[bromley]

I'm lucky that I was taught how to read music as a kid... I'm still rubbish at it, it's slow and painful for anything vaguely complex, but at least I can do it badly when I put mind to it.

I find complex rhythms particularly hard to read. Figuring out timing from a sheet without hearing it is like pulling teeth :D That said, listening to a recording of a great pianist and trying to work out exactly what they are doing can also be very difficult and frustrating when there are chords and complex patterns in two hands, so a good transcription can help a lot. I have a book of Bill Evans transcriptions that I would definitely do more with if I were better at reading music, or had software assistance!