To read or not to read? Is is better to play by ear or learn to read music? This question has plagued people for ages! My answer is — learn to do both!
Reading musical notation is absolutely a worthwhile pursuit. Here are two reasons why:
Learning to read music can be a real stress-buster. After a hard day at work, it is always good to shrug off the days events and relax. But that isn’t always easy. If you are like me, it is easy to have the events of the day going ’round and ’round in your head like a merry-go-round, making it very difficult to get off the ride. That is where learning to read music can be a big help. And it is good for you too.
Reading music notation actually engages areas of your brain that may be “on vacation”. When you are learning a new piece, trying to look at the note on the page, find where it is on the guitar, move on to the next note, find that note, etc., your brain is actively concentrating on the challenge. Have you ever tried to think of two things at the same time? It’s pretty hard to do. When you are reading music, you are thinking about that instead of thinking of the challenges of the day (or even your problems).
So what about ear training? Well, that’s good for you too! Listening to music can actually stimulate the production of dopamine in your brain, which stimulates the areas of the brain associated with pleasure. But that can be just a bonus — the real benefit in ear training is how quickly you can learn to play new tunes and songs! Playing by ear is a practice that combines both senses and intuition. When you hear that someone is “feeling” the music, they are usually playing intuitively or “by ear”
In Part Two, I’ll be talking about what actually pulls these two parts together for a guitarist. Yes, there is a missing link between reading music notation and playing by ear!
- Learning to Read Music - February 19, 2015
- That Perfect Christmas Guitar! - November 14, 2014
- How to play guitar – Video or Teacher.Which is right for you? - August 4, 2014