Piano Exam Soon, Need Help Recognising Notes

[forumseo]

I am doing a 7th grade piano exam in 1 month. I have all of my songs learnt and need to do more practice in scales. The thing I will find most difficult will be the sight reading. I have always struggled with sight reading. I want to improve so I can pass the exam.

When I sit down and try to play the 7th grade examples, I am very slow and have trouble recognizing the notes and putting the hands together. I think my problem is mainly recognizing the notes. If I get a random piece of music out and look at a single note, it takes 5-10 seconds for me to find the note on the piano.

I want to learn how to see a note and instantly know where the note is on the piano. What do you recomend me to do? I know that practice is most important and I am prepared to do 1+ hours per day. If you could recomend me exercises as well I would appreciate your help. How did you learn to recognize notes and sight read?

I mostly need help with recognizing notes. Once I have learnt how to do that I think that the sight reading will improve very well.

Thanks in advance.

[daniloperusina]

Someone who is better at sight reading than me will give you better answers, but I think you should practice how to recognize patterns.

For example: c major scale ascending, well, see that it's a scale ascending and don't read each individual note!

Patterns of ascending or descending thirds, fourths, fifths, sixths, learn to recognize these intervals, and train your fingers how to find the right notes, in the right scale, more than seeing each individual note.

Chords, learn to recognize first position, second, third etc.

Practicing like this, I think, will make you faster at finding chord patterns, melodies, scale and arpeggio passages.

Also, practice reading one bar, then play it, and while you play it, read next bar etc. Always a bar ahead.

[ivoryplayer_amf]

Noticing intervals will help a lot.  LIke knowing what the interval looks like between C & G.  of B flat and F.  Things like that.  But I have to be honest...if it takes you 5 to ten seconds to figure out a single note, I'm a little worried you've waited too late.  Yes you can work on it now and hope to improve slightly but thats all it will be I think.  Great sight readers study for years.  I am an excellent sight reader (before you think i'm tooting my own horn...I suck in a few other areas lol I need to work badly on finger dexterity).  However when I start going offinto ledger lines, I really have to rely on intervals.  Its really a lot about them.  And getting random pieces of music and start playing them.  Don't just sit down and try to read the notes, sit down and play the notes.  One thing that helps is being able to get off the crutch called "Looking down at my hands so I know i'm on the right note".  You 've got to feel the notes and just go with it.

[ramseytheii]

I've attached a file that goes through an exercise of playing different arpeggios from the same starting point.  Remembering that most piano music before 1910 is different arrangements of scales and arpeggios, you will notice that some of these arpeggios are easier to read than others.  The goal is to make them all equally comfortable, both in your visual comprehension and your physical adjustment.

It's highly advisable that you devote some time to studying music away from the keyboard; in other words, to read it without the additional burden of playing it.  Study a theory text, and write out chord progressions according to the old rules; study the circle of fifths, memorize it backwards and forwards; sing in a choir, or practice singing all the parts of church hymns.

For practicing sight-reading, practice all the previous grades as well.  You have to sight-read every single day, and do something easy to satisfy mind and spirit, and hard to challenge.  Be aware that sight-reading difficult material will wear you out faster than practicing your repertoire, but don't let this be an invitation to give up.

If I had to sum up all my advice, it would be to immerse yourself in reading and studying music away from the keyboard.

Walter Ramsey

[ramseytheii]

Sorry - the D---l be d---'ed, I forgot to attach the file!

Walter Ramsey

[daniloperusina]

Looks like a good excercise! Thanks!