By The Editors Of Sheet MUSIC Magazine & Keyboard Classics

© Copyright 1988 Ekay Music, 223 Katonah Avenue, Katonah, NY 10536

c 0 N C E P T II 1 -

The Flash Page Technique

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Readmg music at slght IS an ablllty based on rnusicol reflex the instantaneous recognltion of what IS on the page, translated immediotely to the hands and feet There are tncks and techmques to make trus process work more easlly CONCEPT # 1 will play an Important role In Improvmg your ablllty to slght read by trammg you to see musical units mstead of individuol notes.

Here's how It works Good slghtreaders take an "mstant photograph" of a measure of mUS1C, or a short melodic line or chord progression. m order to ovoid bemg the kmd of reader whose head bobs up and down from fmgers to page and page to fmgers. In order to develop this musicol unit concept, musiClans must tram then eyes to become a scannmg camera, and then mmds to become the film A powerful way to accornpllsh this IS through the use of "flash pages" These should be used away frorn the plano for mox.mum effect

Steps

1) Look at the flash page for two or three seconds, then close your eyes

2) Reconstruct whatever you can m your mmd of what appeared on the page.

3) Go to the plano and try to play It

If you draw a blank on all or part of the phrase, open to the page again, take another "picture," and continue to repeat the process until you have memorized the musical unit. As you continue this drill your ability to retain more and more of a phrase at a glance will grow dramatically.

You can make your own "flash pages" by selecting a measure or two from any plece you have not previously played Use the sarne process as above.

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The Graduated MetronolDe Technique

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In order to trmn your reflexes to respond properly to the notes pnnted on a page of mUS1c, It 1S important to play mUS1C at sight without changmg speed or stoppmg. The sionols seen by your eyes must be mstantly translated to monons by your hands and feet.

The best way to accomplish this trammg 1S by usmg a metronome But It 1S essentlal that the tempo of the metronome's clicks corresponds wIth your present level of abllIty Choose a tempo slow enough to enable you to play the piece you choose with a rrnnrnum number of rnistokes (but not so slow that there 1S no challenge at all).

If you hit wrong notes, don't correct them. Keep movmg at all times Once you have completed a p1ece, make a pencll notatlon of the exact metronomic marking you used and the date, and go on to the next study DO NOT REPEAT THE PIECE ALWAYS MOVE AHEAD TO ANOTHER PIECE Play a sunicien! number of works to fill a twenty mmute time frame, or whatever time you have allotted yourself m excess of twenty minutes

As you become a better slghtreader, you wlll want to slowly increase the metronornic settmgs you

use. Play the pieces you pick for sight-readmg practlce at sllghtly increased tempos each week You will soon see the progress m your ablllty to siqh! read

Special Hints

You wlll become a good slghtreader more quickly If you cultlvate good readmg hobits .. the kmd you probably already use when readmg a book or magazine Keep these bosic rules in mmd.

1) Fast readers don't move then lips as they read. Th1S slows thmgs down wrh extraneous motions Avoid sirnilcr problems in your slght-read1ng exercises by playing without pausing on every note.

2) Just as you wouldn't pomt to each word when readmg a sentence, try to read your mUS1C without looking down at the keyboard.

3) The key to quick and efflClent read1ng 1S the ablllty to take m large chunks of text without movmg your eyes. Practice doing the same when reading music. Using the flash page technique will help

The Merry Widow Waltz Franz Lehar

1st Reading Tempo: Date: _

2nd Reading Tempo: Date: _

Metronome Range #1: J = 92-104

Metronome Range #2: J = 116-138

Actual Tempo: J = 76

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The GlanceOver

Good sight-readers don't sirnply s11 down and beQln playmg a new piece of mUS1G They know that to ovoid sudden surpnses - the unwelcome fmger-twlster or an unexpected shift of key or tempo - 11 lS irnportorit to "glance over" the work. Here's what veteran musiClans look for m these glance-overs.

The Checklist

1) Always note the key slgnature, meter, clefs and tempo mdicotions at the beQlnnmg of the piece. Be sure to spot any places where these change.

2) Do a quick "onolvsis of the texture. Are there places m the mUS1C where chords Qlve way to sinole

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l.nes. or vice versa'!

3) Tncky rhythms, syncopohons and flgures which move back and forth between the hands can be quickly "dlgested" before a plece lS actually played, if they are searched for ahead of time

4) Alert yourself to the possibilitv of fmgenng problems by lookmg for quick scale passages or ornate Imes m the mUS1G Also look for nght hand and left hand patterns that involve Jumps.

