What a beautiful touch. Very expressive. I am 9lyrs and still playing something every day not at your level. . I will follow your lessons. Thanks Kelowna Canada
Your sight-reading is amazing. I have much to learn.... but I think I already knew that.... Speaking of patterns, for a while I started practice by opening Philip Glass Etudes to a random page and sight-reading. Glass weaves textures out of his patterns, and sometimes that's the whole of a piece. Also, three staves is common enough to be a required skill at some point; I've seen that in Debussy (most of Book 2 Preludes), Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, even Philip Glass. Curious about what that Canadian piece you referred to.
Awww thank you so much! Three staves is very popular, yes, but that doesn’t make it any easier 😉 The Canadian piece I’m working on is Paul Frehner’s Finnegans Quarks Revival 🤗
Perfectionism is a trap that held me back in many ways. Think of it this way: perfection is a process, not an achievable goal. Always be better than before. My piano teacher (a retired opera singer, with many years on stage) says that if he ever gives a perfect performance, you will never see him again, because he will have ascended to a new level of existence!
Hey thanks so much for commenting. I think everyone (to some degree) struggles with perfectionism, and I do as well. Try to embrace beauty in imperfection (that's what I mostly think about when I get a perfectionism spell 😬) Hope this helps
I already practice sight-reading a lot but these tips certainly are very helpful. I still have so much to learn! Thank you for the video, you've got a new subscriber ❤️
This is awesome! I work at a music studio as a piano teacher but I’m getting opportunities to accompany some of the strings players so this is something I’m trying to improve
HI Maryia: Stumbled on here looking for "sight reading" . Im a beginner, 8 months, lessons 2x a month,80 yrs . If im reading off a sheet music page is that is that not sight reading? I'm still struggling identifying notes on a page and stall frequently. Its slow progress for me but ill keep at it. Your suggestions are exactly what my instructor has told me but he is not nearly as much fun as you. Love the transition from fun to focus when you play pieces for the first time. Time now to explore the rest of your site ,thanks for the well thought out and helpful suggestions. tom
Can I ask a really silly but for me very important question? When your reading sheet music what are the voices in your head saying. Example.. I'm playing d in left hand and g in right hand. When I read and play this my brain voice sings something like "drjhfff" Sorry for rambling but I'm really interested to learn what other people hear in there heads 😁🎹
Your sightreading of the Rachmaninoff prelude was impressive! That prelude is such a pain to read because it is so hard to anticipate where the harmonies are going most times. Thank you for an honest attempt of sight-reading that gorgeous piece. I've performed this music, so I know all about how intimidating the score looks. Amazing job, and amazing tips 👌
I want to train my sight reading as an accompanied too. Because I have sisters who play string instrument and i want to be able to be their companion, and also for future events in my career. But I first need to work on my sight reading because mine is not good. I'ved only been reading sheet midi for a little while but I am planning on going to a conservatory soon Apollo I need to work on that
You’re right, it’s ForScore 😍 It’s been interesting! Definitely like the idea of not having to look for scores every again (all on the iPad), and also being able to get any new score I would like on imslp 🤗 But there are a lot more page turns (every single page instead of every second page), and of course my eyes tend do get tired after a super long day. Are you wanting to switch over?
@@WithMariya Thinking about getting the big iPad and trying it out. Unfortunately, a lot of the music I want to play is still under copyright (almost anything 20th century) so PDF scores are harder to come by. I came across another score reader that is subscription-based, and has access to a lot of published scores as part of the subscription, but I've forgotten the name of it.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting!! I actually have a series where I take requests from subscribers and sight reading pieces I’ve never seen before 🤗 I think you would enjoy it. Check out my latest videos!
I notice when you sight read your glancing down at your hands. I you never look at your hands (like blind people that play beautiful piano) you will improve your sight reading 2 fold.
That’s a great question! The way you can practice that is by sight singing 🤗 Take a look at a single line of music, and give yourself the starting pitch (first note), then sing the rest of the notes, checking in with the piano to see if the pitch it right. Hope this makes sense!
"You really need to read both staves at once, that's really important" I guess it must be if you are going to play the music! I dont see the point in an instruction video to just say this without exploring some insight of what a less gifted player may find difficult about this and so, actually how to manage it, its the hardest thing with piano sight reading. This is why these half-baked youtube videos of music instruction are such a waste of time. They UNDERESTIMATE what is really needed by learners. You may be an accomplished musician Mariya but you cant teach.
