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Gospel Instruments => General Music Hangout => Topic started by: kodacolor on May 12, 2008, 08:03:39 PM

Title: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: kodacolor on May 12, 2008, 08:03:39 PM: I've been trying to learn how to play piano sheet music, but I just can't seem to get it. Last summer I was taking piano lessons and I had trouble reading the music. One of my biggest problems is I play by ear and I use the notes as a guide, but I'm not really reading the notes. I informed my former piano teacher of this and he said it wasn't a problem. However, it is a problem. I'm not trying to get rid of my ear, but it's getting in the way cause I'm using it as a crutch! On the treble clef I know FACE and Every Good Boy Does Fine, but when I read them it's like a little kid trying to sound out a new word! I started learning the bass clef, but I don't see how I can get the bass clef and I haven't even gotten the treble clef. Luckly this is my last week of classes so I'll have more time on my hands to learn to read notes!

What strategies did you use to learn how to read sheet music?

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Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: under13 on May 12, 2008, 08:15:57 PM: I used to memorize the music too, and my teacher used to hate that. I suggest that you just keep practicing it. Thats probaly not the answer you are looking for, but thats the only way imo.
You gotta learn to focus and kinda ignore your ear. Start with reading one line melodies, then add the alto part. Do you have any Hymn books? If not I suggest you get one, so that you can use it to learn church stuff
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: betnich on May 13, 2008, 12:01:00 AM: Well, now we know you can play by ear...

Try playing a few measure of something NEW each day from a music book, not a recording - this will soon bring your sightreading up to speed. The Hymnal suggestion is good....just start with RH, the top melody notes in the (treble clef) line first. When you're ready to try LH bass clef, start by playing just the bottom (bass) notes - it'll be simpler, the other in-between notes can be added later...
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: T-Block on May 13, 2008, 12:14:36 PM: I agree with what's been said already. The key to getting better at sight-reading is to do more of it. The second u let your ear take over, u have defeated your purpose. That's why u should practice reading music you are not familiar with. This will help you to trust your mind and eyes over your ear. If possible, turn the volume down every now & then so u can't hear anything, then u have no choice but to rely on your eyes and mind.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: littlelamb on May 13, 2008, 04:14:45 PM: Since music is a language, what you are doing when you are reading is translating what is written into sound. So ... make sure you understand the language that you are reading. Think about what you need to know to start a piece of music that is written: Key Signature, Time Signature, Tempo. That's all you need to know to start. The rest is playing the right notes and rhythms and dynamics, and after that interpreting it. You can do all of that later.

For now, if you're still having trouble with learning the letters for notes and spaces go all the way back to Children's piano literature so you won't get frustrated. 4-part harmony may be too much at this point. 4-part harmony is what most hymns are written as (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass).

Start by reading one stave (either trouble or bass clef alone, not together). Practice them separate and then put them together until you can read both treble and bass clefs at the same time. Go back to beginner piano books like Bastien Piano books. That's how I learned to read when I was little. I would go through all the books I had and then get more books that were more advanced once I finished those.

Also, when a composer writes music they know that 99.9 of the time they won't be there next to you to tell you how they intended it to be played so they leave all kinds of notes as to how it is supposed to be played. You want to get as close as you can to what they intended. How do you know what they intended. It's all written on the sheet music.

It's like exercise. Do it every day. If something is too hard and frustrating you more likely to quit so just go back to something easier that you can handle and stay with that for a while.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: musallio on May 15, 2008, 07:59:41 AM: Whoa..
Sad but true advice >:(

I also try to avoid pieces I don't know..& my progress in that field has been=0 >:(

I guess I sould stop being lazy & start taking it seriously!!
Thanks for encouraging threads like this 1.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: rspindy on May 15, 2008, 10:26:31 AM: Quote from: kodacolor on May 12, 2008, 08:03:39 PM
I've been trying to learn how to play piano sheet music, but I just can't seem to get it. Last summer I was taking piano lessons and I had trouble reading the music. One of my biggest problems is I play by ear and I use the notes as a guide, but I'm not really reading the notes. I informed my former piano teacher of this and he said it wasn't a problem. However, it is a problem. I'm not trying to get rid of my ear, but it's getting in the way cause I'm using it as a crutch! On the treble clef I know FACE and Every Good Boy Does Fine, but when I read them it's like a little kid trying to sound out a new word! I started learning the bass clef, but I don't see how I can get the bass clef and I haven't even gotten the treble clef. Luckly this is my last week of classes so I'll have more time on my hands to learn to read notes!

What strategies did you use to learn how to read sheet music?

Printed music is a kind of graph -- like a business chart. It represents a "picture" of the intended sound. As the note heads get higher on the page, the pitches get higher; as they get lower, the pitches get lower. On a business graph, as the points are plotted higher on the page, you've made more money, as they get lower you've lost money. If two points are fairly close together, then the change isn't that great, if they are far apart, the change is substantial.

If the note heads move from a line to the next space, the sound goes up just a little (a step). If a note head is on the bottom line and another on the top line, the sound leaps up a 9th (an octave and a 2nd).

