Playing the piano or guitar involves more than tapping a few keys or strumming strings. To produce those beautiful sounds we love, a deeper understanding of music is a helpful foundation to not only play well but to play other instruments too. Learning music theory and how to read sheet music is part of playing any instrument. Even if you’re eager to jump straight into playing, learning the fundamentals will help you grow as a musician.
When babies are first learning English, they start with sounds. They mimic the sounds they hear to start forming words, it may sound like garbled jibberish at first, but even they can start to say small words. Playing an instrument is a similar process: learning the language of music. However, to form sounds properly, a foundational understanding of music theory and reading music is a formative part of the process before playing songs or composing music.
So while developing an ear for music is essential, so is learning to read music.
Why is learning to read music important?
The ability to read music supports your musical education, but did you know there are tons of benefits from learning to read music aside from learning to play? Studies have shown that it improves your memory, calms your mind, sharpens your focus, and boosts your self-esteem.
Music has its own language with symbols full of a variety of meanings. A solid understanding helps you interpret what these symbols mean and transpose them into music.
Once you can read music:
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- You’ll be more versatile. You can translate what you learn into different musical styles
- You can play with other musicians. Lack of knowledge makes collaboration a messy process with poor time and confusion. By reading music, all musicians will be on the same page.
- You can compose music. Although sheet music isn’t needed to compose a song, it helps when you’d like to teach others how the song sounds.
Piano and guitar are two of the most commonly learned instruments for beginners, so when it comes to learning to read music, which is better?
Which instruments has more range?
A guitar sounds beautiful but requires you to learn frets and chords. Guitars are also more limited in range from octaves to voicing and transposing songs. Whereas piano has 7 octaves, the guitar only has 4. Although the guitar has a lower range, it isn’t impossible to play certain piano sounds on the guitar. You can adapt your transposition/transcription to make the octave higher or lower.
The issue with learning to read
Music theory, harmonies, and learning to read sheet music is a great transferable skill that will make your basic understanding of music better, which supports you in learning other instruments such as the guitar. However, without proper supplementary learning, only reading sheet music can hinder your development in other areas such as your ability to improvise, compose, or play by ear.
Students who only learn to read music might learn to replicate rather than create. Proper training teaches you to do more than read and copy the sounds you hear.
Guitar or piano?
As always, the choice is up to you. Learning piano before learning other instruments can help you develop an ear for intonation and scales, etc. It is easier to see the practical applications of music theory when learning to play the piano as you learn treble and bass clef, and you only need to press a key to hear the sound as opposed to properly positioning a bow or correctly blowing into a wind instrument.
Learning to play the guitar is a skill that will bring fun and opportunity to your life. As you grow,
At Heritage Music School, Surrey piano and guitar teachers, students, and families are discovering how both instruments can enrich their lives. Contact us at our Surrey or Langley music schools today with any questions you have about lessons, fees, and schedules, or for a free music assessment.