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You gotta love this musical elitism.  “I can sight read; you cannot. Ergo, you are “someone who wants to play 3 chord oldies as a hobby on weekends”, or someone for whom “it means nothing more than "I get paid to play". You get 'paid to play' because someone hires you. You get hired because you play well, and can keep a crowd happy. Those who can, do. Those who cannot denigrate those who can. I've never lost a job because I couldn't read sheet music. (but then, I'm not a 'professional' musician – I don't have a tour bus). 
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eddie1261
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I've never lost a job because I couldn't read sheet music. (but then, I'm not a 'professional' musician – I don't have a tour bus). You probably want to address that!!!
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eddie1261
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I've never lost a job because I couldn't read sheet music. You may have never lost one, as in "been fired from", but how many do you not get considered for, things like Wrecking Crew type studio work, because you can't? That was the point. You crossed several of my thoughts to get to that conclusion of elitism. Those 3 chord oldies players probably all play better than I do. (That in itself is not that hard to do.) But will they get a call from musicians local 4 because Lever Brothers or Purina or Pillsbury has a new ad campaign and they need a studio band to play the music for the commercials if they can't read the sheet music? (Disclaimer: I only got one of those calls in my life, and that was in 1991. Made $400 for 3 hours studio time, 40 minutes actual work, to do some sound effects on a synthesizer.) That was what I wanted to be when I grew up. Unfortunately I am not good enough to be that. Those same 3 chord oldies players may love what they do to pieces. God bless them for finding what makes them happy. I want to write hits that get blasted on every radio station in the free world. That would make me happy. It's not the same skill set. I am also realistic enough to grasp the concept that it isn't going to happen, but I'll keep trying. I have no idea whatsoever about how I get the real people to hear my writing, and if it costs money I won't do it. (AADD, anal retentive, OCD, AND cheap!!!) My best music days are behind me, and I accept that. However, what I know about music, the theory and such, I don't have to give that back. I get to keep all of that. Retiree carpenters still know how to make good rabbet joints even if they don't build furniture anymore. Elitism? I think not. Just a skill set I was taught at an early age.
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Not much “Wrecking Crew type studio work” around these parts. Is there a lot of that in Cleveland? Who knew?
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Joined: Dec 2007
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"Context" boys and girls, "Context".
I play the odd amateur musical here and there (about 25 of 'em in the last 7 years) and you can bet that if I couldn't READ I would never get the gig. I love musicals, they are sooo much fun and very challenging; time signature changes bar on bar sometimes, key signature changes sometimes every 4 or 8 bars, listening to the other musicians AND the performers on stage (who I often can't see) AND above all, watching the conductor all while blowin' my horn. And I get it easy - I will never understand how the pianists do their parts, I only ever have ONE note to play at a time, they might have EIGHT.
BUT, I also play every Wednesday at a local beach, improvising over old standards and newer (not new, but newer) songs that the crowd like.
Both contexts are entertainment for the punters and both use different skill sets. I'm just grateful my improvisational skills have reached the point where they don't throw rotten tomatoes at me!
I know people who can sight read "fly spots", and I know people who can play by ear and improvise like virtuoso's. The depressing part is some of them are the same people. Many of 'em are only kids (under around 25), all of 'em are musicians.
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya  --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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eddie1261
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Not much “Wrecking Crew type studio work” around these parts. Is there a lot of that in Cleveland? Who knew? What is "A lot"? 8 hours a day every day? No, there is not that. There's SOME though. Bands doing CDs that don't have a guitar player, or a sax player, or whatever player, or solo guys like a lot of us are bring in people to play parts. Usually there are at least chord charts if not full out scripted parts on staff paper. There are studios here that do commercials and voice overs that need musicians to play backing tracks. A video studio near my home does a lot of technical video overdubbing. There was a project they did for an environmental and recycling company several years back where they needed synth work done. It ranged from happy little flute music as birds frolicked in a birdbath and fish swam and kid splayed in a park to the cliche ominous "duh duh duuuhhhh" and tympani banging when they cut to the scene of polluted water running out of sewer pipes into rivers and such. That didn't pay well enough to buy a new Hummer, but it was okay. It's there if you look for it. Now, could what I did for that session translate into entertaining a room full of people? Nope. It was strictly background music, and I don't even know if what I contributed made it past editing. And I don't care. The check cleared. Every major city has that kind of work.
