Help with piano; I find sight reading difficult. . .?

Question

So in the first lesson book I got, pretty much all the songs just had chords for the left hand. Now that I'm done that book, my teacher has moved me on to this book called Preparatory Piano Repertoire; Celebration Series Perspectives, and there is a lot more "independent" playing between each hand (no chords for the left, notes that are different from the right hand). I find this really challenging. I can't read both bars at the same time, it's confusing. Does anybody have any suggestions or advice that could help me sightread better?

Answer 1

I think you are expecting too much too soon. Good sight reading requires your brain to bring together many things instantly and unless you can do this, you will not be able to transfer what you see on the page to your fingers on the keyboard. The things I am referring to are things like: Understanding everything on the page, instantly recognizing note grouping and patterns, being able to count accurately, being able to visualize you hand position on the keys without looking at them. These are just a few of the things your brain must grasp in a split second. Most of these abilities are acquired by months and months and years of practice. Come back in 5 years and ask this question again.

Answer 2

There are several methods to improve quickly and naturally eye sight... To know how to do that you can find here a compelte method based on researches done by some scientist, for a cheap price:



http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=413



I can give you just some tips but I suggest to give a look to the method that i posted above...for example you can take more food that contains vitamin A such as carrots may help to naturally improve your eye sight. We can also always do exercises. There are exercises such as rolling your eyeball to form an invisible square that are always recommended by the doctors to improve one's eyesight. I don't know about quickly as there is no fast way to reach one's goal.

Vegetarians can help to improve one's eye sight. I believe it because I am a vegetarian and my eye short-sightedness power remains the same without any increase after about 2 years. The doctor was shocked because teenagers at my years will usually have a most increase since we are always watching TV, playing computers and also reading. I do not know whether it is totally true or not but it does affect a bit on the result.



Anyway i suggest to check the link that i posted :) It worked for me

Hope it helps.

Answer 3

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When you are learning how to play the piano, it’s true that you require email support, but you also need a variety of other ways to have your questions answered. A well written course covers many questions, but there is no substitute for having real, live support when you are unclear on something specific to your learning curve.

Answer 4

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. But you're thinking "I can read music".... truthfully, you can't... 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. A way to test memory. 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. Five - Reduce - drop notes, drop a hand if you have to. It is more important to keep going than to stop and correct mistakes! You are sight reading. The goal is to always move forward. Leave out challenging parts if you have to and play the other hand. For example: You may see an alberti bass using tonic and dominant triad while the R.H. is doing some crazy runs. Focus on the R.H. runs by playing a solid tonic and dominant triad. You still keep the harmonic inflections, so you lose the pattern in the left, but at least you can keep going without stopping. 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.

Answer 5

I agree with the poster above about the letter notes.



DO NOT write these in - if you want to learn the notes - use flash cards.



if you write the letters on the sheet music - you will not be sight reading - and when you remove the letters - you still will not be able to efficiently read sheet music.



remember when sight reading - always try to look ahead - you have to process quick when sight reading.

Answer 6

I don't have a 'magic bullet' to make this easier. It is just part of what everyone has to deal with when learning the piano. Practice and good coaching.... there are no shortcuts.

Answer 7

Well

Specific eye exercises can really help to improve your vision without surgery. I'm following this system http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=413 and it's working well.

Give it a try.

Cheers.

Answer 8

Do not in any circumstances start to use those dreadful letter notes, they will only slow down your learning! Instead, do slow down with the tempo of your playing, practice the both hand sides separately first and after you can play them perfectly, then try to combine them. Last but not least, you need to be patient with yourself and practice a lot! Good luck!

Answer 9

i'm taking piano lessons too at my school and our teacher told us that its easier if you learn how to play the right hand first and then the left and once you know both hands well then you can try to play them at the same time... hope that helps

Answer 10

Take it slowly; work small chunks of music. Read the music before you start playing.



... reading the grand staff is a learned skill, it takes time.

Answer 11

Maybe you could try it slowly first. Also try writing the letter names near the corresponding notes.