I think I'm Bill's evil older brother - ditto for most of what he said. Today, at 59 I can read a lead sheet, a chart, a score and Nashville. But for most of my life if it wasn't a lead sheet or something simply notated, I struggled.

When I went to college, I stayed away from the music program like it was the plague. I knew I had a lot of talent and could play decently, but felt I'd have to start at the beginning because my reading ability was poor. I've always had people comment on my skills and style, then ask the ultimate question - "how do you do that without reading?" As we all know, it's a gift.

With my church job, I have worked to improve my reading to the point I can teach an SATB song, but can't play the accompaniment completely as written. The better the choir knows the song, the more I can concentrate to converting my arrangement to the written music.

Great thread - I'm heartened to see and hear that there are many more talented than me who also struggle with notation to some degree.