Should I Memorize or Keep Reading My Music? 🧠
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- Опубликовано: 4 фев 2019
- This video is about Should I Memorize or Read My Music?
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Do you prefer to memorize or read sheet music? 🎹
For me,i prefer to read and find all the keys of the music sheet then practice the sheet until i finally can play it
@@nathan.j5110 Great stuff!
Hey Jazer, great video, excellent explanation, now I got the point and I think I know what you mean. You are a really good teacher. And I still cannot believe that you made a video to answer my question. Thank you very much.
@@sebastianlohmeyer267 It's a pleasure, thanks for asking a great question!
Hi Jazer! Thanks for this video! I started playing the piano 14 years ago without learning how to sight read. Today, people tell me I'm a pianist, but I keep telling them that I'm not. Thx to your video I understand that actually I am a pianist, but I just rely on memorization and listening, which is not bad. Since last year I'm practicing sight reading. It feels frustrating sometimes because I have to start from scratch. But it's often interesting to be a beginner again and learn something new.
Summary in one sentence: *You have to be able to read your music sheet, in order to memorize or sight read*
Thank you 😊 finally someone stated🤗
I usually learn by ear because im hopeless when it comes to reading music 😭
@@waldalwahsh7833 People who play by ear are usually slightly off. Very close to right, but off.
@@Skitdora2010 people can learn entire pieces by ear if they sit down and practice note for note with someone playing the piece, but if you mean it as in a live sense, then ofcourse the playing might be slightly off, but if you sit down and listen to what you play right with someone who perfected it, then it's all up to you if you think playing by ear could be off, it's all about practice :0
@BONE SAW you havent been in a jazz guitar setting before i believe, it truly is inefficient but it works for us improvisational guitarists wanting to learn from eachother
I find that whenever I’m learning to play a new piece at my lessons and the fact that I’m playing it over and over again during practice my brain just automatically memorizes it without trying because of the constant practicing of it.
Same
Same
the power of muscle memory
I agree ... but, if you end up being able to play the piece, only from memory, that piece will become unplayable as time passes and your memory fades. As a poor sight-reader, I know this all too well. Presently, I am reading through one hymn-book after another and after over 12 months doing this, my sight-reading has certainly improved.
Same, and I build a repertoire and play it like once a day to keep it alive. I know I should increase my sight-reading habilities. I can memorize a *lot* of pieces, which is how I justify not studying sight reading as much as I should, but I really should learn how to better sight read, as it is a very important skill.
I prefer reading sheet music but my sight reading skill is not that good...so I always end up just memorizing my sheet. 😔
I can relate Nikki! Time to do more sight reading!
@Nikki I'm quite like you. A pianist told me not to memorize coz it's much more stressful than sightread while playing. I tried to do as he said but ended up memorising. I think it's because my memory works better,as told by others.
I used to just memorise but I'm working on my sight reading now.
Gusto ko din matuto mag basa ng notes parekoy. It's like para akong grade 3 magbasa ng nota masyado mabagal. I ended up memorizing din.
@@vernonh194 Lol
Thank you so much.
I am a middle age woman who has decided to learn the piano for brain health.
This was a good topic for me as my memory is an issue and sight reading is tricky too.
Find if I practice with my eyes closed, it helps tremendously.
As I can focus on listening and cut out some of the distraction from the visual.
Great to hear about your piano story Andrea, I am inspired by you. I have spoken to a few middle aged and elderly learners and memorisation seems to be a prevailing issue. I watched this Ted Talk that talks about deep sleep and how it helps us learn. This may be useful for you:
ruclips.net/video/1U2qMRGihGg/видео.html
@@jazerleepiano Deep sleep helps with everything from mental health to physical recovery from injuries for a long, happy and health life. I swear by this.
Thanks for sharing your idea of focusing on sound alone with closed eyes. I think this will also help with spatial awareness of the keyboard.
