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(6 votes) 
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Don't know if I have asked this one before, just wondering if it's considered a sort of cheating having to listen to a piece of written music before playing it.
I can play music straight off from the dots sometimes, and get it nearly correct if it's simple enough, I am not the world's best reader when it comes to getting the rhythm and note lengths correct. I have to hear it first to get an idea, and even even it's iffy, is this somehow cheating or does everyone have to listen to a piece first, or can everyone play it straight off and get the rhythm and length of notes perfect from the dots alone.
I find I play it better if I just get it by ear.
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Nope. Not cheating. Anything that helps, helps.
I have to know what an unknown cello piece is supposed to at least sound like, I cannot get rhythm and beats, etc just by looking at the sheet music. I know what most of the sheet music symbols mean, I just cannot put them together without hearing it.
It was always easier after I heard my instructor play it.
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Fiddlerman's Fiddle Talk Forum
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Not cheating.
I still find it useful, when I see unusual intervals or tricky rhythms, to play the music on piano first.
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the goal I feel is to play music. Whether by ear or by dots or a combination of both. so no.
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Thank you all for your replies, Don't feel as much of a fraud now;)
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I think listening to different people play tunes helps. If you had never heard this played
https://thesession.org/tunes/1.....print=true
would you hear this
or this
or this
or this
in your head before you played it?
and which one is correct? neither..just different styles. so listening first can give ideas or extras that may not be on the sheet. So hardly being a fraud by listening as well as reading. Its just another tool or way to get better when possible. Granted there are people that make a living by going to a studio and get paid because they can sit down with a new piece of music and play it right there.. but i dont think you are asking about that kind of professionalism here.
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@stringy -
I agree with the others.
ANY way I can learn is fair game for me, but I fall in love with music because I've heard it.
For Classical music, I think it could take many years to fully understand all the exceptions to notation 'rules', become familiar with major Composers' styles of different eras & characteristics of Classical genres - especially to really excel at notation interpretation & sight reading to the point of a quick 'once over', then 'off to a performance'!!!
Even for folks who have a teacher - I still believe listening to how music is played helps & I'd compare notation to well-known performances, whenever possible.
Because my priorities have changed, I wish I'd placed more emphasis on 'verbalizing' (notes, note names and rhythms) that I was reading, while making sure I was focusing on using some notation every day (along with my ear training)!
...anyone new to the forum needing tips? 3 Part "Strategies For Sight Reading" from Brad Harrison of 'The Sight Reading Factory'.
<a href="
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