Is it impotant to know how to read music for guitar?

Question

On a scale from 1-10, 1 not being important and 10 being very important, how important is it to know how to read music for guitar? Are there any famous guitarists that don't know how to read music?

Answer 1

I give the importance of reading--and writing--music a big 10! When I began to play at age 16 I was working on chords and rhythm quite a bit, but then the opportunity in high school came for me to take vocal.

In that two-semester class I learned how to read and write music, which was the major stepping stone to guitar advancement. Our final exam was to listen to a song on an old phonograph LP78 record and write down the notes as we listened. I passed.

Playing by ear is a talent for many, but many do not go beyond with it. Playing a song by sheet music will enable you to not only learn the song, but learn varied chord progressions. There were countless songs during my guitar playing years that I could not have learned unless it was by notation. One example is "The Flight of the Bumble Bee." Do you think you could play that piece without the music to guide you? Unlikely.

So I encourage you to learn music theory and how to read and write notation for the guitar. Reading tablature is good too, however, for it teaches the student the entire range of the fretboard, but nothing can replace the advantages of reading and playing notation.

Answer 2

I'd give it a five. Reading music definitely helps learning the instrument, but it isn't everything. There are many competent musicians in this world who don't know how to read music at at all. Take Irving Berlin for example, he was one of America's best composers, and wrote many songs that peopel still use today, including White Christmas and Easter Parade. Yet, Berlin couln't read music. He only knew what he wanted, and others had to actually translate what he was doing into sheet music for the other musicians to use.

I will definitely say this much for reading music though, once learned, it makes the process so much easier. For example, in a band, it helps to actually have written music for everyone to follow. This way, when you all stop and start up again, everyone will know exactly where he/she is supposed to be.

Also, if you really want to become serious about the instrument, reading music can really help bump up your skill levels where you'll be ripping chords out in the wonderful tradition of Sammy Hagar and Jimmy Hendrix. But remember, with a lot of dedication, and a lot of time spent with the instrument, reading music won't necessarily be a vital step to sounding like a pro. Good luck.

Answer 3

Depends what you want to do with guitar...if you want to play in a band or have a career playing the guitar, it's pretty important, I'd say an 8 or 9. If you're just messing around and playing guitar for yourself, then it's probably alright as long as you're cool with not being able to read music.

I don't know any famous guitarists who can't read music.

Answer 4

Well, it depends on what kind of guitar playing you plan to do. If you want to be able to play lead, or solos, or classical, then reading music will be very helpful. If, on the other hand, you're okay with playing rhythm and strumming chords with some occasional picking patterns, then it's not all that important at all.

If you'll be playing songs you're already familiar with, it's not all that important. If you're playing songs you don't know very well, it's pretty important.

Learning to read tablature, on the other hand, can be very, very helpful, and knowing how to read music helps with that.

Answer 5

I'd say about a 7.

Most people tend to play guitar tabs nowadays which are easier, but it'd benefit someone a LOT if they just learned to read sheet music. It's not as hard as most people think.

Answer 6

i would say 10 very important if you are trying to play the guitar.

Answer 7

If you just want to play around with it yourself, about a 3 - 4.

If you want to communicate with other musicians, 10

Paul McCartney does not read music, but he is dyslexic. He uses computer assisted technology to overcome his limitations.

Answer 8

1 for important.

10 for damned handy.

Answer 9

I'd guess 5-6. It would depend on what you want to do, but if you're going to write your own music it'll be hard to remember everything if you can't write it down.

Answer 10

8...learn the notes as much as you can. Jimmi Hendrix is one that did not know, john lee hooker is another. If you are playing classical guitar then it is a must.