual. This is very easily indicated by putting 1/2/3/4 over the note. Indication of an alternative button/direction on an Anglo must be more complicated.

 

I started with an Anglo. I was very impressed with Mick Bramich's 'The Irish Concertina'. If I was learning ITM on the Anglo, that's what I'd concentrate on.

Edited January 10, 2009 by frogspawn

[Frederick Wahl]

...

• I have made many previous attempts to read music in relation to other instruments, and although I never succeeded I did accumulate quite a lot of musical theory, especially about scales and modes.

 

Your comments reminded me of my struggles to comprehend the guitar (12-string no less). After many years I finally realized that if you pay attention to the "intervals" between notes - the guitar fretboard becomes almost trivial.

 

For example:

 

The (standard) tuning of the guitar is EADGBE. If you look at the intervals (half-steps) between strings, you're looking at 55545.

 

If you combine that with knowing the intervals between the notes of a chord or melody, it's easy to "do the math" and find your way around the entire fretboard.

 

For a major chord composed of a root, major 3rd, and perfect 5th (0, 4, and 7 halfsteps): start with the root on the lowest string. The major 3rd is 1-fret down (+5 -1) on the next string. The perfect 5th is 2-frets below that on the third string (+10 -3).

 

Maybe not the preffered example or fingering, but it's easy to visualize all the various intervals and inversions that can be found with some simple math.

 

Unfortunately, this system isn't quite as straight forward on the concertina. But I'm learning!!!

Edited January 14, 2009 by Frederick Wahl

[m3838]

Thanks a lot for this Mr Spawn. I shall give your method a go.

 

With all due respect, what "method" are we talking about?

[frogspawn]

I'm beginning to see the advantages of ABC.

 

Learning to read conventional music involves translating the dots on the staff through the name of the note (C, D, E etc) to the buttons on the box. I suppose, theoretically, you could go straight from staff to button visually but I doubt if anyone approaches it like that.

 

With ABC you can go straight from the representation of the notes to the button - two elements rather than three with no 'translation' in the middle.

[Theo]

I suppose, theoretically, you could go straight from staff to button visually but I doubt if anyone approaches it like that.

 

I do. I can tell you what any of the note letters are, but I don't think about them while learning a tune off staff notation. That would be asking far too much of the little grey cells.

[LDT]

Everyone who's tried to teach me to read music has failed. I've read many books on the subject and it still don't stick.

I can't read as I go along. I can sit there with a key/legend and work it out slowly and write the letters and/or the tablature for what buttons to use but that's about it. I suppose its cheating but its the only way that works for me.

 

I don't think I'll ever 'read' music fluently or learn by ear.

[frogspawn]

I suppose, theoretically, you could go straight from staff to button visually but I doubt if anyone approaches it like that.

 

I do. I can tell you what any of the note letters are, but I don't think about them while learning a tune off staff notation. That would be asking far too much of the little grey cells.

 

That's the way I read music now, but not the way I learnt to read music.

[Hereward]

Everyone who's tried to teach me to read music has failed. I've read many books on the subject and it still don't stick.

I can't read as I go along. I can sit there with a key/legend and work it out slowly and write the letters and/or the tablature for what buttons to use but that's about it. I suppose its cheating but its the only way that works for me.

 

I don't think I'll ever 'read' music fluently or learn by ear.

 

I'm in exactly the same boat LDT but it gets the job done (although very slowly in my case).

 

Ian

[Theo]

I don't think I'll ever 'read' music fluently or learn by ear.

 

Many learners think this for some time, but then are pleasantly surprised to prove themselves wrong.

[LDT]

I don't think I'll ever 'read' music fluently or learn by ear.

 

Many learners think this for some time, but then are pleasantly surprised to prove themselves wrong.

If I ever learn to play music by ear competently I am going to throw a party.

[Hereward]

I don't think I'll ever 'read' music fluently or learn by ear.

 

Many learners think this for some time, but then are pleasantly surprised to prove themselves wrong.

If I ever learn to play music by ear competently I am going to throw a party.

 

Can I come? Maybe not; I'm getting too old for such jollities.

 

Ian

[LDT]

I don't think I'll ever 'read' music fluently or learn by ear.

 

Many learners think this for some time, but then are pleasantly surprised to prove themselves wrong.

If I ever learn to play music by ear competently I am going to throw a party.

 

Can I come? Maybe not; I'm getting too old for such jollities.

 

Ian

 

A celebratory tea party in the garden...or the park. Cakes, sandwiches and Tea. Bring a concertina as your proof of invitation. lol!

[PeterT]

I don't think I'll ever 'read' music fluently or learn by ear.

 

Many learners think this for some time, but then are pleasantly surprised to prove themselves wrong.

If I ever learn to play music by ear competently I am going to throw a party.

 

Can I come? Maybe not; I'm getting too old for such jollities.

 

Ian

 

A celebratory tea party in the garden...or the park. Cakes, sandwiches and Tea. Bring a concertina as your proof of invitation. lol!

I thought, maybe, it was going to be a "virtual" one! You know; sit "on-line" and try not to spill your drink on the keyboard.