Question:
Will I ever be able to read music quick enough? I can read ok if I know the tune but struggle if I have to read the rhythm and the notes at the same time. I lose the count trying to read the notes.
-Russell
Background:
Russell has been playing for 18 months, practices five days a week.
He says that he knows all of the major scales, but has not learned any music by ear.
My response:
Theoretically, if you know all the major scales, recognizing the notes should not be a problem.
However, if the key changes in music you play, then being comfortable with rapidly changing keys may be difficult.
In the last thing you say, where you talk about losing count, the bigger issue seems to come up.
The problem seems to be keeping track of the count.
I would say you should focus and isolate the rhythm when practicing. When I started learning music in middle school we would count the rhythms out loud using syllables. Numbers for downbeats. The word “and” for upbeats. Etc.
The other thing to do, once you have a handle on the rhythm, is to slow down to a temp where you can play it comfortably.
Isolating the rhythm and slowing down should allow you to play the music on the saxophone. And then it will be a matter of practicing to play it at tempo.
