This month I'll discuss some essential points about sight reading music in the studio.

There are several valid reasons for learning to read music with speed and accuracy. One reason is to expose you to more new music at a much faster rate. Tablature is fine to some extent but most music, even guitar music, is not written in tab. Learning to read music is also a great way to study music, learn exercises, and explore music theory.

Another great reason to learn to read music is to be able to work more! There is a lot more work out there for musically literate guitarists! There are also many great soloists who never get all the chances they should to "show their stuff" because they can't read enough to play the rest of the gig!

When I first moved to Los Angeles to start my career as a studio guitarist, I naturally exploited every opportunity to play all my "hot stuff" for anyone who would listen. One of the first chances I got was to play in [the great drummer] Louie Belson's big band. It was a great break because I got to meet, play with, and be heard by about twenty-five busy L.A. players. However, I would have never gotten the chance to play the guitar solos and featured parts in Louie's book if I hadn't been able to read music!

Here are some tips on how to approach a new piece for the first time:

First, make sure the music is well lit, and the music stand is placed so you can see the conductor, or singer or soloist, or whomever you need to see for cues, tempos, etc. Place the music with ALL the pages open, or arranged in a way that you can make all the page turns. Sometimes an extension board on the stand is helpful to be able to open 4-plus pages, or I'll do my "Hollywood Fold" where I'll slightly crease the upper part of the pages between the first and second page, and/or the last two pages to make the [unsupported] pages remain extended and upright.

Once the music is situated, scan the part for instructions on what instrument to play. Usually it will be indicated at the beginning of the part (electric guitar, acoustic, gut-string, etc.), but look through to see if there are any instrument changes within the piece. Have these instruments ready to pick up and play (into a microphone if called for), and don't forget to have a place to quietly and safely put down the guitar you're replacing, be it speaker cabs, amplifiers, a chair, floor space, etc; In a pinch, any of these objects can make great guitar stands!

Next, take a look at the time signature and key signatures. Again, this info is usually at the beginning, but scan for changes within the piece. Tempos can be written in traditional Italian musical terms (allegro, largo, vivo, etc.) or in metronome terms (quarter note = 127). Check out all such changes so you can make the transitions smoothly and musically.

The next thing to do is look at the "road map" of the piece. Understand the form, taking note of all repeats, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd endings, DCs, DSs, Codas, vamps, etc. Identify repeating sections like verses, choruses, bridges, intros etc.

Check also for any dynamic markings, again either in Italian - forte, piano, or abbreviated - ppp, fff, and mf- or in English- "Not too damn loud"! A passage may be marked indicating that it is to be played with any combination of detached, slurred, long, short, or accented notes. Make note of any such articulation.

Be sure to read any stylistic indications provided- like "sweetly, sadly, joyously," etc. These may also be in Italian. I recommend you get a music dictionary to learn to interpret all the terms commonly used. Oftentimes, a player will get so wrapped up in playing the notes on a page that they don't even read the instructional text. Besides the things already mentioned, I'm referring to indications like "second time only" or 8va, or cues for another instrument, i.e. when a passage is written out, usually in a slightly smaller note size with the instrument specified.

I did a date recently with a great guitar player who looked at his part and said, "I don't have an accordion." He didn't realize that the part he was referring to was a cued part meant to show him what the accordionist would play, or perhaps for him [the guitarist] to play it at the composer's discretion.

I always laugh when I think about the time I had a very difficult part written for the lap-style Dobro®. It really wasn't a part to be played easily on the Dobro®. My friend Tommy Morgan (probably one of the greatest harmonica players in the world) had my Dobro® part cued in his music. We've been putting each other on for many years. He looked at me and said, "I'm sure glad I have your part cued in my music so I can tell what you're trying to play"! Ha, ha, ha!

That's all right- I got him back when we were playing a piece on a film session and he said, "Gee, this reminds me of Mozart." I had to ask, right into my acoustic mike so everyone could hear, "Wow Tommy. Did you know Mozart?"

Back to the topic at hand- Finally, scan the part for any particularly difficult passages, and/or rhythms. Don't waste valuable time looking at the easy stuff you know you can play. Find the more complex areas, and figure out how to play them in your head, or figure out the fingerings quietly on the fingerboard without playing them out loud in the room. It's not a good idea to have the composer or conductor hear the players sound as if they're scuffling to learn a part!

If a part is unplayable, which sometimes happens when the writer doesn't know all the idiosyncrasies of the guitar, simplify it to make it playable. Correct obvious copying errors on your own, and ask for correct notes only if you aren't sure what they should be. No one appreciates "stupid questions", especially on union scale! If an ensemble passage is extremely fast or awkward, "ghost" some notes to make for the best overall performance. Don't try to be a hero at the expense of bad notes and clinkers. Rather, use your best musical intuition to make judgment calls. Then, put it all together and give the best performance you can!

I also want to let everyone know my two CDs- One Piece of the Big Picture (1999) and Trio (2004) are available through my website - TimMayGuitar.com. They feature some great players- including Abe Laboriel, Harvey Mason, Ernie Watts, and Mike Lang among others.

Good luck, and happy reading!

'til next time,
Tim May