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> Reading music is hard. People say this about many notations including the latin alphabet when they're first learning to read them. Mathematical notation is a
by swiley 8y ago
> Reading music is hard.
People say this about many notations including the latin alphabet when they're first learning to read them. Mathematical notation is another one, and while some people have legitimate complaints I think they're usually much better off just learning the current notation.
> All I want to know is where to put my fingers. Note length, tempo, [...] is minor in comparison
NO!!! Music is the combination of rhythm and pitch. In many cases rythm is more important than pitch! A music notation without rhythm is like writing without vowels. Yes you can feel out the meaning of the sentence but it's ambiguous to the point that the meaning can also often become completely lost. This is my complaint with things like guitar chords; you can figure out how to strum along if you've heard the song before but it's not nice!
People learning with western music probably underestimate just how important rhythm is even in classical music but so much more in newer music. You can't just throw that away.
>This is written from the perspective of a clueless piano beginner who just wants to play.
I feel horrible saying this but, that wasn't surprising to read. Really, practice reading new pieces for a year or so and you'll be able to sight read, it really is like learning to read all over again and the confusion will slowly go away.
EDIT: you also have to keep in mind that music notation is meant to be used by composers as well as performers, the way this removes key signitures can make you think more chromatically which I would argue hurts beginner composers a lot (who should be thinking tonally IMHO.)
- fenomas 8y ago> > All I want to know is where to put my fingers. Note length, tempo, [...] is minor in comparison > NO!!! Music is the combination of rhythm and pitch. In many cases rythm is more important than pitch! Lots of folks have jumped on this line, but surely if we put on our principle-of-charity hats we can presume that the author is saying rhythm's not important for the purposes of their notation - e.g. because it's meant for learners playing songs they're already familiar with. They're presumably not claiming rhythm is unimportant period - nobody who's heard music thinks that.
- L_226 8y agoI grew up playing multiple instruments, and I have never been able to read rhythm from sheet music. I don't know if I'm just lazy or if I have a problem. Definitely the hardest part of playing in my opinion. Have played: violin, piano, clarinet, alto sax (plus a short foray into alto-clarinet :).
- TheOtherHobbes 8y agoPeople underestimate how difficult it is to learn to read written music. You have to learn the notation, parse its meaning, and then embed the finger movements required by the notation in muscle memory so you don't need to think about them consciously. The most efficient fingerings are often not obvious and feel very clumsy to beginners - which is why they're written into piano scores. If you do what's easiest you'll cripple your progress later. And ideally you need some awareness of phrasing, context, and other elements of musicality, which some people will be born with, while others have to learn. Your brain is translating a complex set of symbols into a complex set of movements, while being aware of context and state. A different kind of notation will do very little to make any of this easier.