Play more than one instrument

Years ago I used to be pretty good on piano, but I haven't played for many years. But piano I played by reading music. I liked that because I could play pieces that I had never heard before. I actually felt like a REAL musician when playing piano.

Oddly enough, I read a rather lengthy article that taught piano by ear and argued that reading music and playing what you read on an instrument doesn't make you a musician. I'm not sure if that's true or not but it did give me something to think about.

We had a "lively" discussion on this topic a few months ago. Notation is a tool...IMHO, reading music is very useful skill to aquire (I do it on guitar, piano, saxophone, violin, pennywhistle, drums, and everything else I've ever picked up or studied), but the ability to do so does not automatically make one a "better" musician. I'd recommend at least learning the basics of reading music, but I don't make it a requirement when I teach. If someone just wants to learn a few chords and songs, or lead guitar for that matter, then reading music isn't totally necessary. I'll have to admit, using notation does make it easier to teach :)

We had a "lively" discussion on this topic a few months ago. Notation is a tool...IMHO, reading music is very useful skill to aquire (I do it on guitar, piano, saxophone, violin, pennywhistle, drums, and everything else I've ever picked up or studied), but the ability to do so does not automatically make one a "better" musician. I'd recommend at least learning the basics of reading music, but I don't make it a requirement when I teach. If someone just wants to learn a few chords and songs, or lead guitar for that matter, then reading music isn't totally necessary. I'll have to admit, using notation does make it easier to teach :)

I'd argue with you only slightly.

I'd agree that the ability to read doesn't make you a better PLAYER. But I would argue that it does make you a better musician, precisely in that all things being equal, having the ability to read a score over not is one more tool in your arsenal of "things musicians can be called on to do."

All things are almost never equal. Moreover, as you note, it does make it easier to teach -- precisely in that it is the written language of choice among musicians.

I don't want to start that debate again, at least not in this thread. (too late, I know :oops: ) But I'd say that if you are learning your first, or thirtieth instrument and don't know how to read, why not learn? It's something you can easily incorporate into your daily practice without taking up but a few minutes a day, and there is a payoff at the end.

I'd argue with you only slightly.

I'd agree that the ability to read doesn't make you a better PLAYER. But I would argue that it does make you a better musician, precisely in that all things being equal, having the ability to read a score over not is one more tool in your arsenal of "things musicians can be called on to do."

Yeah, no need to start the debate again - however, I think we actually do agree a little bit...:) When I said better musician, what I really meant was "better player," at least that was the context I was thinking in - though things like feel, emotion, and creativity are more of the musical qualities I was thinking of that reading won't necessarily help.

Certainly reading opens doors to make one both a better player and a better musician, but I've played with far too many outstanding musicians who couldn't read (a lots who could), and too many who could read but weren't very good players (or musicians in some cases).

Anyway,I always like to think I'm a musician first, guitar player second, and I simply can't imagine not being able to read music. But that's me...

I'll leave it at that...no more debate from me :)

And to steer things away from a debate (or maybe to a new one), learning theory, at least for me, made it much easier to learn several instruments.

Someone else eluded to it, but once you learn about music, especially if you have some knowlege of theory, it then becomes more of an issue of mehcanics when learning a 2nd, 3rd, or 10th instrument.

I started on piano, playing by ear at first when I was 6 or 7, then I later took lessons and learned to read music. I never played recorder like some of you all did in school, but started on violin when I was 10. In my early teens I started studying classical percussion (snare, timpani, marimba, drum set) at the local univeristy and not until I was 15 or 16 did I start learning guitar. I actually learned to read music on the guitar first -- my first drumset came with the complet set of Mel Bay Modern method for guitar...about the same time I started playing tenor saxophone at school and had switched from violin to viola in the school orchestra. Somewhere along the way I bought all the theory books I could find and taught myself (and since I could read four clefs, learning theory was a little easier to do by myself). Eventually I majored in theory/composition for three years, but ended up switching majors...

I also play penny whistle (and get most of my session work on that instrument) and lap steel, and I've played drums, guitar, keyboards, bass, and sax in at least one band, though mostly guitar. Over the years I've played or toyed with pedal steel, banjo, concertina, button accoridon, uilleann bagpipes, and I had to double on clarinet and flute when I played in jazz band...

But back to my point...knowing music theory (and reading) made the job of learning other instruments so much easier, even if I never got beyond basic skills on most of my secondary instruments...

