Pianist?- Please help me to do better piano sight-reading...?!
Question: I am really horrible when it comes to sight-reading music sheets, most specially of those hard piano pieces. I just want to know some helpful advice on how to sight-read it the right way.
thanks,
jhaez
Answers: I am really horrible when it comes to sight-reading music sheets, most specially of those hard piano pieces. I just want to know some helpful advice on how to sight-read it the right way.
thanks,
jhaez
The key is successful sight-reading is being able to recognize patterns. If you're only looking at one note at a time when you're sight reading, then you're never going to improve.
The reason we practice different scales, arpeggios, technical exercises, etc. is so that we can get used to recognizing them and playing them when we encounter them in music.
It's just like regular reading. As you read this post, you are not analyzing each letter of each word, because you have already trained yourself to recognize groups of letters as words, and groups of words as phrases, etc. You want to learn to apply the same "techniques" to reading music.
The best way to become a better sight-reader is to practice sight-reading. But start at a level just below where you practice and work your way up from there. There is no "magic formula" to help you sight-read more accurately at higher levels. You just need to do it. But remember to start just below your practicing level--in other words, the music you practice sight-reading should not be something you have to practice in order to play correctly. Then it's not sight-reading...it's practice. Good luck.
pick out some easy music
look at it
think about how to play it in your head
play it SLOWLY
repeat with music gradually getting harder and play faster
you just have to keep practicing. everyday you read a piece of music thats new. you start easy. if you do it everyday, you'll get better and better. trust me. its also good to play hymns with chords. those are good for sight reading too. but pick out alot of different pieces. start easy then you keep going to the more difficult ones. if you do it everyday you will be fine.
I definitely know how hard it is; sight reading was probably the hardest thing to overcome for me.
The way I got over it was joining a chamber ensemble group/orchestra/jazz band. It's demanding -- you have to be able to read the music right away as an accompaniment pianist. This makes you practice over and over, especially being under all that pressure.
It worked for me; I'm sure it'll work for you. Good luck.
you should practise many times, read the score carefully, then start playing....
try to find the slow tempo first, adagio..
practise and practise, good luck..!
Sight reading is one of the most useful things you can learn in piano especially if you want to take it further
I used to hate sigth reading and now i get top marks fir it in my exams
You need to make sure you can read both clefs quickly first start by picking a random piece of music and seeing how quickly you can identify the notes and fininding them on the piano, do't do it so you're playing the music just pick random notes
Then start working towards playing easier pieces that you know so you know when you go wrong
eg If You're grade 5 sight read grade 4 standard pieces
Then move on to pieces you dont know so well so you progress
If your working towards sight reading in an exam there's a checklist of everyhting you need to do
1) check Key/time signature
2) Check what key it's in, just beacuse it has no # or b doesn't mean its in C major, it could be A minor so check for frequent acidentals eg G#
3) check dynamics and articulation, even if the notes are wrong it gives you extra marks
4) have a look at your range, dont start on middle C with your thumb if you can see you have to go down to the A two notes later
5) If it souds dissonant don't stop and panic, check subltly and see if you've forgotten F# etc otherwise it's probably right because exam sight reading can be ghastly and purposely sound horrible
Don't pressure yourself
working as an accompaniest is good but only when your ready as orchestra's etc can become very demanding
It will come with practice, I promise.