Sightreading and sheet music...piano help :(?!
Question: Sightreading and sheet music!.!.!.piano help :(!?
I'm a beginning piano student who practices on the piano about 2 hours a day and studies music theory for about an hour a day!.
But I still have a hard time reading sheet music!. It's like every time I try, I lose sight of it or I drift off somewhere else (it's hard to follow the notes), and it just looks so complicating! I have a hard time looking at notes on both the bass and treble clefs and it's frustrating!. also, it takes me a long time to figure out in which octave(s) I need to play in!.!.!.(sighs)!.!.!.I just end up memorizing what I'm supposed to play without actually looking at the music, which sucks!.
Can anyone give me any helpful tips that will help me a!.) sight read at a better pace, and just reading sheet music in general!?
Best answer given to best answer :)Www@Enter-QA@Com
But I still have a hard time reading sheet music!. It's like every time I try, I lose sight of it or I drift off somewhere else (it's hard to follow the notes), and it just looks so complicating! I have a hard time looking at notes on both the bass and treble clefs and it's frustrating!. also, it takes me a long time to figure out in which octave(s) I need to play in!.!.!.(sighs)!.!.!.I just end up memorizing what I'm supposed to play without actually looking at the music, which sucks!.
Can anyone give me any helpful tips that will help me a!.) sight read at a better pace, and just reading sheet music in general!?
Best answer given to best answer :)Www@Enter-QA@Com
Answers:
Sight Reading - There are several ways to improve sight reading!.!.!. the first is quite simple!.!.!. Read music!. Never look down at the keys!. You have to get use to reading music and moving your hands and fingers accordingly!. You can't sight read if you can't read music!. Let me explain!. You can read music as in read the notes, rhythms, dynamics!. Sure, but when you read it is either hands separate or slow!. Once you learn the music and begin to memorize people tend to look at their fingers!. When you have the music in front of you, you are not truly reading, you are looking at it while your fingers move due to muscle memory!.
Reading music means actively telling yourself what to do!. Commanding the fingers!. Try it, put something in front of you and verbally tell yourself what to do!. You will find it not so easy!. Always be conscious about your practice!. Constantly tell yourself notes, patterns, if you see scales, fingerings, countings!.!.!. etc!.
Second - read piano four hands or two piano four hands music with someone who is better than you!. This way you will be forced to keep up with the other person!. In sight reading we tend to go slowly and slow down when things get hard!. Well when you read with someone who is better than you, you will be force do read faster and react quickly to what is going on!. You can't stop!.!.!. if you make a mistake, you have to learn to jump or if things get tricky, learn to reduce, leave out a hand until you can get it back in or play chords!.
Third - recognize patterns!. If you see a scale in sight reading, quickly glance the rhythm, starting/ending notes, any accidentals!. If it is a C scale, then you know the fingering, just keep the rhythm and then focus on the other hand!. Do this will all patterns you see
Four - Use your ear!. Most of the time you can predict where the melody is going!. Trust your ear!. Music is about listening!. Try to be proactive by listening for resolutions and predicting where the music will end up!.
Again - practice reading! That is the most important thing!. If the music is in front of you, don't look down!. When you look down it takes time to look up, find the music and then look down to find the notes!. Keeping your eyes on the music will also train your hands to learn the keyboard geography!. And tell yourself what you are playing!. Always be conscious and direct your hands to where they have to go!.
Another helpful tool is to take the music away from the piano and say the notes out loud in rhythm!. What ever piece you are practicing, sit at a table with a metronome!. say the notes out loud in the rhythm they are written!. This will help you to focus on reading the notes instead of reading and playing!.
Every time you look at the music, verbally tell yourself the notes!. !. When you say things out loud you will learn and memorize faster then just staring and playing!. You need to be active so tell yourself what you are reading!. If you see a C, say out loud that it's a C!. this way you are reinforcing what you see by activating something in your brain!. When we say things out loud, we think it!.!.!. we hear it!.!.!. we remember it!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Reading music means actively telling yourself what to do!. Commanding the fingers!. Try it, put something in front of you and verbally tell yourself what to do!. You will find it not so easy!. Always be conscious about your practice!. Constantly tell yourself notes, patterns, if you see scales, fingerings, countings!.!.!. etc!.
Second - read piano four hands or two piano four hands music with someone who is better than you!. This way you will be forced to keep up with the other person!. In sight reading we tend to go slowly and slow down when things get hard!. Well when you read with someone who is better than you, you will be force do read faster and react quickly to what is going on!. You can't stop!.!.!. if you make a mistake, you have to learn to jump or if things get tricky, learn to reduce, leave out a hand until you can get it back in or play chords!.
