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DEVELOPING SIGHT
READING SKILLS
A)
Always sightread a new piece of music as close to performance tempo
as possible. It is not beneficial to practice sightreading at slower
tempos. When learning an
excerpt or solo, you should practice it slowly until you can perform it at
the desired tempo. Sightreading is an entirely different story.
Sightreading a piece up to tempo causes you to improve your
concentration, rhythmic accuracy, pitch accuracy, etc.
When you sightread a piece in your practice time you should do the
following:
1) Take a moment to look
at the music:
a) Identify the key of the piece
b) Identify the meter
c) Look for any key changes
d) Look for any meter
changes
e) Look for accidentals
f) Look for complex
rhythms
g) Look for dynamic
markings
h) Look for style markings,
i.e. accents, articulations, etc.
Strive to get this process down to 20 seconds or less.
2) Articulate the airstream through the entire piece.
3) Play the piece up
to tempo:
a) Concentrate as you perform
b) Remember that you will
make some mistakes
c) Keep playing until you
finish the piece--don't let mistakes stop you!
4) Visually identify your
problem areas
5) Play it again from
beginning to end
6) Isolate your
problem areas and practice them slowly until you can play them easily.
This method of sightreading really
helps develop your skills because you train yourself to find difficult
passages at a glance. Before
long, you will probably find that certain rhythms or intervals give you
trouble. Spend time practicing
these rhythms and intervals. (e.g. in a daily routine)
The well-rounded sightreader is not so much a sightreader but an
interpreter of music. Practice your intervals such as major, minor, dominant and
diminished chords/practice scales. You
should be able to recognize scales and triadic patterns at sight, as second
nature.
B) When
you break down sightreading into the basics you will find four main areas:
1) Rhythm Patterns
2) Intervallic
Patterns
3) Articulation
Patterns
4) Phrasing
C) Suggested Materials for
practice
1) Rhythm Patterns--
Encyclopedia of Improvisational Rhythms and Patterns, Charles
Colin
Rhythms, Charles Colin/Bugs Bower
School of Sightreading and Style (5 vols.), Andre Lafosse
2) Interval/Articulation
patterns--
Music Speed Reading, David Hickman
Valuable Repetitions, Robert Weast
Speed Studies for Trumpet, Robert Nagel
Arbans Complete Method (major, minor, dominant, and diminished
patterns)
48 Etudes for Horn, Verne
Reynolds
3) Phrasing
Patterns--
Melodious Etudes, Bordogni/Rochut
Selected, Melodious, Progressive, and Technical Studies (2
volumes), M. Pottag
When in final stages of preparing
for an audition, use the following three steps:
1) Scan
2) Blow/finger through entire piece
3) Play for the second time
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