Sight-reading Software?

[vincentl]

If you would give, let's say, 15 - 30 minutes a day devoted to using sight-reading software, will your sight-reading skills really improve? I have been trying to improve my sight-reading by reading through easy pieces, but I do not really have an abundant number of easy pieces that I can read efficiently in my bookshelf. I also need to save even the smallest amount of money, (Still paying monthly for my newly bought piano) so I can't really afford to buy new books or print too much.

I came across the idea of using sight-reading software, because of the fact that it does give you an unlimited amount of notes to name which saves you money (and possibly time) in the process of working on sight-reading. What worries me is that, I might not get a more solid orientation on the keyboard if I only work on the software but, if the software will reap good results for sight-reading, I will give time practicing on it. What are your thoughts on this?

P.S is Bela Bartok's Mikrokosmos Volumes 1 - 4 helpful in learning to sight-read?

[stevebob]

I didn’t know such a category of software existed!  I’m having trouble imagining how it would work, so I wonder if you could give some examples of products you’re considering for this purpose.

[vincentl]

Here is a link of what I am talking about:
https://www.wieser-software.com/lmusic/

Or something like this;
https://martypapa.blogspot.com/p/play.html

[stevebob]

I was skeptical of the idea that software could actually train sightreading, and perhaps with good reason.  Those two sites appear instead only to coach note recognition, and the first one frankly misrepresents that as sightreading. 

I didn’t understand how software could teach the stimulus/response process that’s so integral to sightreading (i.e., training the appropriate physical movements to become automatic, reflexive and simultaneous with reading the score); I was envisioning a program that might run on a laptop to build and reinforce the “in the eyes, out the fingers” experience while one is actually seated at the piano.

For teaching note recognition skills, I wonder if computerized flash cards are significantly more effective than the old-fashioned kind.

[vincentl]

I suppose those software products can only help me in recognizing the note much faster than before, but not exactly sight-reading. I found this other site just recently; https://www.etudesoftware.com/

But I am not exactly sure what a Midi Instrument really is, is it an instrument that you plug-in to your computer?

If it is, then it can be pretty useful I guess. Anyway, I will just save more money to buy the Mikrokosmos and some fairly easy pieces to improve my sight-reading skills. Printing is just too much of a hassle for me since I do not own a printer. Thank you for your reply stevebob!

[stevebob]

I recommend checking what your local public library has to offer in the way of sheet music or scores.  Keep in mind that any material at all can be useful for sightreading practice—hymnals, anthologies of show tunes, standards, pop songs, etc.—provided the difficulty level is elementary enough to be suited to the task.

I’m not familiar with the Bartok work you mention, but a couple of other classical collections that might interest you are Schumann’s Album for the Young and Grieg’s Lyric Pieces.

p.s.  Yes, a MIDI instrument has a digital connection to a PC.  More information about that topic is Googlable.

[vincentl]

I am a little familiar with Schumann's Album for the Young, I think the Frohlicher Landmann is included in that series. But for some reason, I have trouble playing Schumann.

Are you familiar with Beren's 50 piano pieces for first beginners?
Oh and, does your sight-reading improve when you play easy pieces but every note has a fingering marked on it? When I play some easy pieces of Czerny with fingerings, I usually look at the number more instead of the note itself, is that a bad habit?

[stevebob]

I'm not familiar with Berens.

It would be a very good idea to disregard any and all printed fingerings when sightreading.  You're training yourself to reach for the correct notes on the keyboard as an automatic and instantaneous response to your eyes reading those notes on the printed score.  You want to use material simple enough that you can push yourself through it with reasonably accurate notes, tempo and rhythm; those are the elements that require your focused attention.

You're not learning the pieces you sightread, after all, so you needn't be concerned with efficient and "correct" fingering.  Giving it any thought at all is an unnecessary and irrelevant distraction; it doesn't matter which fingerings you use in your sightreading practice.

[vincentl]

Thank you very much for your advice, I just bought a book by Leila Fletcher, and it is simple enough to be sight-read accurately, with rhythm and on tempo.

May I ask one last question, how much time should I spend on sight-reading per day?

[stevebob]

May I ask one last question, how much time should I spend on sight-reading per day?

I don't know.  Among other things, it would depend on how much total time you devote to your daily practice routine.  If you spend one to two hours, then 15 to 30 minutes for sightreading seems reasonable.