sight reading

[Likui]

how do u guys sight read notes? especially when they are in a chord is like your eyes have to see so many notes at a time right and left hand too and with sharps or flats, my goodness I find it really hard to do.

 

[Cheez]

Practice is the answer . Just like reading a book. Take my post as an example. There are so many alphabets in different combinations forming different words. But you are reading them smoothly without thinking of each alphabet and sounding out each syllable. It's the same. Reading notes is just like reading words. Actually, it's slightly different. Notes are pictorial - so it's more like reading Chinese.

 

[widdly]

You can read notes either relatively or absolutely. Absolutely is you look at the sheet music and see a C. Relatively is you look at the sheet music and see a note that is two steps above the previous note. Relative reading is worth thinking about, especially for chords because you can learn to recognize the different shapes and inversions regardless of the key. Relative reading does require that you know your scales well though but it fits better with the way melody works and if you get really good you can sight read and transpose at the same time.

It's a good idea to have a few books of easy pieces and practice sight reading a different tune each day. You want the melodies to remain unfamiliar so you are really working your reading skills.

 

[kimura]

Practise.

Take note of key points like Time Sig,Key,Tempo. Have a look at Swan Lake score for Bass ( as in the brass instrument ).

 

[Likui]

Practice is the answer . Just like reading a book. Take my post as an example. There are so many alphabets in different combinations forming different words. But you are reading them smoothly without thinking of each alphabet and sounding out each syllable. It's the same. Reading notes is just like reading words. Actually, it's slightly different. Notes are pictorial - so it's more like reading Chinese.

I read chinese very slowly, but in school oral exam there's not tempo marking and time signature for oral exam so if the word is unfamiliar I have time to think. but music there's tempo marking and time signature so it's so much harder

 

[sid4iwpa]

i play the electone and happen to know some of the chord inversions (root, 1st, second) by hard. it does help when i'm trying to play chords on a piece of piano music, esp when the piano score i'm playing have guitar chords above the music scores, i more of less guessed the combination of keys using the chords that i memorise from learning the electone. i.e. i dun actually have to sight read the notes between the staff lines note by note, in order to figure out a piano chord.