5) Check for sections that will present readmg difflcultles because of leger lines or numerous occtdentols These can be "scanned" and preread to make hfe eaSler when the actual playmg beQlns.

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From Three Easy Pieces on Five Notes Igor Stravmsky

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'When rhythrmc values change in a piece - alternatmg between quarter notes, elghths and SlXteenths, for example - It lS easy to get lost Slght-readmg rhythms can be problematle, but one solution lS a simple techmque called 'subdlvldmg' ,

In subcrvidino rhythms, one counts the smallest values that will occur That is. If there are eIghths and quarter notes m a piece. It lS possible to count eighths throughout (Qlvmg two elghth counts to every quarter note) One will never wonder, therefore, exactly how long to

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hold the longer note values

Steps

1) Scan the ::nUSlC you are about to play What are the shortest note volues?

2) Note where the rhythms mioht present some contusion. Are there places where sorne notes are held for a long tirne while others are much. much shorter?

3) BeQln countmg the shortest values, nght frorn the begmnmg

Landler Franz Schubert

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CON C E

# 5

Keyboard Geography

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One .rnportont facet of slght-read1Og IS the ablllty of the hands and f10gers to move the nght distonco at the nght tune ~ without the need to follow them constantly w.th one's eyes. That rneans learn10g the geography of the keyboard by "touch"

To practlce lett10g your "f1Ogers do the walk1Og" mstead of your eyes rnoke use of exercises 10 intervol and chord placement WIth your eyes closed, place your hands 10 pcsition to begIn a C rr.ojor scale

1) Play the C IT'iC1Jor scale, 2 octaves up and down

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2) Play other major scales ~ your f10gers will begIn to feel the corr.omotion of black and white notes 10 a new way

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3) Practlce flndIng a vanety of Intervals by touch alone. With your thumbs or flfth fIngers as anchors, play an octave. Next, play a £lfth (tone number 5In the rnojor scale beglnning on your startlng note). Then play other targets you set for yourself. Can you hIt exactly the note you want w.thout lookmo?

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4) Next, try playmg chords up and down the keyboard BeQln with a C mojor chord

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Call Outs

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Readmg leger llnes IS often dlffJcult - many people actually stop to count them when beglnnmg work on a pIece But sIght readmg does not allow for that luxury

A good techmque for practlcmg the readmg of leger Ime notes IS to fmd pIeces that con tam many leger unes. and then to create an exercise by "callmg out" the names of the notes

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As in the graduated metronome techmque, you can begm at a slow pace, then gradually mcrease the speed with which you call out the names. As always, be sure to keep gomg - don't llnger on a note that you can't name nght off Be sure you use a tempo that will work comfortably for your level

You can begln procncino by usmg the following examples When you've gone through the nght hand practlce, turn the page upSIde down for the left hand exornp.esl (You can do the same for any pnnted mUSIc.)

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FUling In The Shape

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Good slghHeaders look at a ~USIC score the way ncrviocrors search the mght sky WIthm the jumble of countless tmy stars, a noviootor can spot irr.portorit shapes, and use thern to fmd his beanngs Key stars defme those broad outlmes and serve as focal pomts m the map of the constellatlons

Piorusts can srrrukrrly fmd Important notes wrhin the outlmes of a pIece, to be used as guIdeposts. Then, the music can be viewed as hovmg . 'shapes" mstead of consistirr; merely of many individuol notes Emil! can you analyze the map before you')

Look for the tops and bottorns of long "runs" of eIghth or sixteenth notes

The notes m between will most Iikely be scale tones or arpegglated chords

Look for repeated notes, or phrases that seem to repeat Often, there IS a baSIC rnelody WhICh IS surrounded by a kmd of ornamentatlon. or WhICh IS ernbelllshed in some way

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There are other ways of focusIng on the "Important" notes that allow sIght-readers to "fake" then way through a readmg

1) Always concentrate on the clef that has the rnost movement

2) Look at the top and bottorn of the mUSlC flrst Next, till m the rmddle

3) Except In hiohlv syncopated mUSIc, the most importon: notes will generally be on the strong beats 1 & 3 In 414 meter: 1 m 3/4 meter

4) No metter what, always keep going, Playmg with conviction IS half the battle

Study Carl Czerny

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