Personal Plan For Improving Sight Reading - Feedback Needed

[florentin]

I am a school teacher. I teach General Music, Guitar Class, and Chorus.

I do play the Piano, but my main instrument is the Classical Guitar.
Throughout the years, I've struggled with reading new Piano scores, especially choral accompaniments.

I get away with my mediocre sight-reading skills, and my below-average piano playing, by improvising.

At the beginning of this school year, I made a new plan.
I would like to improve my ability to sigh read accompaniment scores.

I ordered John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano.
It comes in five volumes.

Here's how I worked out of the books.

1. I played each piece in the book three times in a row.

2. No stopping whatsoever.

3. I did not try to 'learn' the pieces. I moved on after playing three times.

4. When I finish all levels, I intend to do it over, or use a different series for variety.

The first volume took me two days.
The second volume took me three days.
The third volume took me one entire week.

I am now in Volume Four.
It has taken me two weeks already, and I am almost half way through the book.

Today I played "Hungarian".
I figure that by the end of December I could probably be done with all volumes.

Conclusions:

     a). Volumes 1-2-3 took me a very short time, which means that level 3 is probably my most comfortable level of sight-reading.

     b). Volume 4 is taking me much longer. I have to play the pieces much slower. The songs in volume 4 are also a bit longer.

 Questions:

Have any of you used method books to improve sight-reading?
Would you agree with this method?
Would you have any suggestions?

Thanks

[jaggens]

Hi,

This is a good step that you have done. Practical reading from note sheet of course helps and improves the skill. But by my experience there are even better certain ways to develop skill of sight reading.

What is the main point of the method I will describe?
Example: When you practise a piece you will devide it into smaller sections and practise hands separately in a low tempo and so on. So you can concentrate on details and practise with concentration and quality. It is exactly the same with improving sight reading. It should be devided into parts and then each step can be improved and developed with 100% concentration and quality. Also most people do not know what is their weakest point in sight reading that should be supported.

Ok. Some steps in mental chain of sight reading:

1) Find out rhythm.
2) Find out notes.
3) Find out fingering postitions.
4) Move the hand to the right place and play the key.

How to practise?
Rhythm - look at a note sheet and concentrate only on rhythm. Try to imagine or knock the rhythm in the note sheet. Do it without the piano and concentrating only on rhythm. Try to grab it as naturally as possible. This skill can be developed to the level when your brain naturally and effortlessly reads the rhythm and good habits work instead of your active thinking.

Notes - create as many links and connections (synapses) with notes as possible. For example in treble clef B is on middle line. C has a hat on. F-A-C-E form a word. So with every line and space between staff lines there is a link and connection to the key in your brain. The more connections you have the quicker you recognize notes. Also take random notes and move your hand to the right note. Try to automatize it.

Fingerings - look at the note text and form fingerings in your head without playin. Then check it out on the piano. Create a vision in your head of keyboard on certain fingering positions on it. Develop that skill.

You can find more aspects to develop them separately.
Find out the weakest point and develop it. Soon your sight reading will boost surprisingly.

Of course after practising separately also practise just reading. Later the musicality will take all the fractions into one working whole.

GL
Jaak