Learn Classical Piano Sight Reading

You’ve decided to improve your piano sight reading but you don’t know how to begin. Sight reading is your ability to read and perform a piece of music without having read it beforehand. Learning the basics is necessary in order to successfully learn to play the piano. If you do not understand the differences between chords, progressions and scales, please return to basics.

The key to perfecting piano sight reading is memorization of musical notes. You must be able to read sheets of music without writing the corresponding letters above each note.

If you have trouble reading the musical notes on your sheets of music, you may need some extra practice in reading and comprehension. The principal requirement will be practice. Encouraging yourself to practice reading every day will undoubtedly aid you in understanding the formation and placement of each note.

The first step to take is to remove any letter names. Writing letters above the note is great for beginners, but this will not allow you to memorize placements of notes. Reading letter notes from sheets of music will permit you to practice technique, but will not allow you to practice sight reading.

If you remove all traces of letter names, your mind will be forced to register and memorize the placement of each note. You will encounter difficulties playing once you’ve removed the letters, but do not become discouraged. After some initial practice, you will immediately become accustomed and begin to play with ease.

If you need some extra help, it is best to say the notes out loud. The repetition of the note verbally will aid your mind to create new pathways making the memorizing aspect much easier. In order to successfully master sight reading you must train yourself to not hesitate when seeing the note in its written form.

You should be able to recognize it as easily as you recognize its letter form. To play the piano smoothly while reading from a sheet of music, you will have to read the notes slightly faster than your hands. This will allow you to foreshadow chords and notes selection.

Flashcards are a great idea to practice sight reading. On one side of the card, draw the musical note inside its staff as shown on music sheet. On the other side, write its corresponding letter. Keeping flashcards handy throughout the day will enable you to practice whenever you have a spare minute.

If you are not fond of flash cards, there are downloadable and online programs that are easily accessible. They will test your comprehension and recognition of each musical note by asking you to identify various notes. A few minutes of practice every day will increase your ability to successfully identify musical notes.

To learn classical piano sight reading you must be ready to dedicated time and effort. Begin by practicing with your eyes closed, forcing you to play notes without looking at the keyboard. It is imperative to keep a steady pace and to foreshadow required notes in order to play piano smoothly and effectively. Practice sight readings until you are completely comfortable reading and recognizing written notes.