Learning to read sheet music

[Sparquelito]

I can't find a singing forum anywhere on the MPN home page, so I'll post this here and see what happens.

Last year I visited a local barbershop quartet singing club, at the invitation of an old friend and musical collaborator.
It was a fun group of old guys and ladies, and they were very much passionate about singing and performing out and about the town, for special events and parties.

I enjoyed the practices, and I fell right in with the tenors, singing those parts quite naturally and instinctively.
The problem was, the director of the club insisted, understandably, that everyone read the sheet music, and sing their parts precisely as written.
No improvisation, and no making it up as you go.

My shortcoming was that I cannot read sheet music.
I'm a good singer, and I'm really good at falling in and providing beautiful harmonies behind the lead singer (on the songs where someone else in our bands and combos is carrying the lead vocal).

But it's all instinct. It's in my DNA.
It's not taught at school.

My brother and I took up musicianship at an early age, and we were self-taught guitar players, bass player, drummers, and keyboard players.
We both have a knack for picking up a guitar or sitting down at the piano and sussing out the key, chords, and complete songs in very short order.
Never took one note of music lessons or proper band instruction.
We were in a garage band in high school, and we each have performed live in various bar band situations our whole adult life.

So now I get another invitation via email this morning to join an all-new singing club. One based on barbershop, but apparently involving singing other styles of songs as well.
They may or may not need for me to learn sheet music. I don't know yet.

The question for all of you is this;
If you came to learn sheet music later in life (and not in high school or college) what is your experience in that endeavor?
How did it work out, and did you succeed?

I'm 64 right now, and though I have studied it, and I understand full well what the black dots and squiggles on the white page mean, I can't just glance down at the pages and sing those notes. It takes several seconds for my brain to process that that there is B flat, and so that must be C sharp right over here.
And by then, the song is several bars along, leaving me behind.

So.
If you learned it later in life, how did you do?
What can you share?

Thanks in advance!!
🤔

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

Be aware the stems won't always point that way, for example, the low E in the treble clef would typically be drawn with its stem pointing up, not down, just to pick one example.  Having it point down would get in the way of the lyrics if there are any there.  Whoever arranged that music will point the stems either up or down to maintain readability and reduce clutter.

 

I am fortunate that I learned to read music in Jr. H.S. and it all came back quickly when I came back to the piano as an adult.  We have practice on Friday evenings now and it always amuses me when the kids who play before us catch a glimpse of my sheet music, and they look horrified!  I'm starting to wonder if they are even being taught it any more.  But it is a hugely valuable skill to have.

[Sparquelito]

3 hours ago, Lou Gehrig Charles said:

Be aware the stems won't always point that way, for example, the low E in the treble clef would typically be drawn with its stem pointing up, not down, just to pick one example.  Having it point down would get in the way of the lyrics if there are any there.  Whoever arranged that music will point the stems either up or down to maintain readability and reduce clutter.

I don't actually know what that means.

I really just attached that screen capture of vocal sheet music to add some pizzazz to my posting.
It's all Greek to me.

[Old Music Guy]

This is a general rule for quarter notes.

In the treble clef, note below B, (middle line) the stem points down. Anything above B the stem points upwards. B can go either way depending...

The rule does not apply to "tuplets". The first note of a tuplet defines the direction of the stem for all notes in the tuplet. .  

The same rules apply for the bass clef. 

[Old Music Guy]

On 3/11/2024 at 11:46 AM, Sparquelito said:

I don't actually know what that means.

I just spent some time looking at the notation  in your original post. It took a bit, but I think I know why it may be a bit confusing for a novice reader.

 

The notes as written have a pointer that indicates "soprano, alto, tenor and bass" parts.

In any clef, the stem is not an indicator of which singer sings what note; i.e. an upward stem done not mean that it's only for sopranos, nor does a downward stem mean it's only for the altos. The same is true for the bass clef. 

 

That said, if I were arranging for a barbershop quartet, each singer would have their own sheet; treble for soprano and alto, bass for tenor and bass. 

Reading from individual charts, a soprano would sing the highest note on the page, the bass from the lowest on that chart. Altos and tenors, well, they're special, but the rule still applies.

 

I hope this makes a little sense.  

 

[PhilipMendez]

Your experience resonates with me. I also struggled with sheet music later in life, feeling like it was a foreign language I couldn't quite grasp. But hey, you're never too old to learn something new, right?

I found that supplementing my learning with online resources like https://www.artmaster.com really helped. They offer intuitive tutorials that break down music theory in a way that just clicked for me. It's like having a patient teacher right in your living room.

It took time and patience, but eventually, I started seeing progress. Don't be too hard on yourself. Keep at it, and who knows, maybe this new singing club will be just the right environment to challenge yourself and grow as a musician.