I do both, read and play by ear. Like Eddie, I was a better sight reader of actual score when I was 12 than I am now. Now, I'm a very good fake book reader because I do know most of the different chord positions like that 7b9 or b5#9 or 13ths he was talking about and I can read a melody line no problem.

All it is is experience and realizing that lots of those chords are the same hand positions in different keys like a Cm9 with the Eb on the bottom and D on the top is also an Ebmaj7. It's also an F13#11. The only difference between those three chords is the bass. Stuff like that. Youtube is full of great vids with real pros explaining all this.

Playing in big bands the last 10 years yanked me back into being a half decent sight reader again but even those charts have the chords written in like a fake book but they also have complex chords written out that correspond to what the horns are playing which makes for a very busy looking piano chart. At first I was trying to play all that when I realized it there mainly to tell the pianist what the horns are doing, not to actually double those parts.

Now I'm a fairly complete player. Big band, classic rock, funk R&B, old 50's rocking piano/country, small group jazz and solo piano cocktail type stuff. This on piano or B3 and I'll play LH bass sometimes.

The player who absolutely blew me away when he said in an interview that he doesn't read is Joey D. Holy crap, that guy can't read?? So much for thinking that can be a handicap. Still, I think he is that rare exception that really doesn't apply to the average player. The average player needs to read imho.

Bob

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