Posted by Rick Denney on March 28, 2003 at 07:52:19:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Poor HS Student in need of Euphonium posted by Learning by rote on March 27, 2003 at 17:36:45:
That's why music isn't a sport. Contests only measure performance against a set standard, which may or may not include skills that any given pro might think important. That is why auditions are more rounded and why audition selectees are on probation for a long period after being selected.
The reading musician is likely to find more work as a free-lancer, especially in studio gigs where sight-reading is a critical skill. But the mediocre sight-reader who is a great musician can still do lots of gigs, including orchestra gigs where the music is available long in advance.
But being good at one eventually translates to the other. I've always been a mediocre reader, needing lots of time to work through parts. But over the years, my reading ability is improved dramatically, and I'm at the point now where whatever I can't play in about three attempts will require weeks of work on fundamentals to learn.
As to explaining it, some people learn by analysis and some by intuition. The intuition learners tend to be the better readers, in my observation, because they sense where the music should go and can interpret complex phrases at a glance. The analysts among us build up the overall picture from the details, while the intuitive types see the picture and already understand nearly all the detail. You know the intuitive types: They are the ones who can't explain how they do it.
Rick "intuitive at some things and analytical in others" Denney