Tip For Learnig Sheet Music

raindog1970 · Post by **raindog1970** » Mon Jul 23, 2001 6:55 pm

I made a discovery recently that has greatly increased the speed at which I'm learning to read sheet music... maybe some of you will find it useful also.
The thought occured to me that they don't teach reading and writing separately in grammar school because it's better to learn them together.
I then decided to take the same approach to learning sheet music, and the results have been very satisfying.
At the risk of sounding commercial, I won't mention the names of any notation software packages... but there are several good ones.
I don't think a software approach is absolutely necessary, but I believe it is better than writing by hand for many reasons.
The software I use plays the notes as I write them, which helps train my ear as well.
I wish I had thought of this approach 3 months ago when I started teaching myself to read sheet music... I'd be doing much better now.
My tutorial books and CDs have taught me quite a bit, but adding writing to my daily practice has really given me a learning boost.
I hope this tip is helpful.

jmssmh · Post by **jmssmh** » Mon Jul 23, 2001 7:27 pm

Another concept that also can be taken from the reading world is to play music the same way you read out loud. To read fluently aloud the eyes and the brain must be a few words ahead of the mouth. This is also necessary in trying to play music-having the eyes and brain a few notes ahead of the fingers

Joe

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 23, 2001 9:59 pm

If you want to sound like the Irish Dance players then learning Breathing and Rhythm is very handy

I am not much of a player but I did learn from an Irish musician ( Sligo )

Here is what he taught me,

1
You play with YOUR FEET

Learn to 'Batter the Floor' with 'Hob Nailed Boots' if you can get either or both, failing that solid shoes on a wood floor is fine. Also helps if the feet are elevated off the floor - sitting on a seat that is slightly too high for example, if not alternate tapping the toes at a steady pace is a fair cheat... lol

2
Breathing

You have to learn to HUFF from the middle of your body, this is not forever but a must for the cold beginner.

3
Emphasis can only be gotten if you are playing evenly but softly to start, IOW you blow a little harder to empasise things.

4
Learn each tune well, and play it evenly and slowly, aim for Rhythm so if you mess up the fingering aim to get next note correct but do not stop or attempt to correct the error. Go for the Flow not the ripples!

Nice beginner tunes with irritating fingering 1 Jim Morrisons Little Polka, aslo called Whiskey Before Breakfast - employs 'cross' fingering in the Key of G offf a D stick.
(cussing material but it teaches lots of repect for fingering ... took me several years to nail it down WELL)

2 The Humors of Ballyconnell - simple as Pie Pt 1 and 2 ... Pt 3 needs lots of hard practice -> MODAL <-HINT hint ( once asked a 5 String Banjo player what that meant, he answered ' modal means how I play it' )

3 If still here, playing the Wind That Shakes the Barley falls out of your hands at this time, in fact a whole barrel of 'D' Reels are now under your fingers, little practice needed.

4 Reels in G, A - growth is natural... it will happen.

5 Please DO try to hear recordings of Micko Russel, a little dated these days but it is what I heard as a child in Ireland half a century ago BEFORE the Chieftans etc IOW it is NOT that hard to do it well!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: toasty on 2001-07-24 00:02 ]</font>

Blaine McArthur · Post by **Blaine McArthur** » Mon Jul 23, 2001 10:23 pm

On 2001-07-23 23:59, toasty wrote:
I am not much of a player but I did learn from an Irish musician ( Sligo )

Here is what he taught me,

1
You play with YOUR FEET

You sure he wasn't talking about playing the Bohran.....

Blaine

(OK, OK, I have a Bohran, and I AM one of those people people make Bohran jokes about.)

Blaine McArthur · Post by **Blaine McArthur** » Mon Jul 23, 2001 10:40 pm

In all seriousness, I am seriously thinking of taking lessons. I have been dabbling with the flute for a while now, and I think I want to do it right. (I never took guitar lessons and picked up a lot of bad habits that I don't think I will ever unlearn.)

Blaine

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jul 23, 2001 11:01 pm

On 2001-07-24 00:23, Blaine McArthur wrote:
On 2001-07-23 23:59, toasty wrote:
I am not much of a player but I did learn from an Irish musician ( Sligo )

Here is what he taught me,

1
You play with YOUR FEET

You sure he wasn't talking about playing the Bohran.....

Blaine

(OK, OK, I have a Bohran, and I AM one of those people people make Bohran jokes about.)

you must have radio ears or psychic something ...

feet and dance music

the bordrahn was revived in the 70's before that time there were no drums in sessions

Other fascinating facts ...

Mary Bergin belongs to the Fleadh tradition ... but Micko Russell belongs to the dance tradition.

NOW
Can you hear the difference?

Blaine McArthur · Post by **Blaine McArthur** » Mon Jul 23, 2001 11:29 pm

forgive me for digressing too much from the subject of reading music, but your mention of tradition brings up something else I find interesting. I cannot remember where I read it, but, it seems the guitar was actually banned from Comholtas(?), Ceolas(?) sessions for quite a while because it was not a tradtional instrument; Whereas now a good nuber of irish musicians use it. And the Irish bouzouki is a totally new invention since the 'early '70's (not forgetting it's Greek root of course.)

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 24, 2001 8:27 am

Hi again, yup the Zuke is a central European instrument. Yup they did bann stuff, and they were ignored - I began learning the Strings at age 7.

The Music that people hear most of the time is 99% hype .99% their own imagination and .1% real. Use Tape Recorder at live sessions and check it out!

Occasionaly a player like Collins will come along and wake us up

, another Junior Crehan.

Irish Folk is derived in some part from the Harp, I say in some since the ordinary people did not have a Harp in every house, rather they had primitive whistles - made out to Wood - stringed instruments like the lyre / tympan etc.

The Harp was the Uillean Pipes of those times , a Gentleman's privilidge. They would own one but mostly employ a trained Harper to play.

The Harpers practiced a sort of Aural Therapy by using the instrument to make the audience Laugh, Sleep, Cry and or Waken.

I think we are asleep once more since I have not heard a lively tune in a long time. The Accordianist Joe Cooley - RIP - played the Awakening Music. You can hear him on CD, there is only one, at Waltons/NPU or any good Irish Trad store.

Have a happy day

Blaine McArthur · Post by **Blaine McArthur** » Tue Jul 24, 2001 8:59 am

I learned very quickly that "Celtic" music and Irish, especially Irish traditional, are not synonymous. Someone on another list sent me a cassette tape of an irish pub session complete with voices in the background, the clink of glasses of Guiness, the occasional fuffed note and an obviously high level of energetic playing - they were having a real good time. It was not Riverdance or Titanic.

Blaine

fiddling_tenor · Post by **fiddling_tenor** » Tue Jul 24, 2001 9:12 am

I start to learn a tune by first singing/humming it (my own form of "lilting"). Once I can sing/hum/lilt through a tune, I start to play it. That way I can concentrate on evoking the notes without my nose in sheet music.

My own experience playing violin (20+ years now) has shown me that I don't realy learn a piece until I put the music away and force myself to trust my memory. Otherwise the music remains a crutch.

Tap toes or whatever to help, but if the music's in your head, I guarantee it'll come out through the fingers.