Hello, my friend! Thank you for watching! I went into depth explaining this point in the video, so I would suggest you take the time to watch that segment if you haven’t already 🤗 I’m happy to answer any questions that might come up! Just to reiterate, it really is about training the eye not to get stuck on one note or stave, but rather to move smoothly throughout the material in both hands 🙏 Hope this helps, and happy sight reading!
Another expert that claims to be a good sight-reader and can give a good theory and harmony lesson but never really discuss the true mastery of sight-reading. THE KEYBOARD.
@@WithMariya If sight-reading is used in conjunction with the keyboard and muscle memory, more people will be able to accomplish it. You and every other RUclipsr talk advanced notions of reading at sight or reading music practiced before. What about the poor beginner that spent 3 years learning piano and now must sight-read to get into a music school or is part of an exam to pass to enter the next year's study.
@@patrickwells4014 Wow, so many points to unpack! Generally, an appropriate level for sight reading (for RCM, and other curriculums) is three levels below one’s playing level. Unfortunately, muscle memory doesn’t come into play until much later in the developing stages of a pianist, when patterns start to repeat in music they’re sight reading. Other than that, muscle memory is not that relevant! Regarding music school entry tests, it’s my belief that a pianist that has been learning to play for just three years is most often not going to be ready to apply to music school, but should be able to sight read three levels below, as I mentioned above! Hope this makes sense 🤗
@@WithMariya I was hoping that maybe someone could be one of those out-of-the-box thinkers on this subject. I guess not. Muscle memory is relevant! It is that relevant. Anything that regards every day life like eating breakfast and buttoning a shirt requires muscle memory, including playing the piano. For example, without muscle memory, you can't play a scale, play chords, play arpeggios, jump from one keyboard position to the next, or leap and octave to the next successfully without muscle memory. In conjunction with music theory and harmony, a student will go far in understanding music as a whole but in regards to playing, muscle memory is number one. I found the source, I am sticking with it and as soon as I gather my notes get a RUclips channel and start making videos on why the accepted position of teaching sight-reading does not work.
@@patrickwells4014 I see what you mean. In that case, I do agree that muscle memory does okay a role later on in a player’s sight reading journey! Actual note reading and noticing patterns are just as important. Can’t wait to see your videos on the subject 🤗
I think you mean well but a lot of these aren't tips. Just read two, three, or more staves. Just read ahead. Just look for common tones in complex chords. All in real time? Only if going at a ridiculously slow tempo. In reality, few people have the brainpower, memory, and physical coordination to do this. Those that do and who start early enough can become pianists. Those that don't will have to settle for learning every piece at an absurdly slow pace. And who besides an already accomplished sightreader would be asked to play piano in a chamber group or as an accompanist in the first place?
I’m sorry you don’t feel like these tips were useful to you. I am sharing them because I picked them up one by one along the way… I’m not sure why you think people who are slower at sight reading would not be able to play accompaniment or chamber music. Plenty of my friends and colleagues don’t see sight reading as a skill they need to develop, which means they *sometimes* learn more slowly at first. The upside to this would be that they develop stronger muscle memory and have less mistakes when performing under pressure. There are pros and cons to everything, friend 🤗 Thank you for watching!
@@WithMariya There's a fun video on the Wired YT channel where a guy describes the 21 levels of dunking a basketball from easy to hard. It's entertaining but not educational since the vast majority of people don't have a prayer of being able to do even the easiest dunk on a lowered net. Conservatory students will have to accompany and play chamber music whether they want to or not and will have to learn music quickly somehow or else. Again, what works for them doesn't mean it can work for people not at that level. Would anyone hire an accompanist who wanted a month or more to learn each piece on the program?
@@maitlandmottmorency In that case, you’re right. Until you feel comfortable with the basics of playing, you can’t start to sight read on a professional level. To answer your question - yes, I have personally seen many pianists who take multiple weeks to learn each piece on their program. They simply have to adjust and start/plan earlier than the rest. If you’d like to start sight reading I wouldn’t recommend taking the same pieces I would almost two decades in. Start with something more simple, apply these tips, and let me know how it goes ☺️
@@WithMariya Oh I tried all those and more when I played and had no success. Bottom line, if you go into teaching, you'll most likely deal with students who won't get anywhere near your level. They won't become "sightreading pros" (the title of your series). You'll do yourself and them a disservice if you overpromise. As to why I'm reading and commenting long after my playing days, that's the algorithm for you - popping up suggestions years after the searches. Best wishes to you.
