Question for Buddy Emmons (and others)

Don McClellan · Post by **Don McClellan** » 5 Nov 2003 2:07 pm

I have a very smart and talented musician friend who reads a lot of books on various subjects. This mandolin player claims that the more he reads and expands his mind about the world around him that the better and more creatively he plays. What is your take on this? Are you a book reader? If so, what kind of stuff do you like to read? Thanks, Don

Colm Chomicky · Post by **Colm Chomicky** » 5 Nov 2003 4:57 pm

That seems backwards. .teg uoy retrams eht leets yalp uoy erom ehT

Joe Drivdahl · Post by **Joe Drivdahl** » 5 Nov 2003 5:47 pm

I don't know about reading, but I do know that playing fiddle made me a better guitar player.

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 5 Nov 2003 5:51 pm

I knew a banjo picker who took a book to bed on his wedding night!

What disappointed his wife even more was that he didn't read... he colored.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Travis Bernhardt · Post by **Travis Bernhardt** » 5 Nov 2003 6:15 pm

I think Leo Kottke makes some kind of claim about reading being good for one's music. You could make a more general statement, and say that anything enriching outside the field of music probably folds back in and makes you play better. Or at least makes you feel like you're playing better. Or something.

-Travis

C Dixon · Post by **C Dixon** » 5 Nov 2003 6:32 pm

ALL knowledge enhances our human talents and traits. And no matter how miniscule that knowledge might be, it always finds a way to sooner or later make us better.

Reading has few equals in this phenomenon. Sadly, the ole saying, "when all else fails READ the instructions", makes the point above painfully true; more often than not.

There is one thing that tops reading IMO; and that is the art of listening. And nowhere is this more important than in music. But also it applies in listening to others talk.

Unfortunately, in the past 50 yrs the art of listening has become a rare commodity in every day life in this world. What with the common practice of ppl rudely interrupting anything anyone says, etc, etc, the greatest learning tool (listening), is now being shrouded in darkness as a result.

carl

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 5 Nov 2003 6:42 pm

What? You think reading books, magazines, newspapers, etc. (even music) helps you to become a better musician?

Nope.

Sorry.

Doesn't work that way.

And I'm not going to immediately tell you why I have this viewpoint (though I think it's very sound). I'd rather you try to reason it out for yourself, first.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 05 November 2003 at 06:44 PM.]

Paul King · Post by **Paul King** » 5 Nov 2003 8:34 pm

I do not like to read very much. If reading would make me a better and smarter player I am fixing to start reading everything I can get my hands on. I would rather hear from some of the steel guitar greats on this subject before I start. I would not want to spend a lot of time reading and then find out it does not work for steel players.

Paul Warnik · Post by **Paul Warnik** » 5 Nov 2003 8:38 pm

Herb-I hope that banjer pickr remembered to outline with the crayons first before coloring in the pictures-I didn't do that once on picture of The Blessed Mother Mary in the first grade and my scribbling got me sent down to the mother superior's office-Luckily they were not handing out the usual corporal punishment that day-A ruler across the knuckles of a young man who one day would play steel guitar are not condusive to my pick blocking style

John McGann · Post by **John McGann** » 6 Nov 2003 5:52 am

I respectfully disagree, Donny...reading may not directly make you a better musician, technically, but it could help you be a more well rounded person, which could help you make better music. It doesn't help with technique, but the actual music you make. The artistic side vs. the technical...

Actually, whatever inspiration you get from anywhere (kids/family, good weather, good life events, spiritual connections etc.) is gonna influence your music, IMO.

But I think your point did infer something I agree with- all the reading in the world ain't gonna help if you don't practice!

Bengt Erlandsen · Post by **Bengt Erlandsen** » 6 Nov 2003 6:27 am

The phrasing/rythmic elements in a sentence can be transfered to phrasing/rythmic variations in the melody line when playing music so it could be that reading also expands the ability to express music in a better way. Music is also a language.

Bengt Erlandsen

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 6 Nov 2003 7:09 am

Anything that exercises the analytical abilities of the mind in one sphere can have benifits in another. We are making neural connections we can use in other though processes.

Just like playing classical music to infants in the woomb and newborns, can make neural connections that can function as precursers to understanding language.

Just because we are not playing when we read doesn't mean that the reading matter can't bring about musical thought, directly from it's emotional content.

All music is a direct offshoot from the spoken and sung word. When we read we are still thinking in terms of the spoken word, without the limiting factor of having to actually create the sounds with our often less fluently plastic vocal instrument.
And this extrapolates to a form of musical thought.

How many of you can think music much beyond your theory understanding and your chops on any instrument?

