Sight-Reading: Reading Ahead

[vincentl]

I have been trying to improve my sight-reading for the past few days, I would sight-read easy pieces to harder pieces progressively until I get mentally tired then I would start again after resting a little. But my problem is, I have some trouble in reading ahead, I can only read ahead by 1 measure, someone said that I should read ahead at least 2 measures but if I try to do that I forget the previous measure. Any tips on reading ahead?

[keyboardclass]

You don't read ahead more than half a bar usually but it's far more important to understand what you're reading anyway.

[birba]

Yeah, I don't know how you could read a measure ahead.  Much less, two!  I'm a pretty good sight reader, but I used it in my work.  If I had to sight-read a Hindemith sonata for one of the orchestral instruments, for example.  There, the trick was to play what was most important, and always go ahead.  It's not always easy to see what's important in Hindemith amidst all those notes.  So, usually I just grabbed the outer lines and made sure the rhythm was precise.  And you can be sure, in my case, I did NOT "understand" what I was reading. I just read.  At any rate, like keyboardclass said, my mind was never more than a couple of beats ahead of what I was playing.  What do you use your sight-reading for?

[vincentl]

Thank you for the replies, I was wrong to be so fixated on reading ahead.  Hopefully I am practicing properly; I do not wish to waste so much time on practicing sight-reading only to know that I am not doing it right.

There, the trick was to play what was most important, and always go ahead. It's not always easy to see what's important in Hindemith amidst all those notes.  So, usually I just grabbed the outer lines and made sure the rhythm was precise.

Ah, yes, someone also suggested that I try doing that. Also, I did not know that Hindemith composed.  And after listening to a sonata or two of his, I really liked his compositions.

What do you use your sight-reading for?

I just sight-read at home, I do not play with anybody or something. I wanted to really improve sight-reading to be a more accomplished musician, I am planning to finally enroll in a music school and would like to be prepared for any challenge I would have to face there. Also, so I can add more pieces to my repertoire with more ease.

[birba]

What did you think Hindemith did? 
I think it's a good idea to develop your sight-reading.  Another idea is to get all the bach chorales, and read, and I mean READ (not stop and repeat) 5 a day.  Begin at a slow tempo, read the top and bottom lines only,  then go back, and at an even slower speed (without stopping though, even if you flub up) and read all the voices.  Then, finally, repeat the chorale at a slightly faster speed.

[keyboardclass]

Sorry, Bach chorales - dreary.  With millions of pieces out there why play something not even written for piano?  Those 10ths etc are really annoying.

[birba]

Because they're short and get the eye used to "disecting chords."  And who says they're dreary?! 

[keyboardclass]

I'll try them on my clavichord who knows, might just liven them up!

[keyboardclass]

Er, not really.  Certainly only suitable for advanced level.  Bach wrote the Sinfonias for studying 3-part playing (and that's quite the art).  I think you need to be through them before tackling 4-part.

[pianowolfi]

If you want to learn reading fluently, you need to practice at a speed that allows you to play without stopping, hesitating or changing the rhythm.
And of course you need to read ahead. If I wouldn't read ahead I were (was? however ) lost in my choir rehearsals
Sometimes you need to "read ahead" (well actually overview) a whole piece in a short time. Where are the fastest notes? Where is the most difficult part? Which voices do I perhaps need to skip? Where are modulations? Which harmonies appear? And then off it goes...

[vincentl]

What did you think Hindemith did? 
I think it's a good idea to develop your sight-reading.  Another idea is to get all the bach chorales, and read, and I mean READ (not stop and repeat) 5 a day.  Begin at a slow tempo, read the top and bottom lines only,  then go back, and at an even slower speed (without stopping though, even if you flub up) and read all the voices.  Then, finally, repeat the chorale at a slightly faster speed.

I only knew Hindemith because of his Elementary Training for Musicians. 
I will try your advice, but isn't Bach a little difficult to sight-read for a beginner? To be honest though, I haven't read or heard Bach's chorales yet, but I know 'of' them.  I probably need to start listening to them and learning them now, I have always been so focused on the music of the Romantic era.

I'll try them on my clavichord who knows, might just liven them up!

Ooh, I love the sound of a clavichord, but never did find any stores that sells them. If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere before how to make one, I think it's somewhere in the forum.  Did you make your clavichord? If so, is it difficult?

If you want to learn reading fluently, you need to practice at a speed that allows you to play without stopping, hesitating or changing the rhythm.
And of course you need to read ahead. If I wouldn't read ahead I were (was? however ) lost in my choir rehearsals
Sometimes you need to "read ahead" (well actually overview) a whole piece in a short time. Where are the fastest notes? Where is the most difficult part? Which voices do I perhaps need to skip? Where are modulations? Which harmonies appear? And then off it goes...

I have always had a problem in analyzing a piece, well I am learning now. Before, I never knew what to analyze in the piece before playing.(Of course the time and key signature are what I read first.) But I never stopped to analyze difficult passages etc. Thanks for the advice. I really am still a beginner that is trying to learn.

[birba]

and I didn't know Hindemith wrote something called elementary training for musicians!

[vincentl]

and I didn't know Hindemith wrote something called elementary training for musicians!

He wrote three books if I'm not mistaken; A Concentrated Course in Traditional Harmony, Elementary Training for Musicians and The Craft of Musical Composition. I have only two though, I can't find his book on harmony.

[brogers70]

and I didn't know Hindemith wrote something called elementary training for musicians!

Yeah, it's elementary in the same way as "Elementary Principles of Differential Geometry and Tensor Analysis" is "elementary."

[faa2010]

What I do is learn first with the right or the left hand, depends on which one suits you better. 

What I frequently miss and I should follow is what someone said in this post: learn around 2 bars until it is really secure.

It's like studying a subject: try to learn constantly little by little, not to put the whole lesson in one strike into your mind because it will get satured and stressed.