Klarinet Archive - Posting 000441.txt from 1996/07

From: "Joie Canada , Jcanada713@-----.COM>
Subj: sight reading
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 11:22:23 -0400

I have always had problems on sight reading since I have always had a lot
more experience playing "along" with records and radio to learn things--I
grew up in "Lake Wobegon" and the only sheet music available was at the
school, which didn't have much available. Scales and exercises got boring
but trying to match the stuff on the radio or records was fun and it taught
me to listen. I decided, when I moved to a university town, to do something
about it. I went to the university music library and looked through the
music they had and began to xerox parts of things I knew the sound of from
records and studied the written part while listening to the record. Then I
would play the written music without the record but trying to hear the rest
of the parts in my head. Then I began to tackle things I had never
heard--HARD. It's one thing to play the notes and markings accurately but it
is really hard to make it musical when all I have is the written page and
only one try at it. After a while, though, I am beginning to be able to
"hear" the sound from the printed page by just looking and concentrating on
following the melodic line. Then when I play I "know" what it should sound
like. I have read that the best way to learn to sight read is to get as much
printed music as possible that is easier than one usually plays and to
"head-read" it, then play it as though it was a concert performance--once.
Then do another piece the same way. Gradually increase the difficulty level
and spend at least 1/4 of each practice session reading this way. It
requires piles and piles of new music but it can be anything--even the top
line of a piano piece. I am improving and I keep working, but I still find it
easier to play things I have heard with my ears rather than just in my head.
Good Luck!

Joie