COMMENT YOUR PRACTICE QUESTIONS DOWN BELOW ⬇
I'm Trying 🎹🎵
pro tip: really milk those fermatas to look ahead for anything weird. If it takes 10 seconds, call it "artful interpretation" and you're good
LITERALLY 😭the pro-est tip of them all
I love watching you sightread.
Thanks for the tips
What a beautiful touch. Very expressive.
I am 9lyrs and still playing something every day not at your level. .
I will follow your lessons.
Thanks Kelowna Canada
Your sight-reading is amazing. I have much to learn.... but I think I already knew that.... Speaking of patterns, for a while I started practice by opening Philip Glass Etudes to a random page and sight-reading. Glass weaves textures out of his patterns, and sometimes that's the whole of a piece. Also, three staves is common enough to be a required skill at some point; I've seen that in Debussy (most of Book 2 Preludes), Shostakovich, Rachmaninov, even Philip Glass. Curious about what that Canadian piece you referred to.
Awww thank you so much! Three staves is very popular, yes, but that doesn’t make it any easier 😉 The Canadian piece I’m working on is Paul Frehner’s Finnegans Quarks Revival 🤗
I think one thing I struggle with most is perfectionism, and that's really held me back with my ability and willingness to practise sight-reading.
Perfectionism is a trap that held me back in many ways. Think of it this way: perfection is a process, not an achievable goal. Always be better than before. My piano teacher (a retired opera singer, with many years on stage) says that if he ever gives a perfect performance, you will never see him again, because he will have ascended to a new level of existence!
Hey thanks so much for commenting. I think everyone (to some degree) struggles with perfectionism, and I do as well. Try to embrace beauty in imperfection (that's what I mostly think about when I get a perfectionism spell 😬) Hope this helps
I already practice sight-reading a lot but these tips certainly are very helpful. I still have so much to learn! Thank you for the video, you've got a new subscriber ❤️
Thank you so much for watching!! Happy to have you :)
This is awesome! I work at a music studio as a piano teacher but I’m getting opportunities to accompany some of the strings players so this is something I’m trying to improve
That’s so great, have fun with that!! 😍 Thank you for watching 🙏
Very efficient, practical and extremely sweet. I can't help keep smiling while listening :) !
That makes me so happy! Thank you so much for watching 🙏🤗
Great sight reading advice! As I was listening through, I realized I do a lot of these things in my own sight reading. As always, great video! 😊
Yay!! That's so great 😍Thank you so much for watching!!
Good tips and well presented. Thank you!
I really was following along with you quite well there on the last piece, just getting into reading, so this was helpful, TY.
HI Maryia: Stumbled on here looking for "sight reading" . Im a beginner, 8 months, lessons 2x a month,80 yrs . If im reading off a sheet music page is that is that not sight reading? I'm still struggling identifying notes on a page and stall frequently. Its slow progress for me but ill keep at it.
Your suggestions are exactly what my instructor has told me but he is not nearly as much fun as you. Love the transition from fun to focus when you play pieces for the first time. Time now to explore the rest of your site ,thanks for the well thought out and helpful suggestions. tom
Concise, no nonsense video!!! Great content!!! Great video! Поздравления из Аргентины!
Спасибо большое! 🙏
You really help and inspire...and very
Much making sense...hurray
Yaaay so happy you enjoyed the video! Thank you for watching 🤗
Yep looking at two staves at once is my challenge. I’m currently practicing reading inversions fast.
The struggle is real 🙃 Keep up the great work!!
very good clear and well paced traning...thak you
So glad you found it helpful! Thank you for watching!!
Can I ask a really silly but for me very important question?
When your reading sheet music what are the voices in your head saying.
Example.. I'm playing d in left hand and g in right hand.
When I read and play this my brain voice sings something like "drjhfff"
Sorry for rambling but I'm really interested to learn what other people hear in there heads 😁🎹
Awesome and FANTASTIC!!! THANK YOU SO OOOOOOOOO[OO MUCH!!!!
Thank YOU so much for watching and commenting!!
