DATE: Thu, 01 Sep 1994 09:18:15 CDT From: Barry Schaede Subject: : My two cents
There's a difference between reading music and the written word. There are people that don't read music for whom the music that they don't read exists in their heads as real and absolutely as if it were being played at that moment. All they have to do is hear it once. I've met no one that has this ability with written words spoken aloud. The point of written words is not to capture spoken words so that they be spoken again and again. It's a form of communication unto its own. This is also true of musical notation but to a much lesser degree. I can read music, but not for harmonica. That's not how I learned to play it. I think there is tremendous value in having good ear ability. The interesting thing about all this ear notation fuss. If you don't have a good ear you can practise for the rest of your life and not get it. If you can't read music you can learn. Larry Adler didn't learn to read music until the middle of his very long career. (this tidbit courtesy of HH&HB and Kim Field) FJM
