Reading - if it wasn't already hard enough

[Bilbo]

I am not the world's best reader by a country mile but I can get by through most reading gigs with a little preparation. Or at least I could....

I have started playing more guitar (at home). Not because I want to gig per se but because I am not getting the gigs I used to on the electric or double bass and so practising the bass is a little bit thankless. Anyway, I decided that I want to improve my reading of guitar music and bought a book reading exercises. So I worked on that for about an hour, making some progress and starting to find the notes under my fingers. When I finished the first few exercises, I got my Bach Cello Suites out and, whaddaya know, I can't read bass clef any more

I am sure there are people on here who can read both (I know there are some horn/bass doublers etc). Can anyone reassure me that this is a temporary state!! I know pianists read both simultaneously so it must be possible but it is an uncomfortable feeling finding yourself re-entering conscious incompetence when you thought you left it behind a while back!!

[Grangur]

I too find I have to keep up the reading practice to avoid losing the skill by degrees.

[scalpy]

You just need to develop 2 modes of reading. I am a bassist and trumpeter and have to scrub up regularly as one skill will be busier than the other for times. Nothing to worry about, you get used to it. Ask me to play bass reading treble clef though and I'm screwed!

[Bilbo]

I had a good day yesterday, reading some Ralph Towner transcriptions I found on-line. My treble clef reading is starting to come together.

[Trueno]

[quote name='scalpy' timestamp='1498889536' post='3327745']
You just need to develop 2 modes of reading. I am a bassist and trumpeter and have to scrub up regularly as one skill will be busier than the other for times. Nothing to worry about, you get used to it. Ask me to play bass reading treble clef though and I'm screwed!
[/quote]

That's encouraging. I read treble clef for sax and flute... and getting a bit if a mental block when I decided to learn bass clef. Clearly it's practice, practice, practice.

... and good luck, Bilbo.

[ambient]

It does take a little adjustment. I spend an hour or two each week practicing sight-reading treble clef melody lines from my real books. I haven't had much time this last couple of weeks though. Yesterday I was teaching one of my students and we were playing some Frank Sinatra melodies, I struggled .

When I was at uni in Years 2 and 3 we had to do a lot of orchestral stuff, so I was switching between treble clef, bass clef and alto clef, I used to get totally confused.