new to mandolin! how to read!

[August Watters]

Just from curiosity: did these relatives and friends sing the printed words, or did they just stick with "do-re-me-fa" (which is as far as shaped-note usually goes)?

== John ==

The shape-note system was designed to make melodies easier to read (although it didn't work out so well, which is why we don't use them any more!). There's been a revival, and there are shape note singings continuing in several places around the country. Usually they begin by singing the sol-fa syllables once through, and then on the words.

there's more at fasola.org

[bobby bill]

does it help to know how to read music

Yes. It helps.

And it doesn't hurt.

[Trevor Thomas]

It all depends. Standard ‘dots’ notation can record most music reasonably accurately, but it doesn’t tell you where to put your fingers. It’s great for people who can already play, and know where all the notes are, in several different positions. It’s also more ‘visual’ than tablature.

Tab can be just as accurate as standard dots, indeed a lot of the rhythmic notation conventions are the same. It has the advantage of showing you where to put your fingers. In some cases – crosspicking springs to mind – it’s a much better representation of how to play the music than standard is.

The disadvantage to both is that if people have it written in front of them, they don’t bother to learn it. We all know of people who can’t play a thing without the paper in front of them. If all you want to do is play in front of a music stand then you don’t need to go any further.

But if you want to be able to improvise, to pick things up by hearing them, to join in with stuff you’ve never heard before, to look at other people for visual clues, for grins, and the connection – then you’ll need to get off the paper as soon as possible. By all means learn to read both standard notation and tablature – they’re both useful, and they've both got their merits as learning aids. But I believe it’s best to memorise and internalise the stuff as soon as you can.