Question about sight reading massively confused need help asap

[burzum0727]

Ok well I started learning the notes on g and f clef. I'm extremely confused now!!! Should I memorize every note before I play anything and then read. Or should I be figuring it out while I play and read? I have a program that teaches me the notes and it works I have after a few minutes a decent grasp of recognizing the notes, but I cannot literally read music because first off havent learned the bass clef really at all yet. I have the treble clef decently. I don't know where to go from here. I should be learning the notes and be able to recognize them decently before I try to sight read a piece correct? Please give me answers i  don't want to slow my progress. I'm 26 and I need to get my masterpiece made before I die lol. I need to practice something daily but what that is specifically is confusing me. I know to start off with simple pieces and to recognize patterns while sight reading a piece. But I can't sight read without memorizing the notes  till I can recognize them fluently....

[burzum0727]

I guess the overall question here would be should I solely work on note recognition with spontaneous notes for now since I'm just beginning or go through the slow laborious process of trying to play pieces?

[Bob]

Maybe the usual method book stuff.  Five finger pieces.  Both clefs at once for learning.  Drill the notes separately with flash cards.  Learn the piece you're supposed to learn.  Then move onto to the next piece with another note, another concept.  Keeping drilling the notes and add that new one.  Add in a supplement book so you're looking at more than one piece with that new note/new concept.

[burzum0727]

Can you recommend any good method books?

[deandeblock]

Maybe you could try this book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Improve-your-sight-reading-Piano-Grade/dp/0571512410

I've done them and am now at grade 3 after a year, you will notice improvements albeit very slow

[adodd81802]

Few ideas.

It's probably worth knowing that sight reading and general ability goes hand in hand, I don't think at this stage you should be worried about sight reading. I would first concentrate on getting a grasp of both the clefs and then put this into practice by playing really simple pieces... You wouldn't first find out the English alphabet then try and understand the works of Shakespeare you'd be lost!

What I would suggest is find some easy pieces (some that you know how they should sound) practice actually reading music, that doesn't mean sight reading, that doesn't mean you even need a piano, if it helps write the notes down as you read them.

Also if you're an absolute beginner you need to learn rhythm and note values, if you don't have a teacher for this, listen to somebody play the song as you read the music so you can help identify the note values, rhythm, rests etc. (this can be done on youtube or something)

Lastly - and this I would consider as an advanced technique, is understanding how to sight read. Like many I would troll through a new piece, stumbling at parts where I can't read the actual notes quick enough because i'm reading - right hand d, f, left hand g, a, b, right hand a, c, e and what happens is your music catches up. You can't read ahead if you read this way. 2 main tips for advanced reading is

Read a few bars ahead, start site reading by reading 1-2 bars before even starting on the piano, then try and keep 2 bars ahead. If you can't do that, pick an easier piece.

2nd is don't try and read them as individual notes, recognise patterns, while it sounds difficult, you don't read words letter by letter?  you pick out the main key letters and you recognise the rest, try and apply this to sight reading.

Hope that helps.

[glennross]

Sight-reading is - that is, in the beginning - a seemingly complex skill which seems difficult to learn and eventually also master. However, if you take a logical look at the process that goes on in our brain, it is not very different from what's going on when we simply read words. So let's take a step back and analyze what really goes on when reading a simple book:

When we read a certain passage, the occipital lobe of our brain is mightily active. This certain lobe processes all the visual information we receive when we are reading. That means, the letters, words and sentences.

Meanwhile this visual information wouldn't mean anything to us if we wouldn't have the neocortex. The neocortex, and in special the frontal lobe of the neocortex, commutes this visual information into significant text and this causes that we can understand what it says.

If we use this information, we can see that when we are sight-reading, actually nothing different happens, except for the fact that the visual information now are replaced by notes and musical signs, and that our neocortex commutes this information into sounds now. Then it sends a signal to our hands after which the hands know which notes to play and in what order.

That is a little bit of background information. Now to come to your question.

If you are having trouble with sight-reading, which basically everyone has when he/she starts playing the piano, you can do one of the below things:

• Take a simple piece, listen to it, know how it sounds. After that you go sit down at the piano and play trough. One hand at the time, play trough the piece very slowly and make sure you use your aural memory of the piece to support the playing of the right notes. It is not wrong to make any mistakes at this stage. After all, you're learning to sight-read.
• Go and take a few simple scales, such as: C Major/A minor, G Major/E minor and F major/D minor. This way, you will be learning the notes of this scale, whilst also improving your sight-reading because you're teaching your fingers which notes should be played if you see them on the sheet music.

I suggest you do both of these things. Take it easy and keep playing slowly. Eventually you will be getting the hang of it.

BW,
Glenn

[louispodesta]

Can you recommend any good method books?

When I was a child, in that I could memorize any lesson required for the next week in one day, I never learned how to read.  Finally, after studying, and failed, under the best teacher in the U.S., (Eastman School of Music says so) I finally taught myself how to read.

This resulted in my learning the notes (two a day, over a five year period) to 47 piano concertos. And, this was in addition to a whole pot load of solo repertoire.

Therefore, in that I have taken the time to post this on several occasions, you can do a search and access that material.  If not, please contact me by PM.

[happyhacker]

There are plenty of Aps around (I use an iPad) that help me sight read notes when I am not at the piano. Even on a smartphone when out and have a moment to spare.

[todane]

There are plenty of Aps around (I use an iPad) that help me sight read notes when I am not at the piano. Even on a smartphone when out and have a moment to spare.

I'm doing exactly the same thing!    I even developed my own App to train myself.  I just posted in another topic to share with the beginners like us.  In case you haven't noticed it, check it out here: https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=59453.0