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Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Appropriate Means To Read Music?

By Julie Gerlach


I'm writing this write-up because of an argument that lately happened in a piano online forum I participate in. The argument was on the correct use of the words when explaining reading music, particularly the term "sight reading".

If you are sight reading a piece of songs, is it the very first time you are playing it or have you played it before, and therefore are only reading songs and no longer sight reviewing it? Some in the online forum felt that the use of the term "sight reading" didn't efficiently describe the procedure I was talking about at the time.

I hadn't recognized there were such strong thoughts around the means we describe playing sheet songs, but I found out quickly that there are more than a couple of people with varying viewpoints on the use of words. I'll share both sides of the argument and provide my very own thoughts on the topic.

Many in the songs neighborhood see the term "sight reading" to indicate "reading songs on initial sight". This may be your definition too, and is frequently the end goal for anyone attempting to check out music.

Many sites and online forums are dedicated to the ability to play songs at first sight, an ability that is very difficult to master, and could be discouraging, especially for the newbie piano student. The majority of piano users should play with a piece of music various times prior to having the ability to play it straight through.

So this definition would lead many to think that sight reading is an impossible activity for the newbie. I personally do not like this limited view and therefore I have the tendency to agree with the more general definition.

The other side of the argument is more where I stand. The term "sight reading" to me just suggests "playing music by exactly what you see" in contrast to playing by ear or by rote (mimicking an additional gamer, like on YouTube).

I don't make a determination regarding whether it is the initial reading or the hundredth. In reality, I would define one's sight reading capability not just by the trouble of the pieces they could play, however additionally by how many times it takes them to play it before the errors are minimal.

Even for a skilled pro, every extra time reading through a piece of songs normally results in more precision. If you could be able to play a piece of music by investing 5-10 mins with it, playing it through a couple of times then able to play it perfectly, wouldn't that be an achievement of your ability to review songs by sight?




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