Piano Forum

Topic: How to read Bass cleff quickly?  (Read 2219 times)

Offline tomoino

  • PS Silver Member
  • Newbie
  • ***
  • Posts: 1
How to read Bass cleff quickly?
on: August 09, 2009, 02:57:36 PM
I can read quicly on the treble clef but am struggling with the bass clef.
It takes time to read notes on the bass clef stuff.
Do you have any suggestion of practicing or book ?

Offline iroveashe

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 435
Re: How to read Bass cleff quickly?
Reply #1 on: August 09, 2009, 03:29:27 PM
Try to see both clefs as one big 10-lines clef, with an invisible 11th line in between them (C). Also, try transposing one octave down or things like that, and read the bass line with the right hand too. Just try to use it a lot and you'll get used to it, I don't think you need a book for that.
"By concentrating on precision, one arrives at technique, but by concentrating on technique one does not arrive at precision."
Bruno Walter

Offline turayza

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 61
Re: How to read Bass cleff quickly?
Reply #2 on: August 13, 2009, 01:51:44 AM
Just practice the bass clef more. Find random sheet music and practice cite reading the bass clef. Maybe reading it a couple times with your right hand will help? Oftentimes it's harder for us right-handed people to read bass clef because it's left hand and (usually) not melody.
Looking for a Baroque piece. Suggest one?
I've been looking at:
-Scarlatti K. 115

Offline braintist

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 34
Re: How to read Bass cleff quickly?
Reply #3 on: August 20, 2009, 05:26:55 PM
Play more piano, eventually you'll get used.
Eventually you will also want to learn to read alto and tenor clef quickly  ;)

Offline anna_crusis

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 88
Re: How to read Bass cleff quickly?
Reply #4 on: August 21, 2009, 11:11:50 AM
Just grab a score, and sit there for 15 minutes each day naming the bass notes as fast as possible. Pick lots of different key signatures, not just the easy ones. After a  few weeks move onto finding them quickly on the keyboard.

It's not that difficult. A month's worth of intense practice will sort it.

I just used to use All Cows Eat Grass/Good Birds Don't Fly Away at first and that worked absolutely fine. No need to imagine a grand staff or anything like that.

Offline redragon

  • PS Silver Member
  • Jr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 83
Re: How to read Bass cleff quickly?
Reply #5 on: September 07, 2009, 06:53:14 PM
The notes look different on the page, but on the piano, they're the same. They're just an octave down. Learn what they look like on the page, but in my opinion, it's almost unnecissary to learn the note names. (almost) But, you'll get it eventually. Learn a note at a time.  ;D
"Music is the strongest form of magic." -Marilyn Manson

Offline gyzzzmo

  • PS Silver Member
  • Sr. Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 2209
Re: How to read Bass cleff quickly?
Reply #6 on: September 07, 2009, 07:23:57 PM
you learn to read them faster by reading them more often. I wouldnt bother spending any time on learning to read them faster, because that would cost you alot more time than it would give you.
1+1=11
For more information about this topic, click search below!

Piano Street Magazine:
New Piano Piece by Chopin Discovered – Free Piano Score

A previously unknown manuscript by Frédéric Chopin has been discovered at New York’s Morgan Library and Museum. The handwritten score is titled “Valse” and consists of 24 bars of music in the key of A minor and is considered a major discovery in the wold of classical piano music. Read more
 

Logo light pianostreet.com - the website for classical pianists, piano teachers, students and piano music enthusiasts.

Subscribe for unlimited access

Sign up

Follow us

Piano Street Digicert