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I've been in a few studios, but never in Cleveland. It's good to know it's such a recording center.
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eddie1261
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The Hall of Fame is here for a reason, baby!!1 There are several good studios here, but people tend to use SUMA, about 40 miles east of Cleveland. It's an old mansion that some chemist built in the 1920s. Grand Funk did Closer To Home there, and the gold record still hangs in the lobby. The rooms were turned into isolation rooms and the sound in there is great. The James Gang recorded there, and the black Keys. A lot of local acts that were right on that fringe of being big nationally used them too. The original engineer, Ken Hamann, has passed away but his son Paul had brought the place into the digital age and they are always booked. Here's a link to a story about the place. Mainly for the pictures. SUMA recording article
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I want a web site that I can talk to so I don't have to read or write.
I sorta know how to read and write but don't enjoy it too much.
Oh, and I sorta kinda know how to read and write music but it is more fun to just play, well until I need to read and write, then I just grin and do the work...sorry for the four letter word...work...lol
Re: Playing By Ear Versus Sight Reading....this is actually not a contest...us versus them...there is plenty of room for those who do and those who don't and those who do both.
This would be a fairly mundane world if we were all the same. I like to be supportive of everyone to the extent that I can. Some days I do a better job of that than others. And yes, I can walk on water, but only when I fall off the skis and the boat is going really fast and not for very long...lollol
Cheers,
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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There used to be a very nice studio here in the Fort Pierce FL area. (There are a little more than 40k people in the city and there are some neighboring communities.) I got a lot of work because I could read music. I also got work because I have good ears.
The owner/engineer had a stroke and closed the studio. I miss it.
If you have both skills, you will be a better musician and have more opportunities.
Whenever a thread like this opens up, there are some who get defensive about their lack of ability to read music. There are also posts that dis people that can only read music and not play by ear.
If you feel inferior because you don't read music, instead of defending your position, learn to read. If you are not bothered by your inability to read music, there's no problem.
There have been a lot and still are some illiterate people who can speak their native language well. But by not learning how to read and write, they are handicapped in a literate society.
No, reading music and learning at least basic music theory are not requirements to be a pro musician. But they are important tools for any musician to have, pro or amateur.
IMHO it's not an either/or situation. If you are serious about your instrument, learn to do both. If you are not that serious about it, don't worry about it, but please don't dis those who do, and don't try to defend your position. It's OK. We all have different levels of commitment.
For me, music is a lifetime of learning. If I could live to be 200 years old, there would still be things to learn about music. But that's me. It's not for everyone.
Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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"...feel inferior..." ? Incredible.
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If not, why try to defend? That's the message I get.
Communication can send/recieve the wrong message, and if have misinterpreted it, you have my sincere apology.
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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The word 'versus' in the title of the thread implies an 'or' function. Both are important.
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eddie1261
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The word 'versus' in the title of the thread implies an 'or' function. I get what you are saying Scott but I don't know how else he could have worded that in the thread title. The body of the message kind of smooths it out some. The point I tried to make and someone took offense to was that if you can read more types of work become available. If you live in an area where there is no studio work, no recording studios, and you have to drive 4 hours to buy milk and bread I understand that all you do is live gig, and possibly also all you do it copy from CDs. In that case, yes, learn by ear. In a different situation, where you get a call to go do a session for 1 minute of music that will play behind a commercial, or 20 minutes of music that will play behind a travel show, you will have to read charts. If you can't read, you can't apply for that job. My analogy is that if someone grows up speaking Spanish but never goes to school and learns how to read and write, would that person be a candidate for a job teaching Spanish in school? They may speak flawless Spanish, but at some point they would have to write out tests and be able to read those tests to grade them. If they can't read or write, they don't get the job. In no way is that saying they are less of a Spanish speaker, just that they can't read or write it.
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