Originally Posted By: GHinCH
[quote=ZeroZero]I am beginning to wonder if all ths notation and analysis stuff is necessary at all - in fact it isnt, with practice, you can just go to an instrument and play. /quote]

Well it all depends on the situation. If you play alone, I fully agree, well, maybe not quite, but to a very large percentage not reaching 100 percent.

If you're part of an ensemble and the band leader says: "We have a new arrangement of tune X." that you have never heard before. How would you know what to play and when?

Also if you're presented with a new tune for you to play you need some information. Even if the tune is well known there might be some information on the music sheet that is not in your head yet. As an example a Hammond organ is an almost perfect instrument to play the Flight of the Bumble Bee. Even if you've heard it a hundred times before you probably will miss some nuances...



You have some good points, but the vehicle "classical notation" is not realy fit for purpose. I once saw someone try to notate a sax solo exactly, they ended up with a mess of hemi-demi-semiquavers, Notation is VERY bad at many things.
In particular iot's bad for learners creativity, because it gives them a two dimensional understanding. By giving them the notes, it takes away the task of UNDERSTANDING what they are playing - so they play liek a photocopier copies an image, without realyl knowing what the picture is. It would be much better IMO that learners were told the interval name only, and then asked to find that interval. There is so much else about notation that is needlesly intimidating, needlessly confusing and needlessly obscure. Yes we need it, but it would be better if we could redesign the whole thing, if we could achieve universal acceptance, which is sadly unlikely
How many children have been turned off by classical notation |I sdont know, but I suspect its many.
Z

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