5 Reasons You Should Learn to Read Sheet Music

By: Becki on 6:04 AM

When my first ocarina arrived in the mail, I thought it would be an easy instrument to play. Everything I'd read on forums and heard about in Youtube videos suggested that it was easy to pick up and that I'd be playing my first tune within minutes. I unpacked my ocarina and accompanying songbooks, eager to see what promise they held.

The songbooks came in a difficult-to-understand (for me, anyway!) format. No fingering tabs, no sheet music. 

I felt lost and on my own, and I did the dumbest thing I can think of: I gave up.

Unnar Ýmir Björnsson CC BY 2.0 via Flickr

I'm not suggesting that you give up on your music! What I am suggesting is that learning sheet music will expand the possibilities and will make playing your instrument (whether it's an ocarina, guitar, or other instrument) much more fulfilling.

Imagine not having to search for tablature of your favorite songs. You can search, instead, for the sheet music in the correct key, and play away!

Foundation for Good Music Theory

If you can't read music, how can you be expected to know how the notes work together? Musical notation includes all sorts of useful information about how long to play a note, how long to pause between notes, and whether or not notes should be played together or separately.

Tabs don't make it easy to understand the timing of a tune, requiring you to know it well enough to work the timing out by playing. 

Musical notation gives you all of the information that you need to master a tune (with practice, of course!). 

I'm easily frustrated by tabs. Some days I spend hours scouting Youtube for the best ocarina videos of the day and find something I desperately want to play. Because they are usually free, I look for tabs first, but most of the time they are in some way incomplete and missing important components of the tunes I'd like to be able to play.

If I really like the song, I always purchase the sheet music because it is always complete and always provides enough information for me to master the song.

Anyone who really wants to make music a serious hobby (or even a profession) needs to know how to read sheet music. Without it, you'll never reach your full potential.

Easier than Reading Tabs

I am (ahem!) older and my eyes aren't what they used to be. Tabs are clear, provided that you are playing an instrument that doesn't have sub-holes. Even then, smaller tab images require me to lean in on the page to see what I'm reading, and if the tune requires the use of the sub-holes, you can forget about it.

I've often played a song out of tune and struggled to understand why because I'm missing a sharp or a flat somewhere thanks to not being able to clearly read the tablature.

Sheet music is easy to read -- once you know how. The markings are clear and the size of printed sheet music is adequate for even my aged eyes. Instead of seeing that all ten main holes plus both sub-holes are covered (on a standard twelve-hole ocarina), you will note that the note is played four steps below the bottom line of the staff.

It sounds more complicated than it is, and it is actually much easier to learn to read music than it is to learn to read Dutch or Italian (two languages I'm working on right now).

Translates to Other Instruments

Tabs are written with one instrument in mind. If you're like me and play ocarina, those fingering tabs aren't going to do you any good when you want to play keyboard or flute. You'll want to be able to read music, because the musical notation translates well to other instruments. 

Sure, you might have to learn the difference between the Treble and the Bass clefs (and the alto and tenor clefs as well!) if you want to play multiple instruments, but once you understand the concept of how the musical staff works and the position of the notes, you'll find it easier to expand your knowledge.

A single piece of the sheet music I use for my ocarina can be used for ocarina, piano/keyboard, violin, vocal, or guitar (which covers the range of all but one of the instruments that I currently toy with). 

Tablature can't do that.

Morgan CC BY 2.0 via Flickr

Readily Available

Sheet music is readily available in various ranges and arranged for multiple instruments. I typically purchase vocal or violin music for my ocarina, for example. Whatever the song you want to play, the sheet music is likely available through a musical retailer.

Personally, I like Music Notes, since the site hasn't let me down yet in terms of the selection of music available on their site.

You might have to search for a long time for tabs, ask somebody else where to find them, or hope that somebody makes them for you. Sheet music is available for nearly everything you could want to play. 

Yes, you have to pay for it. Sometimes it's a bit pricey. But if you take the time to learn to read sheet music and dedicate your practice sessions to learning how to master a song, this shouldn't be so great an issue. Choose a song or two and get really good at them.

It Benefits Your Brain

Ever wondered why smart parents are up in arms about the lack of musical education in public schools these days? I was, until I watched the following video.

Listening to music is good. Playing music is better. Playing music from sheet music that you've learned to read is best. In order to get the most out of your playing, you should learn the language of music.

When your brain works harder to produce and read the notes at the same time, you will get the greatest benefit possible for your brain. This is associated with better learning, increased retention of facts learned, and greater stability in school students.

Music has a powerful affect on the psyche, but you have to be able to read music in order to let it do the work it needs to do.

In Summary, You Should Read Sheet Music Because...

1. It is a good foundation for music theory.
2. It's easier to read than small tabs.
3. It translates to other instruments.
4. It's readily available, unlike tabs.
5. It benefits your brain.

If you liked this post, please pin it!

xroper7 CC BY-NC 2.0, via Flickr

I read sheet music. Do you? Please feel free to share any resources you have for learning to read sheet music. I'd love to read your blog posts too!