Sight reading means that after seeing it written a musician can play the music on his or her instrument with some degree of accuracy. It does not mean that one plays it perfectly, but at least adequately. Some display this ability by humming or singing the written music without the aid of an instrument. Others, by being able to play the music without having to first analyze it, break it down, or practice individual passages. It’s more about recognizing intervals, chords and chord shapes, and groups of notes (phrases) than individual notes. Sight reading is taught (or learned by) most musicians and is often used to measure a musician’s level of musicianship.
Sight reading (sometimes called sight singing or sight playing) is very advantageous for the musician. Having the ability to hear the notes before they are played makes for more accurate playing and learning new pieces in shorter amounts of time.
One of the best ways to speed up the process of sight reading is studying music theory. Knowing the structure and mathematics of music brings about a better understanding of how it is written (displayed on the page). Studying the relationships between notes and chords brings about visual cues that can be used to sight read. And having a good understanding of time and key signatures helps a great deal when seeing a piece of music (and sight reading it) for the very first time. Time and key signatures tell you, in advance, what to expect. For example, knowing a piece of music is in the key of D (two sharps) tells you that whenever the notes F and C appear, they are played as sharps. And knowing a piece is in 3/4 time gives the musician a great understanding of the time values of notes and rests.
Looking for patterns in music is another great way to learn to sight read more quickly. Being able to recognize passages that are repeated allows the musician to look forward and concentrate on other parts of the piece (e.g., knowing that a certain melody line appears many times in a piece of music allows the musician to concern themselves with the music before and after the repeated passage). Written music also has a degree of symmetry and understanding this can help with an overall sense of music structure.
Having recordings of a variety of different kinds of written music is another great way to quickly develop sight reading skills. Carefully and accurately following the recording (with its sheet music) goes a long way in being able to recognize melodies, chords, bass lines and the basic “road maps” of written music.
Most of those who teach sight reading agree that it’s very important to not stop to correct mistakes. They say to never go back to a previous section—complete the sight reading in one “pass”). In other words, think of yourself as sight reading a piece with other musicians as in a performance, and you have to “keep up” with them. Though this might be frustrating for the present, it will speed up the overall process.
Finally, we all learn by doing, so the more your practice the skill, the sooner you’ll be able to master it.
Posts Tagged ‘sight reading’
Sight Reading Music: How Can I Speed Up My Sight Reading?
Sunday, March 29th, 2009How important is sight-reading for piano players?
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
Sight reading is the act of reading and playing a piece of music before having ever seen it: on sight. This technique is an important one for musicians to learn. Being skilled in sight reading makes reading a piece of music easier; the musician doesn’t have to labor over every note and re-teach themselves the common patterns. Sight reading, after a decent amount of practice, becomes like second nature.
A solid knowledge of music theory is absolutely crucial to a musician who wants to become proficient in sight reading. Besides acting as the basis for understanding the notes, a music theory education provides the ability to see patterns within the piece of music, a large part of the sight reading puzzle. Sight reading, after all, doesn’t require the musician to read every single note. Most musicians rarely see the entire piece of music, but rather the patterns that emerge from it. They understand notes and how they function in relation to each other and are therefore able to deduce most of the chords and changes — all from just glancing at the basic structure of the piece.
For example, musicians who know music theory will first determine the key of the song from the key signature, which in turn gives them strong hints about which chords will probably be used most in the song. This knowledge alone enables the sight reader to be mentally prepared when those chords occur, and to be alert for chords which are unexpected.
They will also be aware of intervals such as 3rd and 6ths and 7ths, and they will look for the form of the song - ABA, AABA, ABACA, or whatever. They will be aware of the probably rhythm patterns based on the time signture, and they will quickly scan the score for repeats, tempo signs, volume changes, and so on.
