UNPLANNED DOWNTIME: 12th Oct 23:45
Reading music while playing
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Folks, I hope this is not as silly as it sounds but I have a problem:
I play flute and can read treble clef quite fluently. However, at 74 the body position for the flute is taxing so I resolved to do the same on the guitar. In other words, play the tune - usually as a lead in to singing. I am quite a competent chord player but I can't seem to get the same fluency and fluidity with single notes. I often need to look at the fretboard to get my fingers where they should be. I often end up learning the tune off by rote but the problem is, one wrong note (which is really easy to do while trying to pick up the rhythm) and the whole sequence is screwed.
Please be aware that I usually play up the neck on D, G, B & E strings to take the sound out of the range of the other guitarists who usually play cowboy chords.
Anyone got any helpful suggestions other than "keep at it"?
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Practice practice practice
(or, my workaround is that I play guitar more by ear than from the notation)
'I often need to look at the fretboard to get my fingers where they should be'
-Yes that can throw you off, try placing your music stand in your line of sight just above the fretboard of the guitar, so that minimum eye movement and no head turning is required to glance from the page to your fingers.. Obviously your should try and minimise these.
'I often end up learning the tune off by rote but the problem is, one wrong note (which is really easy to do while trying to pick up the rhythm) and the whole sequence is screwed'
-Never sacrifice rhythm to get a correct note, always follow the rhythm of the score and read ahead, tapping your foot etc, so if you drop a note you keep going in time. and can pick up. Rhythm is king.
'Please be aware that I usually play up the neck on D, G, B & E strings to take the sound out of the range of the other guitarists who usually play cowboy chords.'
Ok, well be surgical in your practice. take unseen pieces of music with melodies that can be played in 1st position (flute pieces are good!), but restrict yourself to fifth position (covering frets 5-8), for the piece, then do the same at position 8.
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My problem isn't that the parts are hard - apart from a bit of getting up to speed on the faster songs, technically what I'm doing (a lot of it is Freddie Green style stuff) isn't difficult. It isn't really a reading problem either: I have to put in a fair bit of prep, but I get to the point where I can read most of the charts quite fluently (although in truth I'm using the charts more as a reminder - I'm not sight reading them). There's not much single note stuff and what there is is easy.
2. Put your music stand higher? But yes, the best solution is to have it memorised and not need any sheets at all, or have the sheet music as a backup. This is simply a practical, physical arrangement that puts head movement to zero and eye movement minimal, if you are relying on sheet music.
Much like yourself I play in a swing/jive band that maybe does no more than 20 gigs a year at most. Like you say, the songs aren’t difficult per se, but I never gig it enough for them to properly sink in, and then new songs always get added anyway.
What is your chord vocab/voicing leading like?
Q do you mean first time sight reading or Reading a piece you’ve played before but haven’t memorised ?
anyway I find I only play classical etc in 3 or 4 positions : Root, 2nd fret, 5th fret and 7th fret for 90% of the time
I didn’t plan it this way, but many fingering patterns for solo lines in those positions are the CAGED pattens. Or if you don’t want learn the CAgED positions, the patterns are usually the same
onky frustrating thing is that many classical pieces have 2 or 3 flats or 4 sharps, but you don’t tend to get that with popular music
This would probably be a bit too old fashioned if we were playing instrumental music, but I’ve checked out some recent recordings by name singers doing American songbook/swing stuff, people who can afford to hire the best, and they seem to stick to the old school FG approach, albeit with a slightly more modern guitar sound.
It's a learning system specifically designed for guitarists to find the notes on the fretboard.
Downside is that the exercises are melodic nonsense designed to stop you just 'learning the tune' so practice can be a bit of a joyless slog!
It sounds like it’s a case of putting the hard yards in with it, having some strategies in place for those tricky moments.