I always thought talking books should be more audio theater, than just a great voice reading a great book. I have recorded a bit of audio thetor for radio and it is always a fun gig.

I read constantly to keep dyslexia at bay, and all sorts of musical ideas percolate in my head while I read. Usually as a direct inferance from the content, like scoring my own music for a film.[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 06 November 2003 at 07:30 AM.]

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 6 Nov 2003 7:42 am

Playing and listening to music make you a better musician. But reading can make you a better person, depending on what you read.

However, for young children, reading books and reading music probably both enhance each other.

Terry Edwards · Post by **Terry Edwards** » 6 Nov 2003 8:30 am

There have been scientific studies conducted regarding the positive effect playing a musical instrument has on a child's ability to learn math and science. Overall brain activity was measured while playing an instrument. It seems that the brain activity while playing piano for example; coordination of both hands, feet, all fingers, eyes, ears, in concert with reading sheet music and the music "math" (notes, timing. etc) encompased more parts of the brain than any other activity and resulted in children that excelled in learning math and science in school over children that did not participate in music. This was especially true for very young children.

I believe the reverse can also be true. Everything you do is processed by the brain. The more diverse the exercising of the brain, the more effective and proficient the brain becomes. Reading books exercises the brain and, though it may not be a proven fact, I believe it could very well translate, albeit indirectly, to improvement in many brain functions including your ability to process, play, and create music.

Terry

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 6 Nov 2003 8:52 am

I wonder if Don's mandolin genius has music playing while he reads. I think that the subliminal ingestion of good music as we go about our daily lives improves our composition skills.

I seriously doubt that reading can improve chops, though.

Bengt Erlandsen · Post by **Bengt Erlandsen** » 6 Nov 2003 9:49 am

Unless you read something on SGF

Bengt Erlandsen

Joerg Hennig · Post by **Joerg Hennig** » 6 Nov 2003 10:51 am

I love reading but it happens that I get like mesmerized by a good book and just can´t put it down for hours so on those evenings I get less time for practicing, so I can´t really say that reading makes me a better player.

Joe H.

Bob Carlson · Post by **Bob Carlson** » 6 Nov 2003 11:19 am

Playboy might make you a better player...but I don't know what it would do for your guitar work.

Bob

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 6 Nov 2003 12:51 pm

I can prescribe 10 books which will help you to become a better musician. Only one is about playing music. I am both qualified and certified to do this.

John Davis · Post by **John Davis** » 6 Nov 2003 1:20 pm

I respectfully disagree, Donny...reading may not directly make you a better musician, technically, but it could help you be a more well rounded person,
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Mac Donalds already done that for me!

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 6 Nov 2003 3:38 pm

And why the computer will never be a substitute for a book...

In both my undergraduate and graduate studies, it was not uncommon to have half a dozen or more textbooks open at once on the kitchen or library table trying to work the answer to a fluid mechanics problem or develop a Financial Management term paper that wasn't straight "heavy lifting". You can't do that with a computer screen.

One thing I learned from 30 years around a university, you can find the answer to almost any problem, in a book, somewhere...

Joe A. Camacho · Post by **Joe A. Camacho** » 6 Nov 2003 4:17 pm

Funny you should mention reading... A few months ago Tommy Detamore recommended a book to help with playing and playing insecurities, so I've been reading "The Inner Game of Music". It's a wonderful guide to why we worry so much about playing instead of enjoying it more, really helpful. Thanks Tommy!

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 6 Nov 2003 4:25 pm

Alright already...enough with the e-mails!

Reading and musicianship are quite unrelated. Ever heard of Stevie Wonder, Jose Feliciano, or Ronnie Milsap? Seeeee what I mean?

While being an "informed" person may help you as a person, I feel it's relatively unimportant to your development as a musician. A lot of the best old blues players could neither read nor write. Same thing for some of the old jazz players. Those who excel, I mean really excel at something, are usually quite single-minded people. I think it's all about concentration, and that driving us to try to do maybe one thing really well. No doubt, this is why so few pro athletes are Yale and Harvard grads, and vice-versa.

Of course, there are exceptions...Da Vinci and Franklin come to mind. They excelled at many things, but they're literally one in many millions.

A crude analogy to your query might be "Does studying physics make you a better baseball player?" Obviously not, even though pitching and hitting are mostly physics.

Bruce W Heffner · Post by **Bruce W Heffner** » 6 Nov 2003 4:28 pm

I've been reading my check book.......it makes my playing weep.

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www.pedalsteel.net

Andy Greatrix · Post by **Andy Greatrix** » 6 Nov 2003 5:01 pm

Stevie, Jose, and Ronnie can read
Braille.(sp?)