learning to read doesent have to be constrictive it can actually be liberating

[diverse379]

a lot of Lgmers I notice look at reading as a type of necessary evil

some of you seem to look at reading as a goal to reach after you have gotten your chops and chords and voicings and worship chords

praise runs 2-5-1 s
 
and other progressions.
I suppose because most of the written method books
utilize classical music as its material for your development

I cant say I blame you for your feelings

but you dont have to look at reading this way.

there are so many resources out there that utilize written material you can learn it just like you would learn anything someone taught you

play it over and over again until it is perfect

then learn it in another key

so why not do this with some written gospel examples or written jazz runs

it is still reading and while you are working out the timing and the notes you are still reading and developing that piece of this musical puzzle
and at the same time you are learning riffs that are immediately usable to your sunday ministering.


case in point the gospel piano book by kurt cowling has many many written examples

in fact all of the keyboard series have written examples

these songs are gospel in orientation
and are written in notation with some very interesting and funky rhythms

or the pop piano book
or any of the many many books that may illustrate runs or soloing concepts

bass patterns whatever

really learn these things build your vocabulary while building your reading ability

dont wait until you learn some more stuff to work on reading

learn more stuff by reading

[karendj]

I feel a bit admonished by your post, which is a good thing. I understand your perspective, and thanks for not blaming me for my feelings. But I'm a beginner and my number 1 concern is getting the most out of my time.

I do understand that reading music is vital and that is where I started, but I've got to PLAY - become proficient (defined by my own level of sastisfaction), learn the choir's music and try to stay a step ahead of them.

I spend 80% of my practice time working on my ear and studying patterns and about 20% on reading -if that much some days.

Many may disagree, but reading music doesn't seem to be essential to being a church musician. I know many who can't read a lick, but knowing a little something I see their limitations, when others can't, and I don't want to be like that, but right now thats where I am....

[Fenix]

Many may disagree, but reading music doesn't seem to be essential to being a church musician. I know many who can't read a lick, but knowing a little something I see their limitations, when others can't, and I don't want to be like that, but right now thats where I am....

I am guessing that, like a majority of musicians here, you are in the pentecostal setting and so the sons you will play are mostly "spontaneous" type stuff. As such there really is no incentive to learn to read. If you were in the more orthodox churches where hymns are played and such, you would have to learn to read. 

Funny enough i can read music, just not play AND read at the same time. I am just learning how to sight read and it is painful but ultimately rewarding.

[under13]

I agree with Fenix, It all depends on where you play. If you you are from a baptist or AME church, you just might be embaressed if you cant read music (if they even hire you). I know COGIC musicians that cant read at all, and do just fine. But they wont be versatile, if they ever want a MOM position in an AME church, they most likely would not pass the audition.

Me, I can sight read the right hand of hymns, and if you give me quite a few minutes, I can learn the song. 

[diverse379]

all of you so far have expressed some very great points.

it is true that as a cogic musician you probably need your ear more than anything

but I remind you that reading isnt all about reading hymns and liturgical music.

there are resources out there that can hip you to stuff that you probably wont hear on a recording unless you knew what to look for

case in point

there was a slick move melvin crispel did on a shout

I liked the sound of it but guess what

I learned that move from looking at an old jazz song called air mail special

a corny song but with a break that did this diministhed chordal run

the same run melvin did.

I just think that we labor over reading and struggle with it

I am suggesting that we read stuff that is fun and stuff that will help us bridge the gap

for example the brother that plays in a pentacostal church

you may want to sight read some really complex funky rhythmic stuff from a funk book

or sight read some super fast beebop

true indeed your ear will probably be your best asset.

but learning to read will become a greater asset as time goes on.

as far as the A.M.E and baptist church thing

many baptist churches and most AME churches will require you to read

and it is not just hyms but music that is not even on recordings
when you go to GMWA and the other big gospel conferences the music is written

and if you ever step outside the gospel arena the musicians who are really happening read.

I am not trying to force anyone to read
Ithink I just want people to look at reading for what it is a liberating discipline

the thought of sitting over pages of classical music can be daunting


I want to also say
that the development of the ear is just as important even moreso
in a church whether you play for a baptist church or not

because often when a song breaks out it is very difficult to be flipping pages while they are singing
and even when you do find the page if it is even written
the key is different so now you have to transpose whats on the page to a new key on the spot

difficult to say the least
\

reading really helps you with the prepared music

so keep on working on your ear

and let your reading be stuff that directly translates to stuff you may need some oscar peterson transcriptions
or chick corea runs

this stuff will help you grow and reach your goals and give you a more sophisticated and diverse pallette

[T-Block]

The same goes with learning theory D.  It doesn't have to be constrictive, it can actually be liberating.

[diverse379]

The same goes with learning theory D.  It doesn't have to be constrictive, it can actually be liberating.

yeah thats a whole new post
but i think most people on this site are into the theory thing at least to some degree

[JazzJunkie]

I agree with  you Diverse. Reading is very important  u might not have to read alot in church but it do help you when the choir director give u 3 songs to learn by sunday if u have the sheet music to it u have the rest of the week free and you do not even have to keep pressing the rewind button..lol...Another thing that has hindered church musicians is that by us not being able to read music it make it harder for us to further our education in music because they require u to know how to read. If u look on T.V. shows like American Idol and The BET Gospel Celebration some of those guys have the music sitting right there in front of them and they are not even shame about it.