Your sightreading of the Rachmaninoff prelude was impressive! That prelude is such a pain to read because it is so hard to anticipate where the harmonies are going most times. Thank you for an honest attempt of sight-reading that gorgeous piece. I've performed this music, so I know all about how intimidating the score looks. Amazing job, and amazing tips 👌
Hi! How can I sight-read without any hesitations? for example, I'm always hesitating which note to play next, like that :)
Hello, my friend! I’ve always found that looking ahead helps immensely with sight reading more smoothly!
Dear Mariya, I really appreciate your channel and Rach 2, make me happy, thank you!! Alberto, Milan Italy
Thank you so much for watching!!! 🙏
Hey, Mariya! I was wondering what tablet do you use for your music sheets?
Hey! I just use my iPad Pro from a few years ago (it’s been pretty reliable so far), and an app called ForScore!
I want to train my sight reading as an accompanied too. Because I have sisters who play string instrument and i want to be able to be their companion, and also for future events in my career. But I first need to work on my sight reading because mine is not good. I'ved only been reading sheet midi for a little while but I am planning on going to a conservatory soon Apollo I need to work on that
That's a great goal! Wishing you the best of luck, my friend!
Good advices thank you!
Thank you for watching!!
I noticed that you used a tablet (and ForScore, I assume). What do you think of it? How was your transition from paper to tablet for scores?
You’re right, it’s ForScore 😍 It’s been interesting! Definitely like the idea of not having to look for scores every again (all on the iPad), and also being able to get any new score I would like on imslp 🤗 But there are a lot more page turns (every single page instead of every second page), and of course my eyes tend do get tired after a super long day. Are you wanting to switch over?
@@WithMariya Thinking about getting the big iPad and trying it out. Unfortunately, a lot of the music I want to play is still under copyright (almost anything 20th century) so PDF scores are harder to come by. I came across another score reader that is subscription-based, and has access to a lot of published scores as part of the subscription, but I've forgotten the name of it.
Thanks a lot 🙏
Happy to help! Thank you for watching 🤗
Hi. Thank you for your videos. Which software are you using to turn the pages? It looked like you just flicked the iPad to turn the page.
Hello! Thank you so much for watching 🤗 I use ForScore to organize my music!
i cant understand how supose i must read both staves, i thoth i had to read firts the stave of F an later the stave of G
The sight readig demos were very interesting and helpful though
Thank you for watching and commenting!!
I would like to see how well you can sight-read a piece you have never seen or heard before. Please put it on video. I would like to see how you do.
Thank you so much for watching and commenting!! I actually have a series where I take requests from subscribers and sight reading pieces I’ve never seen before 🤗 I think you would enjoy it. Check out my latest videos!
I notice when you sight read your glancing down at your hands. I you never look at your hands (like blind people that play beautiful piano) you will improve your sight reading 2 fold.
😢 crying while sight reading twinkle2 little star here..
How can we train so that we know how it sounds just by looking at the music?
That’s a great question! The way you can practice that is by sight singing 🤗 Take a look at a single line of music, and give yourself the starting pitch (first note), then sing the rest of the notes, checking in with the piano to see if the pitch it right. Hope this makes sense!
My Tip: Turns and trills, just skip them.
Thanks for these videos!
That’s generally a great practice hahaha 🤣👏👍
Is she saying Rachmaninoff 2nd piano Concerto at 5:23 ?
She is indeed ☺️
Hey Maria your channel very good thanks for you big like 🌸 🌸 🌸 🌸 🌸
Thank you so much for watching!!
Oh yeah, I forgot, MUSCLE MEMORY!
Muscle memory is a big one for sure 👍💪
You are so cute
"You really need to read both staves at once, that's really important" I guess it must be if you are going to play the music! I dont see the point in an instruction video to just say this without exploring some insight of what a less gifted player may find difficult about this and so, actually how to manage it, its the hardest thing with piano sight reading. This is why these half-baked youtube videos of music instruction are such a waste of time. They UNDERESTIMATE what is really needed by learners. You may be an accomplished musician Mariya but you cant teach.
Hello, my friend! Thank you for watching! I went into depth explaining this point in the video, so I would suggest you take the time to watch that segment if you haven’t already 🤗 I’m happy to answer any questions that might come up! Just to reiterate, it really is about training the eye not to get stuck on one note or stave, but rather to move smoothly throughout the material in both hands 🙏 Hope this helps, and happy sight reading!