And to steer things away from a debate (or maybe to a new one)
. . .
But back to my point...knowing music theory (and reading) made the job of learning other instruments so much easier, even if I never got beyond basic skills on most of my secondary instruments...

Yup. I absolutely agree.

In my experience, versatility in being able to play multiple styles and multiple instruments is terribly rare in those who don't havea good ear and know at least the basics of both music notation and music theory.

Once you know how to make various tones on a new instrument, it's so much easier to turn that into music if you have those sorts of skills.

Sure, they're only "tools in the toolbox" things, and don't directly effect your skill as a player. But they form the common ground of most instruments (certainly the common western instrumnets) and as such give you a point of reference to go off and learn something new. The more such foundational building blocks you have developed, the easier learning new skills becomes.

Someone a bit back in the thread noted that learning a new instrument gets one viewing the music in new ways. The same is true about staying on the same instrument, but learning a radical new style. A rock guy steping back and learning bluegrass fingerpicking for example, can provide the same sort of new insights into how music is structured. You don't always have to learn a new instrument, sometimes you can learn an old instrument in a new way.

I think learning music theory helps too. But the question I keep asking myself is: Is the effort I put into learning it going to be worth the reward? Most people would say yes but I say no. For the simple reason that theory in general, not just music theory, doesn't come easy to me. After 3 years of playing trumpet and clarinet to sheet music, I still couldn't process what note I was looking at fast enough.

I'm not disagreeing with anyone on here. I do believe knowing this stuff does help. But after 3 years of trying to play music and finding you're playing just as you were 3 years ago, I have to ask myself if its worth it.

Its possible that a lot of other people took that long to learn it. But I don't think playing using it for 3 years and making next to no head way is typical. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this.

I also play penny whistle (and get most of my session work on that instrument) and lap steel, and I've played drums, guitar, keyboards, bass, and sax in at least one band, though mostly guitar. Over the years I've played or toyed with pedal steel, banjo, concertina, button accoridon, uilleann bagpipes...
I know my hands are small, but how on earth does anyone 'toy' with uilleann bagpipes :lol:
Sorry, just had to make a comment on that as I saw/ heard them for the first time this past year (on a Knopfler DVD, being played by Liam O'Flynn) :)

I also play penny whistle (and get most of my session work on that instrument) and lap steel, and I've played drums, guitar, keyboards, bass, and sax in at least one band, though mostly guitar. Over the years I've played or toyed with pedal steel, banjo, concertina, button accoridon, uilleann bagpipes...
I know my hands are small, but how on earth does anyone 'toy' with uilleann bagpipes :lol:
Sorry, just had to make a comment on that as I saw/ heard them for the first time this past year (on a Knopfler DVD, being played by Liam O'Flynn) :)

Well, you don't, really :).

You use what's known as the piper's grip. I still play a low whistle, a pennywhistle (that costs far from a penny) that's an octave lower than a regular whistle. If you've ever seen River Dance, you'll have seen the uilleann pipes and the low whistle.

I was lucky, though. A friend of mine builds uilleann pipes for a living ( http://www.kirklynch.com ), but I ended up selling mine as it's one of those instruments you just don't pick up every now and then...it takes total dedication. Alas, perhaps if I had started when I was younger. Should have kept them for my son, but if he shows interest, at least I know where to get them.

Liam O'Flynn is a great piper...one of the best. I'd like to see that Knopfler DVD. I'll have to look for that.

It's the 'A Night in London' DVD, it's a recent re-release of a 1996 tape so it should be available (Sonny Landreth and Pedal steeler Paul Franklin also appear).
Actually, I'm going to go buy myself a- ahem- 'penny' whistle soon. :D I'd like to be able to play at least one wind instrument, and that one sounds the most sensible for me. I might try one of those- modified for smaller hands- low whistles later. I do like the sound. Think I'll leave those lovely uillean pipes to O'Flynn though. :lol But those Kirk Lynch uillan pipes look beautiful, wow.

Suppose you have a song that you want to play and sing, but it is in a key that is out of your voices range. What to do? Well, if you know a little theory you can transpose it into a key you can sing in, in a couple of minute if not a few seconds. Or if you have a song that you think would sound better in another key, same thing. Often in jams someone will select a song that they play in a key other than the one you play it in. Although it's proper etiquette to call out the chords this may or may not be done. Theory would come in real handy.