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Originally Posted by sgcim
But if the MD doesn’t care (probably won’t.)
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04-15-2021 06:18 PM
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BTW the banjo thing is well known. It does get frowned upon a bit because of voicing spacing... but for written parts in ensemble wouldn’t make much difference.
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Originally Posted by christianm77
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Reading abilty exists on a continuum.
At the low end, it's the ability to slowly decode notation and figure out what to play.
At the high end, you can read anything and play it perfectly, with no prep, at full tempo, the first time. And, as a bonus, if you don't play a Concert, Treble Clef instrument, you can still read the concert chart.
"Sight reading" is when you can play whatever it is you're trying to play quickly and accurately enough that you aren't the guy on top of the leader's **** list and you get called again.
Tedesco said he tuned everything like a guitar.
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Originally Posted by christianm77
But seriously, Leavitt helped me to the point that a classical teacher was taken aback by my sight reading of Sagreras studies (in C and open position, of course). But still, the other community college students weren't doing that.
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Originally Posted by sgcim
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Originally Posted by rpjazzguitar
Tedesco was very nice and very funny, as is well known.
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Originally Posted by BWV
Also, lots of folks, including many Irish players, tune the banjo GDAE like an octave mandolin.
The other tunings are plectrum, CGBD, and "Chicago", DGBE.
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Originally Posted by DavidKOS
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Originally Posted by DavidKOS
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Originally Posted by sgcim
I have gigged on a Banjo-guitar. Maybe someone might object to that in account of it having the wrong number of strings
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Tenor banjo players are often scathing of guitar players who pick up banjo work using guitar tuning. Back in the day when bands started to want guitars, all the banjo players needed tenor guitars!
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Originally Posted by garybaldy
My real motivation for avoiding is that if word gets out I own a banjo I would spend the rest of my life playing trad jazz in pubs. I’m not saying a gig or two of that isn’t fun, but it never stays at that. I’ve known players who publicly announce they are never playing banjo again, sell their banjos and STILL GET CALLS.
Worst thing is, NO DOUBLING FEE.
Just say no kids.
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Originally Posted by christianm77
I would have missed so many good paying gigs without my banjo ! We do not have a comparable theatre/musical scene over here in Germania , just the ubiquitous Lion King, Phantom of the Opera etc. productions and maybe 2 or 3 guys share the guitar seat(s), it NEVER leaves a close-knitted community.
So I'm glad I picked up the banjo 30 years ago, started out trying the trad. tuning, went to DGBE QUICKLY and never looked back, never got complaints either.
AFAIK the 5th tuning of the tenor banjo was adapted because so many mandolin and violin players needed work when the salon orchestras faded away after 1910 ....
Johnny St.Cyr played a 6-string guitar banjo with Armstrong, sounded GREAT with it. The only real argument in favor of the 5th tuning is IMHO that it it has more cut in a loud group with lots of noisy, overplaying hornplayers. It just gets heard better. I get compliments from my colleagues on stage because my Plectrum banjo in DGBE sounds sweeter, has more sustain and doesn't get in the way as it's in a lower range, it leaves more room for the clarinet and trumpet. So I hear ...
I was once called for a Bigband gig and one of the charts was "Heartland" by Pat Metheny and the head is all solo guitar - in odd meter. NO WAY, JOSE !
I asked one of the trumpets to play my part and got away with it... Sightreading skills have to be maintained or they go out the window. Reading rhythm charts is one thing, practically normal fare for the guitar chair but syncopated unison 8th and 16th note lines with the horns, often very abstract, are difficult if you do not practice this OFTEN.
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Originally Posted by christianm77
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Chuck Wayne recorded on banjo, on Morning Mist, I think.
At Disneyland in Calif years ago there was a trio in New Orleans Square, clarinet, 6 string banjo with guitar tuning and bass. They sounded great. The banjo was perfect.
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Originally Posted by AllanAllen
I only know two guitarists who can sight read "almost" everything after a brief glance and they are both "Artist Level" CG's. Most competent CG's can sight read intermediate level music but usually need review for more advanced pieces especially when reading chords. I play from written scores/read new music every day.
Play live . . . Marinero
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Most modern jazz musicians are good sight readers: Peter Bernstein, Mike Moreno are two people that come to mind that are good sight readers. Not all classical musicians are very good sightreaders, some are very poor, actually: top level classical artists aren't asked to sightread very often, they typically know the music they are playing well. But most young Juilliard students are excellent sightreaders and can sightread literally anything you put in front of them, including Donna Lee (I agree with Christian it won't sound like jazz).
There does also seem to be a stylistic component to it: when I was studying classical guitar, I could sightread classical guitar pieces somewhat but that didn't translate into good sight reading for jazz heads for me. More than half the battle in big band situations is "map reading" and knowing where you are in the form, getting the notes accurate is in some ways less important, this is typically less of an issue in orchestral playing.
Long way of saying that sightreading is a big topic, and I can't think of many musicians that are truly generically good sightreaders; although I definitely know a few. Most people are good at the aspects of sightreading that matters to the kinds of gigs they play the most.
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"Not all classical musicians are very good sightreaders, some are very poor, actually: top level classical artists aren't asked to sightread very often, they typically know the music they are playing well." pcsanwald
Hi, P,
This is patently untrue. In order to progress in CM, one begins reading simple pieces progressing to very complex pieces with a good teacher who talks about hand position, dynamics, rubato, etc. Classical orchestras(all instruments) sight read music for every concert. Many concert artists(all instruments) sight read new pieces during a performance if they haven't memorized the piece. If you weren't able to sight read well, it would take you forever to learn a new piece. I once heard a notable Chicago CG who sight read his entire concert devoted to the works of Mauro Giuliani. There is no CM that would agree with your above quote. Play live . . . Marinero
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Originally Posted by Marinero
I'm sure they are still excellent readers but presumably they don't rely on sight reading excellence for performance as much.
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Our piano player ( who is classically trained) says that the ultimate goal of sight reading classes is to get through an unfamiliar piece on the spot in a musical way - during the exams they judge execution mainly in terms of fluency, expression and adherence to the form, but not the precision of reproducing the written pitches - sort of improvisation on a written theme.
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Originally Posted by Marinero
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Originally Posted by Marinero
Here's two top level classical musicians that self describe as "not good sightreaders":EI: I told Ursula Oppens, “Ursula, you must be able to sight-read this stuff,” but she said, “No, I just have to work really hard, in fact, I’m not a very good sight reader.” I was surprised that somebody who’s recorded and performed so much fresh repertoire doesn’t play it down pretty much right away. What’s your process?
MC: Well, I would say I’m not a really good sight-reader either.
Of course it's hard to tell on the internet, but, I'd never make a statement like this without having references. I probably should have included them originally.
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Originally Posted by Tal_175
Certainly most classical musicians are very good sight-readers, I'd never argue against that. I was just as surprised as y'all to read that several folks don't consider themselves particularly good sight-readers, but, there it is.
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Here's a quick story about sight reading.
I once found myself in a situation where I was sitting next to a player whose name you probably know, reading the same chart. Neither of us had seen it before.
It was a pretty challenging chart, with chords written out on staffs (no chord symbol) and a lot of Brazilian syncopation.
I could read it.
He read it better. His time was more precise.
His attack was more confident and his notes were more clearly articulated.
So, add to the checklist, "get a pro quality sound out of what you're reading".
Universal Audio Ox Amp Top Box
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