Notation in Irish Music Part 2: The Benefits of Standard Notation for Learning Irish Music

In this blog, I offer some thoughts on why I believe students learning Irish music should also learn to read music properly.

The Immediate Benefits for Students

1) Faster and Easier Learning: If a student has access to the notated version of a tune, it will speed up their learning and understanding, and prevent the feeling among some students that they are being kept back or falling behind because each student can learn at their own pace! Learning solely by ear usually involves a group of students sitting and listening to their tutor and then, one at a time, they ‘parrot back’ what they have heard and repeat this process until they know the tune. Although this is a good way to start for beginners, it's very time consuming and usually means going through one student at time, while the rest of the class must wait their turn. This can be extremely tedious for faster learners or for those who find a tune difficult to learn and want to go slower. Therefore, it's an inefficient use of class time and it limits the amount of progress that can be achieved in class. If students can use the written tunes between classes (or work on it while the teacher is engaged with another student), then they will be able to learn the tunes much faster during class, and understand the music more thoroughly.

2) Better Understanding & Memory: Having tunes written down using standard notation frees up class time by relieving some of the burden on students and teachers of having to write down the tune in some form of ABC notation (and hope the student is familiar that version of the ABC format) or record the tune during class time. Learning solely by ear relies too much on repetition for memorising instead of a student's understanding. When a student finally repeats correctly what their teacher has played, they are left to it and the teacher moves on to the next student. This means students are more likely to forget a tune, play it "wrongly", or pick up bad habits given that they may perform it correctly only a few times (perhaps only once) during the entire class time. Recording the tune may help, but that requires even more class time and if you're trying to learn a difficult passage of music the last thing you want to do is to sit at home and re-listen to the same extract over and over again, which can be extremely frustrating if you’re still not sure of what you’re hearing! What students want is to know exactly what notes are being played, in what order, and in what context. If a "version" or "versions" of the tune are written down, then a student has this information and is more likely to get it right the first time and remember the tune and its variations better. Simply put, it gives students a physical reminder of the tune and helps their memory.

3) Independent Learning: Having tunes written down using standard notation means that if a student misses a class, they can still work with the written materials at home and won’t fall behind - they become independent learners. Learning solely by ear forces students to rely far too much on their teacher to increase their repertoire by only one or two tunes a week during class time. Students may find it takes them much longer to be able to learn on their own or become self-reliant. Naturally students will spend more time practicing at home than playing in class: if this is the case then surely the best way for teachers to teach Irish traditional music to their students is to arm them with the abilities to read music properly so they will eventually be able to learn their own tunes at home from famous collections and tutor books. Then students could come to class, armed with new tunes that they've already attempted to learn, and they can use their teachers as consultants or guides when they are not sure of something, or need help with stylistic or technical queries, or to help them make the tune they've learnt sound more 'traditional'. This is what a teacher should be - a mentor - not a machine that pumps out one or two tunes a week over a period of years, and unfortunately in the past I’ve seen that there are many teachers who are quite happy to do this, as it's easy money for very little effort on their part. If a student brings their own tunes and their own learning to class, it will greatly increase their confidence and enthusiasm for learning.

4) Transferable Skill: Learning how to read music is a great skill in itself, and will encourage students to learn other styles and genres of music (for example, Classical, Pop and Rock music) or the traditional music of other countries such as Scotland, England, France, Galicia, Eastern Europe, America which are all very familiar with Irish traditional music. It encourages a better understanding and respect of the music of other cultures and music in general. In short, it's a transferable skill that you can use forever!

5) Use of Collections & tutor books: Learning solely by ear ignores the vast store of printed music collections (Bunting, O’Neill, Breathnach, Comhaltas publications etc.) and thousands of tutor books. If students learn to use standard notation they can use these additional learning materials

If you're interested in learning how to read music for Irish traditional music, but are unsure where to begin, check out my Tin Whistle Mini Course for just a one-time purchase of £19. No subscription fees, just pay once, and own forever! The course will introduce you to the notes (pitches) used in Irish traditional music, the treble clef and staves, note values (from whole notes/semibreves to sixteenth notes/semiquavers), note groupings, and jig rhythms - this is the perfect introduction to the topic of notation in Irish traditional music!

📋 Read the next post here: Part 3 Challenging Outdated Beliefs in learning Irish Music

📋 Other posts in this series:

Part 1 Why We Should Scrap the ABC Method!

Part 4 Why Are Certain Keys Used in Irish Music?

Categories: : Irish Traditional Music