Jeff!

Bleed like that? Never in over 40 years of playing professionally. Artistic/dramatic license in effect there I would say, although... maybe there are some that have! Not me personally though. Read music at that level? Yup! But I have been practicing THAT for as long as I have played.. and .. I have to read charts/arrangements on many of the gigs/dates that I do. It's like anything else though... the more you do, the more you maintain! As far as your getting to that level...

... it doesn't matter! You don't "need" to. You will get to YOUR personal level and continue up from there! Keep playing! That's the key!

Tommyp

Thanks for answering my question, hope to hear from some others. I often wonder how many musicians "play by ear".

Jeff!

Sorry... me again! What I have found over the decades, especially so with drummer's, is that MORE than not "play by ear"... and there is nothing wrong with THAT either! A lot of those players are monsters! The whole "reading music" trip really only comes into play IF you are working dates/gigs that require it. MANY don't!, which is why there are so many killer players out there that don't read. You may know this already, but... Buddy Rich couldn't read a note!, and it certainly didn't matter. He was just one of many.

Tommyp

I have not bleed from playing since I was about 14 years old. Use proper technic and you won't even get blisters. As far as reading goes, I can read any drum music but many times do not have the technical skills to actually play it. Reading and writing music is simply a means of communication. It is easier to communicate with other musicians if we all use the same language.

Interesting guys! Thanks!

So many people/drummers seem to run scared of a bit of reading when in fact its just a bit of logic and as you rightly say and just a bit of communication between musicians. Ok sight reading an almighty Big Band chart or depping in on the Lion King on Broadway at the last minute is something else, but that aside it's not quite as bad as people presume.

I think that for a drummer it's much more important to -understand- music than it is to be able to read it. You need to know 'something' about time and structure just in order to be able to communicate with the other guys in your own band. I always made notes for myself when I was rehearsing with a new band. That way, when I got home I had my own set of cues and notes about time, the groove, where the major hits, or stops were etc. It allowed me to be prepared and it facilitated communication with the other players. You don't have to know how to read, but you need something similar if you are someone who approaches playing with a professional attitude and wants to be prepared when it comes time to play. If you can't read, at least learn the lingo, what different musical terms mean. It'll help you whether you're playing with a big band, or just you and a piano player. You'll be able to understand better what is being asked of you if you know what they're talking about.

Read or no read, every musician needs to at least understand the common musical terms and ground rules. Otherwise, you're just lost in space...

John

I knew that Buddy couldn't read, but what I don't know is how he did it, especially playing with guys that were reading.

I tend to agree with John on this one. That solo sounded pretty intricate for an actor that happens to play the drums.

JR!

Buddy had, for lack of another way to phrase it... a photographic memory. The guy was just amazing! He only had to LISTEN to the band run down the chart ONCE, usually with no drums/drummer, and then he would play it... perfectly. I chatted about exactly this with two trumpet players that were on his band in the 70's. There were exceptions though! On a few extremely challenging arrangements.. ( Diabolus is one! ) .. with it's intricate passages and shifting time signatures, Buddy would sit out front and have a drummer sit in and play the chart down with the band... once. Then he'd play it. Just incredible!, and completely natural... for him! It some conversations I had with John La Barbera.. ( one of BR's favorite writer/arrangers ) .. John told me that his brother Joe La Barbera played down a few for Buddy while Buddy listened. Again, once! After once through, Buddy had it down! The arrangements only got better as he played them night after night, but even the first performance of a NEW chart was spectacular, and with him never reading a note. He was truly... "one of a kind" .

Tommyp