A Pro Musician Answers Your Questions About Professional Music

[smoothmoniker]

Originally Posted by Brianna

My son Danny (17) wants to know how important is it to be able to read traditional music? Danny reads tone-notes.

And he wants me to say that he thinks you're bad ass for being a pro musician.

Ooops! Sorry Bri, I skipped over it the first time.

It depends on what he wants to do. For serious session players, it's essential. You have to read or you don't work. If you work mostly on band projects, and ear is much more important.

On about 50% of the projects I play for, I never see an scrap of written paper. I go into the studio, listen to the demo once or twice, then go sit down at the piano and play something that feels right. I have a system for sketching out a basic rhythm chart while listening to a song for the first time, so that after one listen I can play it. That matters more, most of the time, than being able to read traditional piano music.

And tell him thank you. I feel pretty bad ass. Here in my khakis and polo. Driving a jetta. To Gymboree.