Is there a consensus on the best books for learning how to read?

[Christian Miller]

I read through the real books a lot. Try recording a tune you don’t know .


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[James W]

Is there a particular book you like for the Bach Chorales? I would prefer treble clef only (no TAB) and something clean, legible and with somewhat larger notation like the Urtext versions.

Also let’s not forget Rob’s book of the cello suites arranged for plectrum guitar.

I like this -

371 Harmonized Chorales: Piano Solo: Amazon.co.uk: J.S. Bach: 8601404377037: Books

... except it features bass clef. I'm not sure you'll find a book of Bach chorales that doesn't.

[AllanAllen]

Otherwise, why are trumpet players, and violinists such great readers? Because that's all they do. They pick up an instrument, and open some music

In the big band I play with, people will open a book to warm up with scales, they're always reading.

[joe2758]

You mean they read just regular scales off a page??

[pkirk]

Also let’s not forget Rob’s book of the cello suites arranged for plectrum guitar.

Link?

[Mick-7]

Someone's 2023 doctoral thesis.... earn a PhD from writing book reviews, what a concept.

A Comparative Review of Six Sight-Reading Manuals for Jazz and Contemporary Bassists -- Research Portal

[alltunes]

Link?

Amazon.com

[AllanAllen]

Someone's 2023 doctoral thesis.... earn a PhD from writing book reviews, what a concept.

A Comparative Review of Six Sight-Reading Manuals for Jazz and Contemporary Bassists -- Research Portal

When you boil it down, unless it’s your study, a research thesis is a book review.

[rpjazzguitar]

A lot of reading lesson material seems to focus on streams of 8th notes. There sometimes isn't much syncopation.

In the reading I end up doing in real life, it's almost always syncopated. Composers and arrangers like to do things that are original so they often put in rhythms that are unusual.

Here's what sight reading means to me.

You're comping quarter note slash marks along with a big band and you suddenly come to a bunch of unfamiliar hits, each of which has its own chord. The hits are written within the staff, but the chord symbols are above it. Now, your eyes have to bounce up and down to read the rhythm and play the correct chords. When you first glanced over the chart (if there was time for that) maybe you noticed that section and thought, ok, I can play that. But maybe you were thinking 100bpm and they counted it off at 220bpm. You'd like to ask the leader to start the tune over slowly, but you noticed that the pianist nailed the whole thing and he's reading everything you are, plus the left hand. Those thoughts are distracting and now you're uncertain where the band is in the chart. Now you have to lay out while you try to figure out where you are. You could do it if you could hear the piano or maybe the bass, but all you can hear is brass. That's reading, and I barely scratched the surface of what can go wrong.

[pkirk]

Amazon.com

thanks

I liked this one a lot when I was working on (single note) sight reading

Advanced Rhythms – Charles Colin Music

the melodies are atonal and unpredictable, unlike most of the other resources mentioned here.

The other thing I did was go to the music library and check out/read through tons of clarinet and violin etude books.

[AllanAllen]

A lot of reading lesson material seems to focus on streams of 8th notes. There sometimes isn't much syncopation.

In the reading I end up doing in real life, it's almost always syncopated. Composers and arrangers like to do things that are original so they often put in rhythms that are unusual.

Here's what sight reading means to me.

You're comping quarter note slash marks along with a big band and you suddenly come to a bunch of unfamiliar hits, each of which has its own chord. The hits are written within the staff, but the chord symbols are above it. Now, your eyes have to bounce up and down to read the rhythm and play the correct chords. When you first glanced over the chart (if there was time for that) maybe you noticed that section and thought, ok, I can play that. But maybe you were thinking 100bpm and they counted it off at 220bpm. You'd like to ask the leader to start the tune over slowly, but you noticed that the pianist nailed the whole thing and he's reading everything you are, plus the left hand. Those thoughts are distracting and now you're uncertain where the band is in the chart. Now you have to lay out while you try to figure out where you are. You could do it if you could hear the piano or maybe the bass, but all you can hear is brass. That's reading, and I barely scratched the surface of what can go wrong.

