Learning Guitar – Reading Music
Is reading music important, if you want to learn how to play guitar? This is a common question that many beginners ask. The answer is – it depends. If you want to be any good at it, then you should definitely learn how to read music. If you want to just play around a little and learn to play a few simple campfire songs, then it’s not that important I guess.
You decide. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to grow as a guitarist and as a musician? If yes, then reading music is definitely a way to go. It can help you in many, many ways. Why?
For a multitude of reasons. It’s important for you to understand that standard notation, or staff notation, is the most accurate way of describing music. It tells you everything you need to know in order to play a particular song. Remember, tabs are not standard notation. They can be helpful sometimes, but this is not what we are talking about here.
If you can read standard notation, you can play any song you want, even if you never heard it before. Now isn’t that something? And there will be no need to memorize everything. It will all be on paper. Just think how your repertoire will grow.
You will also acquire much better understanding of how things work. Not just how your guitar works, but music in general. A whole new world of musical possibilities will open up for you.
It all comes to this – if you want to become a proficient guitarist, maybe even a pro, then the ability to read music is simply a must. There is no way around it, there are no shortcuts. You can never rise above the amateur level, if you don’t understand this.
I definitely think it’s worth your time and effort. The rewards are priceless. And it’s really not rocket science. Certainly not as difficult as many people would have you believe. Just get in there and start learning. The sooner, the better.
Good lessons – which include reading music, of course – can get you very far very quickly. Check out guitar instructional dvd and you’ll be on your way in no time. Also see learn how to play acoustic guitar.
