OCTOBER'S Q&A WINNER:
Sally Sanders

Last Month's Melodeon asked, "What are five effective ways through which sight-reading may be developed and improved?" We received several thoughtful responses, each one of them sensible, but Sally's answer was judged the best by our staff. For her winning response, Sally receives a (whopping) 30% discount coupon. Here is her response/advice:

Developing Sight-reading Skills

By Sally Sanders

Practice sight-reading every day as part of your practice routine using the following strategies:

1. Study the score for the “key center”. Observe the key signature of course, but also look at the bass line for chords, and chord progressions. Look for accidentals, look at the closing chord or chord outline. Be alert to changes in key as the piece progresses. Key Signatures are basic but don’t tell the whole story---things change (a basic law of the universe). You may see Bb, Eb, Ab but the closing chord might be CEG or CEbG---what does that tell you? Spot those accidentals –they tell you something! These are the ‘points of interest’ that make the music interesting.

2. Study the score for rhythmic patterns. Of course you observe the time signature but look for rhythmic patterns. Just as there are melodic patterns, there are rhythmic patterns that repeat. Know that pattern,--hear it, learn it, know it. Then, look for where it changes. In music it’s, the unexpected that adds interest; so study the score for these ‘points of interest’. Notice any change of accent, any change of meter.etc.

3. Go Global. When you’ve identified the key, the meter, the rhythmic and harmonic patterns and idiosyncrasies, look at the big picture---what is this piece communicating? What is the character of this piece? Are there long melodic lines, or is it a more harmonic or chordal style? Could this be played by a violin with accompaniment or would a brass quartet work better? Are there contrasting sections? Does the voicing change? Is this a song or a symphony?

4. Practice sight-reading every day by absolute knowledge of every scale, every chord, every arpeggio, and every inversion. Practice these every day of your musical life---this is musicianship! This is fundamental to your reading ability and your technical skill. You don’t read notes---you read chords and scales and arpeggios-----this is what music is made of.

5. Practice sight-reading every day by reading ahead of where you are playing. Know what will happen in the next measure, the next phrase---always move your eyes forward and never look back. Yes, wrong notes happen---but breathe deeply, smile, and keep going. It is far more important to keep the beat going even if you have to leave out some notes. A wrong note may even go unnoticed, but an erratic beat is basically a heart attack. The beat must go on! Smile, breathe and enjoy the adventure!

[TOP OF PAGE | THIS MONTH'S Q & A | RETURN TO THE NOVEMBER MELODEON]

Please Note: Coupon offers are only available on our email version of the Melodeon. Subscribe now and get some great offers!