You didn’t even get to the single notes.

[RJVB]

Legend has it I taught myself to read using kids' biology book

[rpjazzguitar]

You didn’t even get to the single notes.

I left out a bunch of potential problems that can occur between when the leader calls the tune and when you get the chart smoothed out on your stand. Sounds like a joke, but isn't.

[gavinashun]

All great stuff and very challenging reading.

Yeah ... I'm not expecting to be able to get to the level of sight-reading that content ... just want to be able to work through it and not take 10 minutes per line, like I have to do now! That is pretty much my goal. That, and being able to sight-read standard heads.

[charlieparker]

Charlie Parker supposedly spent a lot of time with Klose's Clarinet etudes. Not sure if it was more about technique or reading.

[rpjazzguitar]

Clarinet has a very similar range to guitar. Back then there wasn't much written specifically for guitar, so clarinet books were sometimes used by guitarists to practice reading.

[wolflen]

A lot of reading lesson material seems to focus on streams of 8th notes. There sometimes isn't much syncopation.

In the reading I end up doing in real life, it's almost always syncopated. Composers and arrangers like to do things that are original so they often put in rhythms that are unusual.

Here's what sight reading means to me.

You're comping quarter note slash marks along with a big band and you suddenly come to a bunch of unfamiliar hits, each of which has its own chord. The hits are written within the staff, but the chord symbols are above it. Now, your eyes have to bounce up and down to read the rhythm and play the correct chords. When you first glanced over the chart (if there was time for that) maybe you noticed that section and thought, ok, I can play that. But maybe you were thinking 100bpm and they counted it off at 220bpm. You'd like to ask the leader to start the tune over slowly, but you noticed that the pianist nailed the whole thing and he's reading everything you are, plus the left hand. Those thoughts are distracting and now you're uncertain where the band is in the chart. Now you have to lay out while you try to figure out where you are. You could do it if you could hear the piano or maybe the bass, but all you can hear is brass. That's reading, and I barely scratched the surface of what can go wrong.

ahh..life of the pro musician..

a local band member invited me to sit in..they were doing a restaurant gig..ok..how serious could it be..it was a fairly dark room..so I set up and then the lights went up a tad..
now Im looking at the back up "wrecking crew" ..a seasoned studio keyboard player..a Zappa trumpet player and so on..the charts were penned well..and the tunes were standards..I passed on the solos..the keyboard player was point man..then.."good bye pork pie hat"..it seems this was rehearsed by this crew but then again..I just comped the chords not to clash with the keyboard guy..they were taking solos..I thought ok I can do this at this tempo..but after the head the tempo changed and so did the key..now the head was repeated and I had to transpose the head..in my head and solo in a different key at a much faster tempo..I got lost in the progression..and looked at the keyboard player to save me..which he did..smiling.

In the Howard Roberts sight reading manual..he stresses about self confidence and the ability not to let the other musicians know you have any
doubts about the material..if so.they will expect you to make mistakes ..yeah..thanks for the support guys..

bottom line..reading in a strange live pro environment is far different than any other. In the above setting I felt later..that it was akin to locker room towel snaps.

[Alter]

I used to go through the Real Book for years, then the Omnibook. At some point I realized reading rhythms was more difficult than reading the notes, so I worked with Agostini 1 and 4, also went through books like Berklee's Harmonic Rhythms. I still go through them.

If you do like 5 minutes a day for a few months, it's enough to get you through almost anything. I did it for one season, September to June and after that everything was easier.

[rpjazzguitar]

I used to go through the Real Book for years, then the Omnibook. At some point I realized reading rhythms was more difficult than reading the notes, so I worked with Agostini 1 and 4, also went through books like Berklee's Harmonic Rhythms. I still go through them.

If you do like 5 minutes a day for a few months, it's enough to get you through almost anything. I did it for one season, September to June and after that everything was easier.

I couldn't find Harmonic Rhythms, but I did find one called Melodic Rhythms. It covers a lot of ground.