sheet music

[danisageek]

Let say you have G-B-D in your left hand in the sheet music. Do you see it as these specific notes or just see the G with thirds added to it. Many beginners, I guess without being a teacher, would try to see the exact notes rather than just the first note and then adding intervals to it. I also think I see this with lead sheets. Some people need the exact chords written out, ie G rather than I (assuming we play in G).
I never try to read all the notes on the sheet music and I assume you don't.   
For lead sheets I never want to think of specific chords (even though I might do it sometimes). I mean, thinking about specific notes or chords you play is hard (at least for me). 
I am actually not good at reading sheet music. I do it but need more training with my teacher. Is reading sheet music more about intervals than about reading specific notes? I think the first trategy I was tought was reading specific notes. With more complex music this strategy really makes things difficult.

[brogers70]

I think you need to start with reading specific, individual notes, and you need to get pretty proficient at that. Once you have that, then the more theory you learn, the more chords and inversions and standard progressions you will recognize and you will start seeing a cluster of notes as say, Bb dominant seventh in third inversion, without reading off all the individual notes in your mind. You'll see it as a single thing rather than a group of four individual components.

That's pretty much what happens when you learn to read. You need to know the sounds of the letters and how to put them together, but after a while, you no longer think of individual letters you just recognize words a single objects.

[danisageek]

I think you need to start with reading specific, individual notes, and you need to get pretty proficient at that. Once you have that, then the more theory you learn, the more chords and inversions and standard progressions you will recognize and you will start seeing a cluster of notes as say, Bb dominant seventh in third inversion, without reading off all the individual notes in your mind. You'll see it as a single thing rather than a group of four individual components.

That's pretty much what happens when you learn to read. You need to know the sounds of the letters and how to put them together, but after a while, you no longer think of individual letters you just recognize words a single objects.

sounds? is reading about sounds?
and why try to see the notes as three specific notes at first? Isn't it better to just see it as a G chord at once if that is naturally for you?

[keypeg]

There are teachers who teach an "intervallilc reading" method from the very start, so the idea that all notes are read individually at first is not strictly true.  You do want to be able to recognize any note on the staff, coupled to its location on the keyboard, as a single reflex.  In the case of your GBD, if in closed position, it will look like a snowman.  Even a beginner will quick learn to recognize that is a chord reflexively.  Or if you see a scale G, A, B, C, D, E, .... the row of notes will form a slanted line, with the notes alternatively going line-space-line-space etc. = interval of seconds.  You need to recognize that first G, and you might want to notice where the scale ends.  You're doing both and several things.

If you are already experienced with chords, then your pre-existing skill will also kick in.

[danisageek]

There are teachers who teach an "intervallilc reading" method from the very start, so the idea that all notes are read individually at first is not strictly true.  You do want to be able to recognize any note on the staff, coupled to its location on the keyboard, as a single reflex.  In the case of your GBD, if in closed position, it will look like a snowman.  Even a beginner will quick learn to recognize that is a chord reflexively.  Or if you see a scale G, A, B, C, D, E, .... the row of notes will form a slanted line, with the notes alternatively going line-space-line-space etc. = interval of seconds.  You need to recognize that first G, and you might want to notice where the scale ends.  You're doing both and several things.

If you are already experienced with chords, then your pre-existing skill will also kick in.

sounds good

[brogers70]

sounds? is reading about sounds?
and why try to see the notes as three specific notes at first? Isn't it better to just see it as a G chord at once if that is naturally for you?

Sure, if it works for you, it works. But then why ask in the first place?

[mikey shooes]

sounds? is reading about sounds?
and why try to see the notes as three specific notes at first? Isn't it better to just see it as a G chord at once if that is naturally for you?

Reading is about sounds for those who "listens" music in their mind. That is possible. Everyday I meet such people on musescore (https://musescore.com/community). You can ask them if it is truth!