Third - recognize patterns!. If you see a scale in sight reading, quickly glance the rhythm, starting/ending notes, any accidentals!. If it is a C scale, then you know the fingering, just keep the rhythm and then focus on the other hand!. Do this will all patterns you see
Four - Use your ear!. Most of the time you can predict where the melody is going!. Trust your ear!. Music is about listening!. Try to be proactive by listening for resolutions and predicting where the music will end up!.
Again - practice reading! That is the most important thing!. If the music is in front of you, don't look down!. When you look down it takes time to look up, find the music and then look down to find the notes!. Keeping your eyes on the music will also train your hands to learn the keyboard geography!. And tell yourself what you are playing!. Always be conscious and direct your hands to where they have to go!.
Another helpful tool is to take the music away from the piano and say the notes out loud in rhythm!. What ever piece you are practicing, sit at a table with a metronome!. say the notes out loud in the rhythm they are written!. This will help you to focus on reading the notes instead of reading and playing!.
Every time you look at the music, verbally tell yourself the notes!. !. When you say things out loud you will learn and memorize faster then just staring and playing!. You need to be active so tell yourself what you are reading!. If you see a C, say out loud that it's a C!. this way you are reinforcing what you see by activating something in your brain!. When we say things out loud, we think it!.!.!. we hear it!.!.!. we remember it!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
I've been playing piano for almost 10 years!. Since you're starting, I think you should get comfortable where the notes are on the piano!. Begin by memorizing what the notes look like in the middle octave, where most music begins!. I would recommend beginning with your right hand; i think it's easiest!.
Once you get comfortable with knowing where the keys are for each note, it will become easier to sight read!. Just keep practicing!. It's okay that you can't sight read now, you'll get better at it!. Practice makes perfect!. :)Www@Enter-QA@Com
Once you get comfortable with knowing where the keys are for each note, it will become easier to sight read!. Just keep practicing!. It's okay that you can't sight read now, you'll get better at it!. Practice makes perfect!. :)Www@Enter-QA@Com
It'll come with time, you will get better at it but probably not proficient enough to play Liszt after looking at the page for twenty seconds !.!.!.
!.!.!. I've been playing 40 years and still can't sight-read worth a darn!. I've got to work everything out in advance!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
!.!.!. I've been playing 40 years and still can't sight-read worth a darn!. I've got to work everything out in advance!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
You're doing everything right!. Practice is what it will take!. 2 hours a day and theory is what it will take to be able to achieve what you want!. For the octaves, just remember that in treble clef, middle C is the note on the line just below the staff, and for bass clef, its on the line just above the staff!. Sight reading takes time too!. It helps to count the note values in your head before you play them to hear the rhythm before you try it!. If you don't know how to count like that this is what 4-16th notes read next to each other in 4/4 time!. (1 E &/+ A)!. So if you picture just one quarter note, it would just be (1), two eighths would be (1 +), one eighth and 2 16ths would be (1 + A), and so on!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
i suggest u take it slowly since u just began learning piano!. try first reading the treble clef and play the notes that are written!. then read the notes on the bass clef and play them!.play it over and over again until u can play it fluently (not neccessarily fast)!. after doing so, try play the notes on the treble and bass clef at a slow pace so you hit every note, practice makes perfect :)
i know how u feel, its really difficult at first, but once u get the hang of it, its great! and i applaud u for memorizing it because that is one of the techniques needed when u start playing really long repetoires
when reading sheet music, you have to know the notes first before you start playing!. if there are any notes u are not familiar with, write it down and keep it there until u think u know the note by heart and then erase it!.
i hope this method helps u in the futureand from the amount of concentration u put in practicing piano, i believe u can achieve a better sight reading skill and be able to read sheet music easily!Www@Enter-QA@Com
i know how u feel, its really difficult at first, but once u get the hang of it, its great! and i applaud u for memorizing it because that is one of the techniques needed when u start playing really long repetoires
when reading sheet music, you have to know the notes first before you start playing!. if there are any notes u are not familiar with, write it down and keep it there until u think u know the note by heart and then erase it!.
i hope this method helps u in the futureand from the amount of concentration u put in practicing piano, i believe u can achieve a better sight reading skill and be able to read sheet music easily!Www@Enter-QA@Com
The ability to read both clefs will come in time, and it will become instinctive, instead of difficult as it seems now!.
I'd suggest when you're working with a new piece, play only the right hand first, all the way through - then go on to the left hand and play it all the way through!. This way, when you join the two, you already know what is happening in either hand and don't have to determine right then and there what to play!.
