Klarinet Archive - Posting 000476.txt from 1996/07

From: R Tennenbaum <rtenn@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: sight reading
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 20:10:48 -0400

I think Joie's advice here is pretty unbeatable. I think something as
simple as following the score of a piece of music while you listen to
a recording (string quartets are especially good for this) can help
you learn to fathom unfamiliar time signatures and rhythms.

On Tue, 23 Jul 1996 10:50:00 -0400 Joie C. wrote:

>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
>