If you’ve played Irish traditional music for any length of time, chances are you’re familiar with ABC notation — those handy little letters that spell out a tune. Maybe you’ve scribbled them under the dots, maybe you’ve copied them from thesession.org, maybe you’ve even learned loads of tunes from them.

ABCs are everywhere in trad. They’re handy. They’re quick. But — they’re not the full story.

A – Aid or Avoidance?

ABCs are brilliant as a quick aid to:

• Catch the skeleton of a tune.
• Recall a tune learned earlier.
• Teach/learn tunes in group settings.

But — they’re also an avoidance tactic for loads of players. Instead of learning to read properly, we lean on letters like a safety net.

The truth? The dots aren’t scary. And if you can already follow ABCs, you’re halfway there on your music reading journey.

B – Beliefs (and Misbeliefs)

A big one: the belief that “ABCs are enough.”

Yes, they’ll tell you the notes. But they won’t tell you:

• The rhythm.
• The lift.
• The phrasing that makes trad trad.

Another belief: “Reading music is too hard — ABCs are easier.”

That’s a misbelief. Reading music the trad way is simple once you crack the code. In fact, it’s often easier (and faster) than sticking with letters that only give you half the story!

C – Confidence (or Crutch)

ABCs give a lot of beginners a little confidence.

• “At least I know the notes.”
• “I can scribble them under the stave and pretend I’m reading.” (that was me!!)
• “I won’t forget everything the minute I get home.”

And that’s fine. But ABCs can also become a crutch. You stay stuck at the same level, never quite trusting yourself to make the leap into reading.

I believe trad musicians deserve both: brilliant ear skills and fluency in notation. Why wouldn’t we?

Why Stop Now?

ABCs have their place. I learned using this system myself. And I still teach using ABCs – but not as the only way. For me, ABCs are a stepping stone towards full music literacy. They’re brilliant. But they’re not a substitute for the dots.

If you’ve ever found yourself writing letters under notes, or choosing the ABC version on thesession.org, here’s the good news: you’re already halfway there.

👉 Don’t stop at halfway. Join the Read Music the Trad Way: Why Stop Now Challenge — and add this skill to your toolkit today.