When reading music, you are actually reading two notations -- the note heads, which indicate the particular note to play, and the stems, dots, flags, beams, etc. that indicate the duration (rhythm) of each sound. Only the color (or lack there of) of the note head has any bearing on the rhythm (and none whatsoever of the pitch.)

Good readers do not read "notes" By that I mean, they don't think every individual note name. They actually read direction and distance.

Consider, you see a series of 8 notes moving up line - space - line - space , etc. What do you have? An ascending Scale. To read that, you will need to know the starting note and any #'s or b's required from the key signature.

(I wish I could simply give an actual notated example instead of trying to do this through text.) Say the first note is on the second line of the treble staff and the last note is the space on top of the staff. We know that the first is some kind of G (nat. # or b depending on the key signature) so we have some sort of G scale.

One thing to try is look through a hymnal and first, just look for groups of notes that are scales or almost scales (I start here because they are easier to see then individual intervals.) First look at "Joy to the World" and "Away in a Manger". Both start with a descending scale - "Joy to the World" is mostly scales or a large parts of scales.

Then there are hymns like "Jesus Shall Reign" (tune name "Duke Street") that start by skipping the second note of the scale and then continues on.

Another thing to work with is a book of folk songs and children's songs.

Since notation involves two different systems (the note and the rhythm) start concentrating on one or the other (practice reading note patterns or rhythm patterns, but don't worry about them both together at first.) Even on the simplest music ("Mary had a little lamb" or "London Bridge" or some such tune) look for the patterns.

I hope this helps. Again, it would be easier to be able to show what I mean if I could display actual notation, but, such is life.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: T-Block on May 15, 2008, 11:29:29 AM: Quote from: rspindy on May 15, 2008, 10:26:31 AM
Good readers do not read "notes" By that I mean, they don't think every individual note name. They actually read direction and distance.

This is very interesting indeed. I've kinda found that to be true in my journery of becoming a better sight-reader.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: under13 on May 15, 2008, 12:02:55 PM: Quote from: T-Block on May 15, 2008, 11:29:29 AM
This is very interesting indeed. I've kinda found that to be true in my journery of becoming a better sight-reader.

They say that you should actually be reading a few measures ahead from where you actually are playing. Can yall do that?
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: T-Block on May 15, 2008, 12:32:33 PM: Quote from: under13 on May 15, 2008, 12:02:55 PM
They say that you should actually be reading a few measures ahead from where you actually are playing. Can yall do that?

That is true, and no I can't do that. But, when I'm playing in church I am always thinking like 5 or 6 chords ahead.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: Fenix on May 15, 2008, 01:11:15 PM: Quote from: T-Block on May 15, 2008, 11:29:29 AM
This is very interesting indeed. I've kinda found that to be true in my journery of becoming a better sight-reader.

You know i noticed this also. I would actually play a note and not even think of the note name but the distance. When i then go back to the note, i realize i played the right thing. Interesting.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: SisterCM on May 15, 2008, 01:32:11 PM: This thread is helping me. Thanks to everyone. :)
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: kodacolor on May 15, 2008, 05:04:16 PM: Quote from: SisterCM on May 15, 2008, 01:32:11 PM
This thread is helping me. Thanks to everyone. :)

co-sign
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: rspindy on May 19, 2008, 09:45:12 AM: I might also add, think of reading music just as you read this post or a book. When you see the words, you do not think of every individual L-E-T-T-E-R, do you? No, you see groups of letters and recognize them as units. You may very well actually see groups of words. Music reading is not much different.
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: musallio on May 19, 2008, 12:54:52 PM: Quote from: kodacolor on May 15, 2008, 05:04:16 PM
co-sign

Double Co-sign :)

Quote from: rspindy on May 19, 2008, 09:45:12 AM
I might also add, think of reading music just as you read this post or a book. When you see the words, you do not think of every individual L-E-T-T-E-R, do you? No, you see groups of letters and recognize them as units. You may very well actually see groups of words. Music reading is not much different.

WOW, aonhter pill of wsdiom form rpsnidy :o 8)
You awyals deymtsify thngis whcih seem eevr colpmex! 8)
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: SisterCM on May 19, 2008, 01:07:31 PM: Quote from: musallio on May 19, 2008, 12:54:52 PM
Double Co-sign :)

WOW, aonhter pill of wsdiom form rpsnidy :o 8)
You awyals deymtsify thngis whcih seem eevr colpmex! 8)

the first and last letter, the first and last note?
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: diverse379 on May 19, 2008, 02:28:39 PM: recently I have been digging into my hymn book more
I notice my reading has improved since last year

it is true the more you do it the better you get

try dividing it into rhythm and melody and harmony

so first learn to clap the left hand line while the right hand claps quarter notes on your lap
and then switch

then learn to play the right hand while the left hand claps quarter notes
then switch
Title: Re: What are some tips to learning to read music?
Post by: musallio on May 19, 2008, 03:00:59 PM: Quote from: SisterCM on May 19, 2008, 01:07:31 PM
the first and last letter, the first and last note?
Yep! ;)