The Top Five Reasons to Learn to Read Music
If you need to look at the reasons for learning to read music, there are many. If you truly have an interest in music and in learning to play a musical instrument then you must seriously consider learning to read music. It is not just the act of being able to recognize the notes. There is so much more to it than that. Reading music opens up whole worlds to the person who sits in front of a pile of sheet music. The squiggles change from mere marks on the paper to a whole series of information.
Learning to read music is the basis for communication with others involved in playing music. How can you sit and talk about the way to play a piece or sing a song if you cannot understand the language of the music? If you have an interest in being in a band, singing with a choir or pursuing any other type of musical career you must be able to speak and read the language of music. This is the only way to be able to make music your life’s work. If you cannot learn to read music, the doors will not open for you and you will not be able to understand how to play your instrument nor hold a tune.
When you can read music, you are better able to understand the theory aspects of the music. This is vital to being able to look into and understand what the musical notes are trying to say. It is crucial in being able to see the configuration of a tune, the synchronization of the melody and understanding how these things are put together to make the piece of music you would like to bring to life.
If you do not learn to read music how can you properly sing a song? Sure, you can listen to your favorite song over and over again until you think you have the right tune or have someone teach it to you by repetition, but that is not the same as learning it by understanding the way the tune should be sung. Looking at the notes and understanding what they are telling you to do is the best way to learn a song. Then you are able to put your essence into it instead of copying someone else’s performance.
When you read music you are able to understand what the composer was saying. It does not matter how many times you listen to the piece, whether it is an instrumental or a vocal piece, listening to it may give you the pleasure of the music, but it will not give a true understanding of the essence of the piece unless you can read the notes and see what the composer was truly saying. If you listen to a piece of music on one of your CDs, an old record album, or on the radio, or even see it performed live, what you are hearing is the performer’s interpretation of the music. When you look at the work you may find that it was written differently and that the composer was trying to say something different. You may even find parts that weren’t played by the performer.
Sometimes looking through sheet music can bring you the pleasure of seeing a piece that you can identify with even though you have never heard it. This can only happen by being able to read the notes. It can even suggest to you what instrument you would like to hear the piece played with. Reading music opens a whole world up to the person who has mastered the theory of musical notes.