[diverse379]

If u look on T.V. shows like American Idol and The BET Gospel Celebration some of those guys have the music sitting right there in front of them and they are not even shame about it.

this is an interesting statement

because a lot of people look at you like you cant play as well as a person who plays by ear because you have sheet music in front of you

they feel that a person who can just play the song regardless of how wrong it is is simply more skilled and proficient

so sometimes she will be running a bass line over incorrect chordal changes


I have heard this at my church several times

even the other day when I was practicing my richard smallwood christmas medley and i was going over some difficult parts

one of the choir members walked up and said that he notices I play the organ better or am more comfortable on the organ

the reality is that I am more proficent on the piano

but when he saw me struggling with the piano music he just figured oh he cant play the piano as well.

really funny

like you said if you have the music to a piece and it is easy enough for you to read

you can cut down on how much time you need to devote to that

conversely if you have an exceptional ear you could probably learn a piece of classical music faster than a person who cant sight read as well as you can hear

crazy right?

[Fenix]

this is an interesting statement

because a lot of people look at you like you cant play as well as a person who plays by ear because you have sheet music in front of you

My goodness this is so true. I am viewed as not being better than the other musician because he can pick up a song and play by ear. Its a shame but thats the way it is. Non-musicians have the totally wrong perception about reading music.

[SisterCM]

Interesting!

[diverse379]

My goodness this is so true. I am viewed as not being better than the other musician because he can pick up a song and play by ear. Its a shame but thats the way it is. Non-musicians have the totally wrong perception about reading music.

I think from the listeners perspective they hear a certain freedom and groove that a person just reading from a page cant really give.

truth be told however if the reader approached reading the same way a jazz musician approaches music or even the old classical masters approached music you would hear that same freedom both jazz musicians and the classical masters revered improvisation

they both use the number system and used it to improvise over changes the classical number sysem is more complete because it dictates exactly what inversion of chord needs to be played

but they both communicate harmonic changes

reading was simply meant to allow the musician to duplicate the intention of the writer

somewhere along the line (in the concert tradition )
improvisation became frowned upon and getting every single note correct became the goal
even though bach himself often went  into  improvisations
and many times departed from the written music  on one of his own compostions.

I think we need to recognize that the real goal is an effortless mastery a freedom in performing.

if you are a church musician you have to have an ear
there is no getting around that

the purpose of this post is to let you know you can grow even further if you develop your sight as well as your ear.

if you are looking to read to make up for your shortcoming in picking up songs by ear you are in for a rude awakening unless you plan on playing for a catholic church or a presbetyrian church

a reader will rarely be appreciated for his ability to read
he will only be appreciated for the beautiful music he or plays. so if you can get that by reading or by hearing or a combination of both  for that is what you will be judged.

and that is how it should be let the formally trained musician not look down upon the self taught musician less he be embarrased when he gets played under the table

let not the ear player not over look the reading musician less he become floored by the sheer diversity and and masterful performances of music he cannot even conceive.

see it is the excellence of your gift that will bring you before great men
not how you obtained that gift but the final product.

if you and I are looked at as being less of a musician because we read well they are only part right

we may not be as good as the next musician but that is because of any number of reasons

reading not being one of them

less experience
less freedom
less annointing
less skill
wrong season
wrong genre

whatever

we all need to become the best we can be.

I will reiterate
that if you read the right things and the right way

you will find that you can become better than you ever imagined.

thanks for your statements I appreciate the responses

[karendj]

After reading all the responses I went in search of resources for sight reading so that I can best utilize my time. Currently, I'm using the old red Baptist Hymnal, which can get boring - which is probably why I don't practice sight reading much - but anyway here is a great post by diverse379 that will help anyone who was inspired to go back and "Do Better," like I was! 

how to combat the law of diminishing returns (get the most from your practice)
« on: May 18, 2008, 07:56:08 PM » Quote 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I did martial arts I learned that if you did the same stretches all the time your body adapts and your flexibility will plateau

when I learned how to lift weights I learned that your muscles will stop growing if you do the same routine all the time

I think the same is true of the keyboard and organ

I have recently had a resurgence of energy in regards to playing

I have developed a pretty good routine that has me practicing about two to three hours per day

but I want to keep my practice fresh so i dont plateau

So I will be switiching up the work out for the next couple of weeks
for this new practice regimin which still only requires one hour

you will need the following books

for technique Hanon we will leave this the same as last practice routine

for harmony
the contemporary keyboardist  by john novello or pop piano book by mark harrison
or bill dobbins jazz harmony


for rhythm
the pop piano book  by mark harrison



for piano style
gospel piano by kurt cowling or what ever book you use for style
or a dvd

for organ technique
any wheat works Dvd
or harold gleasons organ technique book
or the hammond book


for songs
African Heritage hymnal

here is the suggested one hour practice

if you have more time then
triple the time for everything except technique
leave technique at 25 minutes

