[Slowhand] Clapton reading music

[David Fynan]

On Jun 26, 2008, at 12:01 PM, slowhand-request at planet-torque.com wrote:



> Please back me up here. I know I'm right but you know what its like  

> when someone questions you.

> I commented on Youtube a while ago on 'Eric Clapton instrumental  

> best ever' which is a clip of the concerto from 1990.

>  I remember at the time Clapton saying in an interview, how hard it  

> was because he had to learn so much of it 'off by heart' because he  

> couldn't read music and there was little room for improvising.

> however I dont have that interview to hand and some guy has emailed  

> me saying:

>

>

> Dude of course he can read music. I think you mean Hendrix.

>

> I'm sure he can't but I need someone to confirm it for me! (or put  

> me right!)

>

> Thanks,

> Simon


 From an interview with Larry King in 1998

http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9802/13/eric.clapton.lkl/transcript.html

KING: Were you a musically inclined kid?

CLAPTON: Yeah.

KING: Were you in the school band?

CLAPTON: Yes, I was. I played recorder at school. And I learned to  
read music actually at that point and forgot it later on. But I had  
-- I had some kind of ability to listen very, very acutely when I was  
-- when I was young.

KING: And you forgot it later on?

CLAPTON: I haven't forgotten how to listen, but I have forgotten how  
to read music.

KING: That's what I mean. Why? How could that be?

CLAPTON: I don't know. I just -- well, I could play "Greensleeves" by  
reading it, and now I wouldn't know what one note meant from another.

KING: You mean that just went away?

CLAPTON: It went away.