Rafael Trujillo
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Why I think sight-reading is important
🕑 Added 2024-03-19 16:00:04 +0000 UTCI think most guitarists don't really read music. Reading music is important if we want to understand the theory behind it. Of course you can be creative and a good musician without being able to read but still, it will limit you in some ways.
I want to point out some of the benefits of practicing sight-reading
- for Flexibility - I think it is an amazing skill being able to pick up any sheet of music and just play it.
- Reading is also about understanding the language of music
- Sight-reading accelerates my learning process in general
- As you become better at reading, interpreting music on the fly will become easier
- Scientific studies have shown that learning to sight-read stimulates cognitive functions, enhancing memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills
- It helps you staying focused on one topic for a longer period of time because sometimes when we learn and sit in front of a video tutorial we tend to go to the next thing way too fast
- It helps you building a good vocabulary for improvising or writing music
Here are some book recommendations:
- Reading Studies for Guitar - Berklee Press
- Advanced Reading Studies for Guitar - Berklee Press
- Books from Barry Galbraith
- Saxophone Etude books (note that you have to transpose) for example Lennie Niehaus books
- Realbook
- Omnibook (Charlie Parker)
- Anything that’s written for recorder, flute or violin
Comments
Rafael Trujillo
It's such an amazing skill to have. And especially guitarists are having a hard time when they read. I would start with Reading Studies for Guitar by William Leavitt. You can't go wrong with this one.
Thomas Helwig
Reading music may be comparable to learning a new language. I envy those who can read, especially when it's on-the-fly reading. I guess it's a big challenge and it affords a lot of time! A piece of sheet music can also tell you a lot about the composer/composition. If you had to pick out one, which book would you recommend for someone who has only very basic knowledge in sight-reading?
