Klarinet Archive - Posting 000358.txt from 2002/09

From: apod@-----.uk
Subj: Re: [kl] sightreading blues
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 19:20:18 -0400

Hi, Jeremy!

Fluent sight-reading, as I understand it, is really a form of rapid visual memorisation, It's a
bit like watching a television broadcast from the other side of the Atlantic - while the fingers
are acknowledging one bit of information, the 'broadcaster' has already moved on to
something else. The TV technology holds it in memory for us.

A training program for improved sight-reading might include:

Use 1-2 bar passages as 'flash cards' . Look briefly and then attempt to play them from
memory. If you don't succeed, repeat the process

Break the process down into:

recognition of chord shapes & scale passages (playing technical exercises from music will
help, here)

drawing lines to show the shape of musical fragments, e.g up, up, level, down

noticing if a certain pitch is repeated later in the same bar

noticing sequences, both rhythmic and melodic

learning rhythmic groupings as 1 or two bar units, not trying to spell them out by note values

recognition of intervals (technical exercises may provide material, here)

noticing other patterns, e.g. each bar or half bar starts one note lower in the scale.

The Thurston & Franck 'Complete Method for the Clarinet' (hope I've remembered that
correctly!) has useful stuff for practising much of the above.

Of course having ideas about what to do and doing them are two very different matters :>)

All the best
Audrey

The Full Pitcher Music Resources
www.fullpitcher.co.uk
Providing attractive new music and encouraging a creative approach.

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