Re: Sightreading


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Posted by Steve Dedman on November 15, 2001 at 15:44:52:

In Reply to: Sightreading posted by Allan on November 15, 2001 at 13:35:36:

You should never try to play a piece of music completely cold. By that I mean you should at least have looked at the key signature, key changes, the time signature, and meter changes. Also look for accidentals and rhythmically tricky spots. Do all of that before you play. And most importantly, make it a habit to do that before you read ANYTHING.

Things do get easier with time and practice. After several years, you start recognizing things, and your mind doesn't think fingerings anymore; it thinks "d minor arpeggio, A major scale, etc." And after seeing the same rhythms over and over for several years, they become second nature. The article referenced by Ike in another thread about the musician's brain is right on point. The more you know music and your instrument, the more you are able to think as a musician and the less you think as a technician.

Like anything else, the more you practice sightreading, the more quickly you will become proficient at it. I would suggest getting an etude book like the Cimera 170 Studies, and sight read one etude every day. Go through the whole routine. I have my students sightread at the end of every lesson. I have them look at the key, key changes, the meter, meter changes, accidentals, and rhythmically challenging spots. I usually give them 30 seconds or so for a short 32-bar etude. Then I have them read it top to bottom without stopping. Sometimes I end up singing the etude until they come back in on the last note. That's OK to a point, because one of the purposes is to never stop. The conductor won't stop for you to find your place, so learning how to get back in is as important as anything else you learn as a musician.

Work as hard on sightreading as you do your technical and musical studies. I will pay off big time in several years.

SD


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