Musicians Poll on being able to read music.

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Until recently I thought musicans who can't read music were lazy and were missing a way to improve and communicate with other musicians. It may depend on the type of music and ear training music though. For my part I can read and find it essential, except when finding a note to go with a chord when playing with a bluegrass band.

What are your thoughts?

Can read, and have you ever tried playing advanced classical music without reading? I have a really good ear, but it's not enough.

I read and used it in a pop context. When I was scoring vocal harmonies it became necessary to be able to read and write it.

A number of years ago a co-worker was getting married and wanted Peter Stukey's "Wedding Song" (There is Love) performed. A guitar player who also worked with us asked me about playing it the way it was recorded. Not being familiar with the guitar then I asked where the open strings are on a piano staff. He had no idea what I was talking about and I wasn't able to help him in the least.

I can read music and rhythms very well thanks to playing drums throughout high school and guitar/piano since. I don't find it terrifically necessary for guitar and I usually notate my songs in tablature for my musician friends who may or may not have learned to read music. When I cover a song, I learn it by ear rather than seeking any scored version since they're always incomplete and usually full of errors. For piano, I find reading music is completely necessary. Honestly, my ear is good but not exceptional so I should probably work on that .

i can read music as easily as i read english; it is just another way to write down sounds to make in a specific order.
i did start with musical training very young, and i'm classically trained, ochestra setting. you dont have a choice but read music there, the music is too long and complicated to play by ear, although by the time performances come around i will only need the written sheets as a memorysupport.

i find that playing by ear comes quite hard to me but that is getting better the more i do it, the hardest thing it figuring out the starting note and he specific key of the song; once i find those out, it's relatively easy to learn the rest of the song.

musicreading is very useful though, i can hear the song in my head from the notes, even if i see a directors score (several instruments on a single page) i have no trouble seeing and 'hearing' how it will sound when played.

I can read.. I was taught Theory when I was young but now that I am a pop/rock musician I don't need sheet. I can improvise with ease try it OP.

technically, i can "read" music but my brain has insufficient throughput speed to be able to instantly translate the notes i see into finger positions on whatever instrument i am struggling with at the moment.

I can read music,took private lessons and a band geek.I can read really fast so this helped me with learning to read sheet music.
We have a lot of local musicians here that play by ear,I have always admired that.

I was a band kid up until 7th grade, and I did choir for about three years, so I was taught how to read it. I rarely have to, though.

I mainly play the flute in band so I can read sheet music and I can do it at a good pace. Usually, I just sit on my bed and just play music that comes to my head. That is either by ear or my own music that I make up.

Can read a tiny bit but not really. play mostly improvised music anyway.

I can read rhythms but not notes. All I see are dots and lines on a page. I had to teach myself guitar and realized that reading music was a waste of time as I have two ears that do the same thing. I also refuse to learn to read music as I was bullied out of High School band for not being able to read the music to the instrument I was playing (bass Guitar) even though I already knew the songs they wanted me to preform. (90's rock and show tunes for pep band). I once suggested the song "Again" by Alice in chains but all I got was funny looks by the band kids. Them kids had a bad case of "ego". I put up with too much s**t from "classically trained" musicians with over inflated egos to be bothered to read music.

You might be able to decipher simpler songs simply by ear, but on songs with fast passages, complex melodies, and/or unusual time signatures, it is ESSENTIAL to be able to read music.