rusty and re-learning after years of Suzuki method

[jameswn]

Hi all,

So, I got pretty good at piano up until I was about 14, after which I let it slip (moving to boarding school meant I didn't really have the time or access to carry on as I had before). Now I'm 31, and slowly realising that officially being a grown-up means I'm allowed to do things like buy a piano and put it in my house if I want to. So I did that, and I've started practising again.

The thing is, all my formal training lo those many years ago was with the Suzuki method. I can see that's come up in a few discussions around here before, and the criticisms of it seem to be largely accurate. In particular, my sight reading is pretty terrible, since that was never something I focused on much.

I guess my question is, where should I be concentrating my practice now, to best make up for the gaps in my experience? I've picked up a couple of ABRSM books of sight reading exercises, and scales & arpeggios - is that sort of thing a good place to start? If there are any specific recommendations for someone who had Suzuki imprinted on their brain at a young age and is looking to broaden out into more of an all-rounder, I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

[louispodesta]

Hi all,

So, I got pretty good at piano up until I was about 14, after which I let it slip (moving to boarding school meant I didn't really have the time or access to carry on as I had before). Now I'm 31, and slowly realising that officially being a grown-up means I'm allowed to do things like buy a piano and put it in my house if I want to. So I did that, and I've started practising again.

The thing is, all my formal training lo those many years ago was with the Suzuki method. I can see that's come up in a few discussions around here before, and the criticisms of it seem to be largely accurate. In particular, my sight reading is pretty terrible, since that was never something I focused on much.

I guess my question is, where should I be concentrating my practice now, to best make up for the gaps in my experience? I've picked up a couple of ABRSM books of sight reading exercises, and scales & arpeggios - is that sort of thing a good place to start? If there are any specific recommendations for someone who had Suzuki imprinted on their brain at a young age and is looking to broaden out into more of an all-rounder, I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

Bless you for having the courage, and the heart, to state to the piano world just how much you love music (specifically the piano).  In that you have had in the past no aversion to a certain methodology of piano pedagogy, I can advise you on how to proceed.

However, in that you are gentle soul, I do not wish to subject you to some of the normal posts responses by stating it here.  Therefore, please contact me by PM, if you so desire.

[lostinidlewonder]

Start reading lots of easy piano pieces not only technical patterns. My sight reading students can easily cycle through 50-100 pieces a week. The trick is to find material you can predominantly successfully read and this may require you to humble yourself a great deal, then you will find with more experience that the bar raises as to what you can successfully read.

[louispodesta]

For your perusal, a previous post:

"When I was young, I could memorize any new piece for my next lesson, so I never learned how to properly sight read.  When I was in music school, the very best accompanist in the U.S. could not teach me how to read.

So, at the age of 50, I made up my mind that I could do it, and I did.  Mind you, I am not a great sight reader, but I improved well enough to read through 44 piano concertos in 5 years.

Therefore, you need to realize that the physical skill of basic sight reading is exactly the same as learning how to type.  It is familiarity with the keyboard, so you can get around without looking down.

The first book you get is "You Can Sight Read Vol.I," by Lorina Havill who taught it at Juilliard for years.  It has exercises where you play single notes, double notes, triads, and then seventh chords up and down the piano in octave sections.  You start out as slow as you can in order to obtain accuracy.  Even though it doesn't seem possible at first, if you practice this every day for just a few minutes, you eventually get to where you can feel your way around.

Next, there is a ten book series entitled "Four Star Sight Reading and Ear Tests, Daily Exercises For Piano Students," by Boris Berlin.  These are very short paperback books that contain very short pieces at various levels of sight reading.  They have a mixture of all genres, including church hymnal scores.  Also, they have sight singing drills and rhythmic practice sections, which are essential to sight reading. 

I recommend that you get volumes 7-10.  They are very inexpensive.

Set the metronome at the lowest possible setting where you can read without stopping, and then read for about 20 minutes a day, and no more.  If you go more than that, it will turn into drudgery and you will hate it.  A great idea is start every practice session by practicing your sight reading.

After you have read through to volume 10 at a slow and steady speed, then you go back to volume number seven, slightly increase the tempo, and then read through to volume 10.  This is the text they have used at the Royal College of Music forever because it works!

In about a year or two, your sight reading will have improved by about 300%.  A good basic yardstick is being able to sight read through Mozart or Haydn piano sonatas at a moderate tempo.  From there, you can decide on whether you want to study accompanying and increase your ability accordingly.

So, practice the first book to develop your ability to get around the keyboard without looking down, and then the Four Star series to practice actual reading.