It also helps to look over the enire piece before you even sit down at the piano!. Play it in your mind all the way through - it will help when you start to play it!.
Many teachers recommend a metronome to help in sight reading!. It absolutely does help, because it forces you to continue and to keep the beat!. If you're using a metronome, whatever happens, keep playing and keep the beat, regardless of any mistake you might make!.
The metronome will force you to look ahead a measure - which it sounds to me like your teacher hasn't discussed with you!. It will engage your concentration to keep time with the metronome!.
also, the more pieces you play that you don't know, the better your reading will become!. Find a folio of pieces at your level, but that you're not familiar with and work on them!.
Do all these things and you'll surely improve!. !.Www@Enter-QA@Com
I'd suggest when you're working with a new piece, play only the right hand first, all the way through - then go on to the left hand and play it all the way through!. This way, when you join the two, you already know what is happening in either hand and don't have to determine right then and there what to play!.
It also helps to look over the enire piece before you even sit down at the piano!. Play it in your mind all the way through - it will help when you start to play it!.
Many teachers recommend a metronome to help in sight reading!. It absolutely does help, because it forces you to continue and to keep the beat!. If you're using a metronome, whatever happens, keep playing and keep the beat, regardless of any mistake you might make!.
The metronome will force you to look ahead a measure - which it sounds to me like your teacher hasn't discussed with you!. It will engage your concentration to keep time with the metronome!.
also, the more pieces you play that you don't know, the better your reading will become!. Find a folio of pieces at your level, but that you're not familiar with and work on them!.
Do all these things and you'll surely improve!. !.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Hi there, I'm a music teacher specializing in piano, voice and composition!.
Here are my three tips for your problem:
1!. First, you have to memorize the note positions, at least those between the ledger lines of the bass and treble clefs (there are about 20 of them for each clef)!. This takes time, but you'll get au fait with it after a while and ultimately it will just be a subconscious effort to read a note!. As a starter, you can jot down the letter name of each note (A, G#!.!.!.etc) beside it!. Then learn to live without doing it gradually!. As for notes way above or below the ledger lines, trust me, even professional musicians couldn't read them instantly!.
2!. This tip is actually applicable in many problems faced by beginners!. When you read (or see) a note, you MUST know beforehand how it sounds before hitting it!. Preferably, you can train yourself by doing a lot of sight-singing (give yourself a reference note beforehand if you don't have perfect pitch)!. You don't have to sing it perfectly, what's more important is that the "sound" must appear in your head before you play it!.
3!. Even if you're a professional musician, there's no such thing as "instant sight-reading"!. Before you jump into playing, you must first at least glance through the score!. See the variations of texture, fingerings, accidentals, melody lines!.!.!.!.etc and have a rough picture of how the piece will sound in general!. Then spend some extra moments on places you know you couldn't get it right the first time!. The whole process will not take you more than 2-3 minutes!. And if you're taking the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal School of Music) exams, that's exactly the lenght of time they'd give you before you start your sight-reading in an exam!.
Hope my advice helps!. Good luck :)
-zWww@Enter-QA@Com
Here are my three tips for your problem:
1!. First, you have to memorize the note positions, at least those between the ledger lines of the bass and treble clefs (there are about 20 of them for each clef)!. This takes time, but you'll get au fait with it after a while and ultimately it will just be a subconscious effort to read a note!. As a starter, you can jot down the letter name of each note (A, G#!.!.!.etc) beside it!. Then learn to live without doing it gradually!. As for notes way above or below the ledger lines, trust me, even professional musicians couldn't read them instantly!.
2!. This tip is actually applicable in many problems faced by beginners!. When you read (or see) a note, you MUST know beforehand how it sounds before hitting it!. Preferably, you can train yourself by doing a lot of sight-singing (give yourself a reference note beforehand if you don't have perfect pitch)!. You don't have to sing it perfectly, what's more important is that the "sound" must appear in your head before you play it!.
3!. Even if you're a professional musician, there's no such thing as "instant sight-reading"!. Before you jump into playing, you must first at least glance through the score!. See the variations of texture, fingerings, accidentals, melody lines!.!.!.!.etc and have a rough picture of how the piece will sound in general!. Then spend some extra moments on places you know you couldn't get it right the first time!. The whole process will not take you more than 2-3 minutes!. And if you're taking the ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal School of Music) exams, that's exactly the lenght of time they'd give you before you start your sight-reading in an exam!.
Hope my advice helps!. Good luck :)
-zWww@Enter-QA@Com