HOW to sight read (piano)?

[vexx]

Hi,

I normally have taught myself by memorising the finger patterns of someone playing, since its too hard for me to read music - haven't really tried much though...
BUT i can't use my method for some of the quite advanced stuff that i want to learn, so i have tried to read music, but i find it so hard to do - like i try and figure out a note by using 'E G B D F' for example and then find it on the keyboard.. sometimes i can work out the next because its close to the other, but then i have to stop and make sure the right flat/sharp haha. So im super slow! especially having to do each hand seperately before memorising the notes/pattern and then working out how to play together ><

haven't done too much practice, but holidays coming up and want to sight reading!!! then be able to attempt anything i choose (that would be incredible)

yep, so how can i learn to do this? whats best and fastest way? teacher?program? etc? id prefer not a teacher, but if thats the best way??
my method only worked for pieces like clair de lune which is rather easy to do for some reason. but for others quite hard and gave up cos too slow

thank youuu VN musicians  :smitten:

my dream would be to play ballade no.1 in gminor (arghh)! thinking i need to be able to read for that one and it may take a long time LOL

Vexx!

[ninwa]

I'm working on the Ballade atm, I'll teach you (jk I hate teaching)

I don't really think a teacher can teach sight-reading. I think it's just a matter of practice... lots and lots of practice... I started learning piano when I was 4 and couldn't sight-read quickly until I was about 14... sorry to say

Get some easy pieces and work your way up the difficulty level. You just need to get your mind used to the process of reading new music. For me it's become an intuitive thing since I've done it so much. It's hard to explain how I sight-read. I guess it's sort of pattern recognition; since I've played piano for so many years most chord/note progressions are not new to me. So reading music is sort of like reading a picture...

Also I don't know if this will help you but whenever I need to learn a piece really quickly I listen to recordings of it over and over again so that I'm partially sight-reading and partially playing from memory.

[Chavi]

Agree with Ninwa. It's an acquired skill. If you take AMEB exams, they build you up your skills slowly with sight reading. It takes a lot of experience to be able to play a piece instantly or simply to hear a piece and then replay it by ear on the keyboard [only managed this semi-successfully by Grade 7 piano]. Years of practice, tears and sweat.

After years of piano, I decided to pick up guitar. Needless to say, after hours of practice [months actually], painful chord progression, peeling layers of skin off my finger, watching youtube videos etc. . . I finally performed a couple of songs in front of the school @assembly.
It was a great feeling, staring into the dark faces of the audience, and hearing the applause build up from the back rows - and the best motivation to continue!!

Good luck - and persevere.

[TrueTears]

Yeah it's just comes with practise, when I was young I couldn't even read music and just memorised where the keys were, after several years (like around the same age as ninwa) I could sight read much faster and fluently.

However I think some people naturally sight-read well, like /0 is insane at sight-reading, give him any piece and a couple of tries and he could play it so you can hear the general melody lol

[AzureBlue]

The Ballade No 1 is really good!  I fail at sight-reading as well, so I skipped from 6th grade to AMus (ie. no exams in between).

[Chavi]

Yeah it's just comes with practise, when I was young I couldn't even read music and just memorised where the keys were, after several years (like around the same age as ninwa) I could sight read much faster and fluently.

However I think some people naturally sight-read well, like /0 is insane at sight-reading, give him any piece and a couple of tries and he could play it so you can hear the general melody lol

You have 10 times more posts than me

[ninwa]

give him any piece and a couple of tries and he could play it so you can hear the general melody lol

That's definitely possible with a few years' solid practice

[vexx]

^ thanks for the replies.
so basically i should just get easy music and try and play it...
is it basically what im doing with working out each note and then finding it on the keyboard with each hand separately? eek
whats some good pieces to learn sight-reading to? should i try new ones everyday or work with pieces im familar with until perfect? how long (estimate) should it take me to get quite good at sight reading given i do some practice each day?

ps, ninwa i got excited when i first read you'll teach me it.. how are you finding it..? i am going to struggle so bad lawlss

[ninwa]

It's not too bad but that's cos I've been working at it on and off since I was like 15

Some good pieces to start off with might be like those books of popular music transcribed for piano - they're generally not too hard, and the melodies are well-known

[Cianyx]

I used to do a shit load of theory work. Helped me alot

[ninwa]

I used to do a shit load of theory work. Helped me alot

a million karma points to you for citing the best blog ever

[Cianyx]

Hahahaha. Np <3
Allie is the most adorable and hilarious thing ever

[gossamer]

I'm not sure if this will help, as I've been told what I do is not normal, but when I see music, I hear it, as it should sound, in my head. (obviously there are limits to that but yeah.)
Then, when I actually play it, I roughly know what it sounds like, and then the rest is down to sight-reading... and faking

[Chavi]

I'm not sure if this will help, as I've been told what I do is not normal, but when I see music, I hear it, as it should sound, in my head. (obviously there are limits to that but yeah.)
Then, when I actually play it, I roughly know what it sounds like, and then the rest is down to sight-reading... and faking

two 3/4 in year 10, but only one 3/4 in year 11. . . how unique

[Cianyx]

That's called perfect pitch

Y'know what's weird? When I get to the higher octaves, C and G, and E and B begin sounding the same to me.