i can play it if i hear it and then read the music, but otherwise i really cant count too good. advice? and those weird time signatures mess me up too.
i stopped bothering with that stuff a while ago... i've got no problem with counting or time signatures, i just much prefer improvisation/playing by ear. for counting have you tried tapping your feet or something? just gotta study time signatures to get to know what they mean.
You have to study and understand time signatures and then play pieces which utilise time signatures in different ways.. that's the only way to get better at them. As for counting maybe you should get a metronome as omgimmatt suggested.
I could never get my head round standard notation. It's a large reason that I gave up flute. I can read it to an extent - I can look at it and go "yeah, if that's a B, then that must be A but it has a sharp so that's A#" etc etc, it's a slow and labourious process. Thing is I can play by ear fairly well now. Not so much on flute but I can on Piano and guitar. I think being dyslexic doesn't help. I don't think being able to read standard is at all neccesary if you want to be a (highly) skilled musician. It's just a shame that our society is so eurocentric including in it's musical "standards".
I think it's necessary to read music if you want to be a studio musician, and a good idea for any type of musician, because it is the language musicians speak.
amen. those other talants of playing by ear is the TALANT i think you have. but you should always be working at improving the gifts you have; hence learning to read music. youve already got the knack, why not strengthen it? just my opinion.
