"disagree strongly that using sheet music, either for learning, or for performing an already learned piece, in any way hinders someone from internalizing the feel and spirit of a piece of music"

Yeah well if you were brought up with classical music soloists, you wouldn't have any problem - they do it all the time - sight reading and playing it without sheet music (learning it off by heart is the phrase).

Classical music ensembles play with sheet music for a reason - they often have little notes scribbled thereon, the music may be damn complicated, and since they are professionals, they play thousands of pieces a year and can't possibly take the risk of a wrong note, etc

Funny thing though - ask any professional Symphony Orchestra to play something that they all 'know' (provided the conductor gives them the 'key') such as Happy Birthday or The National Anthem, and they will, and they won;t have the music on the stand anyway!


'becomes easier when you play more than one instrument, even when reading music, because it breaks the "this dot here means put that finger there" habit and replaces it with more of "hear what you see, then play what you hear"'

The first three or four are the hardest! Seriously, the first time you learn 'the dots' it carries over to all the other instruments, and then the first time you learn a plucked, or bowed string , or reed or trumpet instrument is the hardest. Violin/viola/cello etc, clarinet.sax family, keyboard family, etc.

Re snobbery about sheet music/play be ear:
It's only "B Grade" musos who exhibit this sort of 'put down' attitude.


When it comes to singing 'old style' folk tunes, I can join in with a song I have never heard before, usually by half way thru the first verse - cause the pattern is obvious in advance, and strangely I can sing the words in unison with the singer too - how? I don't know...

... and I'm not making this up... it tends to annoy some performers too, especially if they have just written the damn song and not preformed it before...


"although I know what notes to play in a piece that I have memorised, I really don't "remember" them as such. I just know which notes to play automatically without thinking about them at all."

Yeah - similar - but in my case I can sight read it it, but not hear it in my head - though if I play while sight reading, then I can hear it!!! Singing by sight reading was always more difficult than playing an instrument by sight reading.

I don't 'hear' the music in my head most of the time - there's all these damn voices...


{:-P
(wearing Fooles Hat)