09/28/2023
One of the biggest misconceptions about reading music, I think, is that we learn what the individual notes are and then painstakingly, like some kind of paint by numbers, transfer that to our instrument or voice.
That’s tantamount to trying to read a Dickens novel by each letter alone!
As someone who’s a pretty decent sight reader, I’m often fascinated about the process of reading music (which, of course, is different from “sight reading” music).
There are four things to consider:
1. Fluent music readers see patterns, not individual notes. So effective sight reading is all about the ability to take in and analyse music in an incredibly short amount of time, seeing in an instant if the passage is moving up or down or by what interval; whether there are chords involved and whether they’re root position, first inversion or second inversion. And, of course, we make instant harmonic judgments, which presupposes a very solid understanding of tonality and harmony via scales and arpeggios. And yes, we continually teach these skills!
2. Good sight reading involves fantastic physical awareness of keyboard geography. That means that it’s fundamentally important to be able to keep the eyes on the music and not to have to check the hands to see if they’re in the right place. This comes about through consistent practice, a deep, rich and varied repertoire, and MUCH time spent doodling and improvising at the piano.
3. It also involves excellent musicianship and aural skills. Most of the time, when sight reading, little slips need to be perceived aurally and adjusted without even looking at the keys to see what’s wrong. So it’s imperative that teachers instil excellent musicianship in their students. Aural skills are NEVER something separate from playing, merely to be treated as some kind of irritating add-on like the aural test of an exam!
4. Rhythm is everything. But everything! You play the wrong note in the right place, and you’re still 50% right. Get the rhythm wrong, though, and it’s ALL wrong! Pulse is something physical, visceral and driving. Remember that music exists in time, and the beats are merely markers of time. The music happens between the beats, but it is always forward-moving and never static. It’s as if every single beat immediately kickstarts the anticipation of the next. It’s amazing when students finally start to perceive that unfailing momentum in their playing and their reading!
