I'm really sad that I'm not a natural at improv. I can play some by ear, but I may not figure out the key for a few bars which is a little scary at times. I can read the charts with no problem and sight read fairly well unless the runs are very fast with more than 4 sharps or flats. I just need to not be so lazy and practice more fast stuff with lots of sharps and flats. Learning to read music is very worthwhile, IMHO. Using fakebooks can really increase the number of tunes available for you and your audiences. Just my 4 cents worth.

Stan

Cornet Curmudgeon