Good luck to you, and remember, if I could do it, anybody can do it."
 

 
 
 

[yewtree]

Start reading lots of easy piano pieces not only technical patterns. My sight reading students can easily cycle through 50-100 pieces a week. The trick is to find material you can predominantly successfully read and this may require you to humble yourself a great deal, then you will find with more experience that the bar raises as to what you can successfully read.

Absolutely, this is what I've been doing. 
I have been sight reading Christmas songs and Carols,  and going back to  easy stuff I learned early on, plus I purchased  ABRSM  sight reading practice for the grade I am on even though I'm still a beginner.    It certainly works wonders if you stick at it. 

 

[pianoplunker]

Hi all,

So, I got pretty good at piano up until I was about 14, after which I let it slip (moving to boarding school meant I didn't really have the time or access to carry on as I had before). Now I'm 31, and slowly realising that officially being a grown-up means I'm allowed to do things like buy a piano and put it in my house if I want to. So I did that, and I've started practising again.

The thing is, all my formal training lo those many years ago was with the Suzuki method. I can see that's come up in a few discussions around here before, and the criticisms of it seem to be largely accurate. In particular, my sight reading is pretty terrible, since that was never something I focused on much.

I guess my question is, where should I be concentrating my practice now, to best make up for the gaps in my experience? I've picked up a couple of ABRSM books of sight reading exercises, and scales & arpeggios - is that sort of thing a good place to start? If there are any specific recommendations for someone who had Suzuki imprinted on their brain at a young age and is looking to broaden out into more of an all-rounder, I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

I dont know the Suzuki method, but I think while you are practicing scales, it will be beneficial to do so without looking at the keys. That might help with the sight-reading too

[lostinidlewonder]

Absolutely, this is what I've been doing. 
I have been sight reading Christmas songs and Carols,  and going back to  easy stuff I learned early on, plus I purchased  ABRSM  sight reading practice for the grade I am on even though I'm still a beginner.    It certainly works wonders if you stick at it.

Nice to hear yewtree. I occassionally get grade 8+students coming to me to learn sight reading and some are horrified when I make them do much earlier grades. It is hard to be humble for some and it certainly requires years of dedication absolutely no short cut. With a world where the generations are becoming more accustomed to instant satisfaction and a quick improvement rate the work load can be too much for those not serious enough. Too many just want to play pieces they love and are not in love with improving their reading skills or learning rate IMO, they are satisfied playing a small collection of their favorite pieces and struggle to improve them with months or years of inefficient practice, I guess this is perfectly fine for some but I don't know, I feel sad to allow people to settle and remain safe in there little bubble.

[louispodesta]

This is why the very cheap and available Boris Berlin series, available on the internet or at any sheet music store (instead of buying it from your teacher!) is used by the Royal Academy as their benchmark.  And, that is why one should not depend on whether or not their particular teacher can accomplish the same OR NOT!

You, the OP are the pianist/student, and you are the one who wants to learn how to sight-read.  Trust me, no one has been down a harder path than mine, and this method got me there.

[dcstudio]

I feel sad to allow people to settle and remain safe in there little bubble.

tough to break them out of it sometimes...  they get to a point where they think this is as far as they can go--or want to go.

Yewtree:  those little Christmas carols are excellent for improving  your sight-reading skills. They are so familiar to our ears...      most of the popular sight-reading methods start in much the same way.   

[louispodesta]

I will say this for the first time, to my knowledge in regards the piano pedagogy world (and I am only a coach):  learning how to sight read is exactly the same motor-neuron process as learning how to type.

With four decades of failure, once I committed to that logic (and philosophers do that), it all came together.  When one commits to and then commences a day by day process of training a blind eye to feeling your way around the keyboard, then the rest is just a matter of time.  There is not an accomplished sight reader in existence, who once blindfolded, could not reach any key or chord on the piano in one single motion.

Therefore, I challenge anyone to try my methodology and fail, given the requirement that they can type on an electronic typewriter, not a computer keyboard.

[jameswn]

Sorry to take so long to mention it but many thanks for all the advice! The comparison to touch-typing hadn't really occurred to me, which maybe indicates how dull I've been about this - but now that it has it's quite encouraging, given how much I've improved at using a computer keyboard over the years. I'd definitely started by aiming too high, too - I've reeled it in a bit since and stocked up on grade 2 level practice sight-reading exercises, and it feels like I'm making some slow and steady progress working through those.

Appreciate all the specific recommendations too, I've noted down the names Lorina Havill and Boris Berlin among a few others to check if anyone's ebaying their old copies. Thanks all!