In fact, most sight reading mistakes typically happen when a piece of music takes an unexpected turn, deviates from the common pattern. These mistakes, however, are few and far between with those proficient in sight reading. An experienced sight reader will have learned to not only see patterns but also to read ahead in a piece of music while they are playing it. Looking several bars ahead to catch anything tricky or unexpected is often done while holding a sustain or resting.
Sight reading plays a large role in music education, and students are frequently tested on their ability to do it well. Some sight reading exams will allow the student a few minutes to look over the piece and prepare; he or she will be able to make notes, mark up tricky time signatures or changes. Tempo is rarely a consideration in these sight reading exams as playing the piece well is far more important than playing the piece up to speed.
Advanced sight reading exams, however, aren’t quite as forgiving. These exams give the student minimal, if any, time to prepare, and tempo is absolutely considered into the final grade. Advanced sight reading exams prepare a student for work as a studio musician, a career where near-perfect sight reading is a must. The majority of studio musicians record a piece of music after only seeing it once — sometimes not at all. A flawed skill in sight reading will only prove to be a hindrance to the working musician; it is for that reason considered one of the most important parts of a music theory education.
This does not mean, of course, that musicians can’t reach the top rungs without good sight-reading skills. After all, many top jazz pianists don’t read music at all, but are gifted with incredible ears and improvisational skills. But for most of us “normal” musicians (like me) it is a helpful skill to develop to the best of our ability. Even if we never get great at it, we can always get better!
Brain Food: 7 Ways Piano Playing Benefits Your Brain
Saturday, July 5th, 2008
If you’re looking for a perfect way to keep your mind sharp, piano playing is the solution. It exercises several different parts of the mind and body, while providing you with years of musical enjoyment. Whether you play piano currently or are thinking about starting, playing piano is great brain food.
Our population is aging. People are living longer lives, and they are constantly looking for brain food to keep their mental prowess in peak condition. One of the best ways to keep those hamsters running might be sitting in the corner of your living room gathering dust. That old piano of grandma’s has more than its share of brain teasers.
Here are 7 benefits of learning to play the piano:
1.Piano playing increases coordination. In order to play piano, your hands must develop independent coordination. This is one of the basic ways to keep your mind sharp. Each hand must often perform entirely different movements, and the brain must tell each hand what to do. By learning separate hand coordination, you stimulate several different areas of the brain. Practice each hand separately, and then combine the movements of each hand.
2. Piano playing increases hearing awareness. Not everyone is born with a good sense of pitch, but people can develop it through exposure and practice. When you play piano, you train your ear to hear pitches and tones in relation to one another. This makes developing a sense of relative pitch possible. Intervals stimulate your mind in slightly different ways. A perfect fifth will cause one reaction in your brain, while a seventh will cause an entirely separate reaction. This trains the mind to recognize pitches and intervals, even if beneath the level of the concious mind.
3. Sight reading offers the brain another workout, as the eyes must follow the music while the hands play it. The ability to sight read is similar to knowing a foreign language, yet also requires extreme hand-eye coordination. The eye muscles are also strengthened as they move up and down the staff across the page.
4.The analysis of musical passages and learning the theory involved is another mental exercise when you play piano. It’s brain food at its finest. Chords, melodies, and changes are all rooted in complex musical theory. It pays dividends to learn and understand how music is put together.
5. Piano playing increases social participation. When you play piano in the presence of others, you are participating in a valuable social exercise. History is filled with participants and spectators in the world of music. You have the ability to make others’ time more enjoyable. You also meet other musicians who can share knowledge with you, expanding your understanding of the piano.
6. Proper piano playing, whether done for leisure or profession, keeps the fingers nimble. It strengthens all the muscles of the hands, which helps in other lines of work. A maintenance man with strong hands is more valuable than one with weak digits.
7. Besides all this, piano playing is great fun. It lets you create your own tune for the day. The piano has provided society with over a hundred years of enjoyment and will do so for hundreds more. It’s not only an instrument; it’s a social communication tool and a brain exercise, as well. Play piano for your brain. It’s lot more fun than Sudoku, and it’s great at parties.
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