Hanon 1-39 25 minutes
if you are not up to a high enough number to eat up 25 minutes practice scales


diatonic chord exercises from contemporary keyboardist   5 minutes
at least 3 keys
for example play major scale in  seventh chords  at a tempo of 100 BPM with no mistakes
with both left and right hands
you will find this in the above mentioned books

practice  1 funk rhythm  5 minutes  funk keyboards for example a two handed syncopated move

practice one gospel piano concept  5 minutes  kurt cowling book
for example play any exercise from what ever chapter you are on and transpose it to at least two keys

practice one organ concept from gleason book  10 minutes
do a thumb glissando or do a two note glissando
or practice finger crossing
or double foot pedaling exercise

practice one song from African Heritage hymnal  10
do hymn number XYZ and work on playing in perfect time
or sight reading or embellishing what ever your goal

the purpose of these practice routines is to hit as many areas as you can
so you can maximize your practice and
after a month or two you will see yourself getting stronger in many areas




this completes one hour of practice

if you do this every day
by the end of the week you will
have spent 35 minutes on funk drills
35 minutes on 

[betnich]

I think the key in learning new stuff, reading, etc. is to take it a little bit at a time - if you're feeling overwhelmed, stop, take a deep breath, come back later and break it down into ever smaller pieces...

[diverse379]

After reading all the responses I went in search of resources for sight reading so that I can best utilize my time. Currently, I'm using the old red Baptist Hymnal, which can get boring - which is probably why I don't practice sight reading much - but anyway here is a great post by diverse379 that will help anyone who was inspired to go back and "Do Better," like I was! 

how to combat the law of diminishing returns (get the most from your practice)
« on: May 18, 2008, 07:56:08 PM » Quote 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When I did martial arts I learned that if you did the same stretches all the time your body adapts and your flexibility will plateau

when I learned how to lift weights I learned that your muscles will stop growing if you do the same routine all the time

I think the same is true of the keyboard and organ

I have recently had a resurgence of energy in regards to playing

I have developed a pretty good routine that has me practicing about two to three hours per day

but I want to keep my practice fresh so i dont plateau

So I will be switiching up the work out for the next couple of weeks
for this new practice regimin which still only requires one hour

you will need the following books

for technique Hanon we will leave this the same as last practice routine

for harmony
the contemporary keyboardist  by john novello or pop piano book by mark harrison
or bill dobbins jazz harmony


for rhythm
the pop piano book  by mark harrison



for piano style
gospel piano by kurt cowling or what ever book you use for style
or a dvd

for organ technique
any wheat works Dvd
or harold gleasons organ technique book
or the hammond book


for songs
African Heritage hymnal

here is the suggested one hour practice

if you have more time then
triple the time for everything except technique
leave technique at 25 minutes

Hanon 1-39 25 minutes
if you are not up to a high enough number to eat up 25 minutes practice scales


diatonic chord exercises from contemporary keyboardist   5 minutes
at least 3 keys
for example play major scale in  seventh chords  at a tempo of 100 BPM with no mistakes
with both left and right hands
you will find this in the above mentioned books

practice  1 funk rhythm  5 minutes  funk keyboards for example a two handed syncopated move

practice one gospel piano concept  5 minutes  kurt cowling book
for example play any exercise from what ever chapter you are on and transpose it to at least two keys

practice one organ concept from gleason book  10 minutes
do a thumb glissando or do a two note glissando
or practice finger crossing
or double foot pedaling exercise

practice one song from African Heritage hymnal  10
do hymn number XYZ and work on playing in perfect time
or sight reading or embellishing what ever your goal

the purpose of these practice routines is to hit as many areas as you can
so you can maximize your practice and
after a month or two you will see yourself getting stronger in many areas




this completes one hour of practice

if you do this every day
by the end of the week you will
have spent 35 minutes on funk drills
35 minutes on 

wow
I remember that practice routine it grew out of a one hour routine I devised when I went on vacation


that was when 'I needed a real renewing

I had let months go by without really practicing
i was getting sloppy my song list was diminishing

I was basically falling apart as a musician

I started doing that routine when I was on vacation

the idea was I just needed to get away from my family and friends for one hour

all I had to do was locate a piano

I did this routine and continued it when I got home

and in a matter of two weeks my playing went to an entirely different level

this routine that you see came as a result of that plateau effect
plus I was now feeling more motivated so could spend more than an hour



I should revisit this on those uninspired unmotivated momments

because this routine is one of the best I have ever done

the original
was 20 minutes of hanon
of minutes of gospel keyboard by kurt cowling
or some gospel move in every key  (should be short but very useful and something you dont know like the back of your hand preferably something you dont have down yet.

20 minutes of reading hymns from the hymn book

5 minutes of moving some new voicings around (this actually was the second thing I did not the fourth

fminutes of just playing whatever
just perform minister to yourself



I am pretty sure this was the routine

I may have missed something but I did a post on that routine as well
it was a week or two before this one