I can read sheet music but i'm quite slow at it. I highly recomend that you learn tablature if you plan to take up bass or guitar. Sheet music is good, but i'm not good at it so i prefer using tabs, or figuring things out on my own, which I still like the best. Be for warned that alot of tab you see on most sights will have some parts wrong. Just a warning to look out for, so if you play something and it doesn't sound right, then it probably isn't.