11:54 you probably lost a few subscribers by playing that in forte 💀
LOL probably 😭
Another expert that claims to be a good sight-reader and can give a good theory and harmony lesson but never really discuss the true mastery of sight-reading. THE KEYBOARD.
Not really sure what you mean! 🤗
@@WithMariya If sight-reading is used in conjunction with the keyboard and muscle memory, more people will be able to accomplish it. You and every other RUclipsr talk advanced notions of reading at sight or reading music practiced before. What about the poor beginner that spent 3 years learning piano and now must sight-read to get into a music school or is part of an exam to pass to enter the next year's study.
@@patrickwells4014 Wow, so many points to unpack! Generally, an appropriate level for sight reading (for RCM, and other curriculums) is three levels below one’s playing level. Unfortunately, muscle memory doesn’t come into play until much later in the developing stages of a pianist, when patterns start to repeat in music they’re sight reading. Other than that, muscle memory is not that relevant! Regarding music school entry tests, it’s my belief that a pianist that has been learning to play for just three years is most often not going to be ready to apply to music school, but should be able to sight read three levels below, as I mentioned above! Hope this makes sense 🤗
@@WithMariya I was hoping that maybe someone could be one of those out-of-the-box thinkers on this subject. I guess not. Muscle memory is relevant! It is that relevant. Anything that regards every day life like eating breakfast and buttoning a shirt requires muscle memory, including playing the piano. For example, without muscle memory, you can't play a scale, play chords, play arpeggios, jump from one keyboard position to the next, or leap and octave to the next successfully without muscle memory. In conjunction with music theory and harmony, a student will go far in understanding music as a whole but in regards to playing, muscle memory is number one. I found the source, I am sticking with it and as soon as I gather my notes get a RUclips channel and start making videos on why the accepted position of teaching sight-reading does not work.
@@patrickwells4014 I see what you mean. In that case, I do agree that muscle memory does okay a role later on in a player’s sight reading journey! Actual note reading and noticing patterns are just as important. Can’t wait to see your videos on the subject 🤗
I think you mean well but a lot of these aren't tips. Just read two, three, or more staves. Just read ahead. Just look for common tones in complex chords. All in real time? Only if going at a ridiculously slow tempo. In reality, few people have the brainpower, memory, and physical coordination to do this. Those that do and who start early enough can become pianists. Those that don't will have to settle for learning every piece at an absurdly slow pace. And who besides an already accomplished sightreader would be asked to play piano in a chamber group or as an accompanist in the first place?
I’m sorry you don’t feel like these tips were useful to you. I am sharing them because I picked them up one by one along the way… I’m not sure why you think people who are slower at sight reading would not be able to play accompaniment or chamber music. Plenty of my friends and colleagues don’t see sight reading as a skill they need to develop, which means they *sometimes* learn more slowly at first. The upside to this would be that they develop stronger muscle memory and have less mistakes when performing under pressure. There are pros and cons to everything, friend 🤗 Thank you for watching!
@@WithMariya There's a fun video on the Wired YT channel where a guy describes the 21 levels of dunking a basketball from easy to hard. It's entertaining but not educational since the vast majority of people don't have a prayer of being able to do even the easiest dunk on a lowered net. Conservatory students will have to accompany and play chamber music whether they want to or not and will have to learn music quickly somehow or else. Again, what works for them doesn't mean it can work for people not at that level. Would anyone hire an accompanist who wanted a month or more to learn each piece on the program?
@@maitlandmottmorency In that case, you’re right. Until you feel comfortable with the basics of playing, you can’t start to sight read on a professional level. To answer your question - yes, I have personally seen many pianists who take multiple weeks to learn each piece on their program. They simply have to adjust and start/plan earlier than the rest. If you’d like to start sight reading I wouldn’t recommend taking the same pieces I would almost two decades in. Start with something more simple, apply these tips, and let me know how it goes ☺️
@@WithMariya Oh I tried all those and more when I played and had no success. Bottom line, if you go into teaching, you'll most likely deal with students who won't get anywhere near your level. They won't become "sightreading pros" (the title of your series). You'll do yourself and them a disservice if you overpromise. As to why I'm reading and commenting long after my playing days, that's the algorithm for you - popping up suggestions years after the searches. Best wishes to you.
@@maitlandmottmorency You as well! All the best 🙏