How can musicians who can’t read music still write songs and play music?

Question

I saw a video where Dave Grohl was talking about how he can’t read music. How does that work if he’s writing and performing songs?

In: Other

Answer 1

lol, FTR no one needs to read music to be able to play a Foo Fighters song. Can you hum a tune without reading the sheet music for it? Musicians can do the same thing on their instruments. Reading something off a piece of paper is not a prerequisite to being able to move your fingers on an instrument. It can help if your memory isn’t grea, if there is a ton to memorize, or if you’ve never played/heard the music before but it’s not required in all situations.