I'm a middle aged man, learning to play the piano for exactly the same reason - its a wonderful brain workout
I just want to say a big THANK YOU! 👍😊 YOU ARE HELPING ME
Jazer, yes, as an adult learner five years down the memorising path, by grade 6, everything took so long that I felt like I was grinding to a halt. It was a wake up call to fix sight reading because it was so much effort just to pull three exam pieces together. No fun at all and just like learning to move my hands from a to b sequentially via muscle memory rather than being 'in' the music or even feeling the 'key' of the piece. I've gone right back to basics and I would absolutely choose being a fluent reader over holding an exam certificate. I wasted a lot of time memorising increasingly more difficult pieces as with no reading skill, it just took longer and longer. Like the wood cutter that didn't stop to sharpen the axe! I've stopped to sharpen my axe now and I'm really glad I have!
Jazzer we need more videos from you bud. I love the way you explain things.
Your energy is so good man and your lessons. I admire you.cuz i interested in piano palying with your videos. Thank you teacher.
I'm glad I've chosen to do both from the start. Once I remember the piece from sight reading I can play it with more feeling from memory, but I can sight read it too. We had a pianist who practically walked in off the street to help our choir practice when our regular pianist was sick. I want to be able to do that!
Love your videos Jazer, it's really helpful. Hope to see more videos from you.
Best video. Thanks! I must say that I struggle to perform complex and advanced music, but I'm a fantastic site reader and rely on reading music rather than performing it. Shows I need to take a step back and develop my memorizing skills. Makes so much sense.
What a great video. It answered a question I’ve been asking myself for years. I’m a memorizer and I’ve always thought that was a bad technique but you have removed the guilt feelings. Thank you’ll much. Rick
Dear Jazer!
I'm watching hundreds of music videos on youtube and I can say one thing for sure:
You are the only teacher on youtube that hitting exactly all the problematic points that I'm facing with.
Every and each video of yours are just perfectly oriented to the students weakness points and I thank you so much
for your professional teaching attitude.
Regards!
A really practical lesson for me Jazer, thanks so much for this one.
Just subscribed!
Took my Grade 2 last Friday and aiming to take Grade 3 this Spring but looking to change my approach and really feel confident and connected to my pieces so that I can express the emotions.
Glad I've found your videos right at the start of this section of my journey 😊
Great lesson ..I often wondered same question. You explained well the pros and cons. Thank you.
You are the best instructor I have found on youtube! It's like getting one on one time with an expensive piano teacher. You are amazing!! You really teach GREAT information THOROUGHLY. I love it! Good luck, I hope you can monetize the crap out of this!
Thanks so much Fredrika! :) I'm happy to pass the many things I've been taught by my amazing teachers. I hope it is helpful for you too!
Thank-you Jazer this is another great video that I missed before but now am so thrilled to say I couldn't agree more with you on.
🔆
As a beginner in the middle of 7th grade (= in between 70 and 79 years of age), my goal over the past few months has been to keep practicing so as to eventually memorize Air on G String (albeit an easier version) as well as sight reading to try and play lots of hymns and other classical pieces too.
🔆
Thank-you !!
🙂
"Oh, a piano. Let's pl... Oh, I need the sheet". So, no, I don't want to become dependent to be able to play. Great video, as always.
After 40 years of not playing the Piano am back at it in my retirement. Am not very good at sight reading but I am working on it, yet I would also like to memorise a piece.
Get Playground Sessions for Black Friday. They'll have a great sale.
Thank you for such an insightful video! :) I have always been thinking if memorizing a piano piece brings out a different performance, and you just answered my question in a very understandable way. Bringing out emotions while playing is really important, hence, the memorization is needed. Thank you again!
This is really interesting. I can't memorize anything bc of some brain injuries. But it really gave me perspective on how much I should focus on the emotions when I'm limited to paper. Thank you for your insights!
You are amazing! You give such amazing tips! Pleassseeee keep posting new videos!
I hope you make more videos soon, I love your videos and teaching style, I discovered your channel 2 days ago and already watch all of your videos lol
I realise this video is 4 years old but I'm getting back into learning piano in a more consistent and effective way, and your videos really help. Memorising pieces is key for me as my sight reading is good, but I do get frustrated at not being able to play pieces without having to dig out the sheet music, so I'm working on my memorising now. After many years gap between playing I've forgotten most of my memorised pieces so back to the begining again on that front. You videos on the best way to learn a piece have been very helpful - because I'm self-taught, I had no grounded techniques to how to approach pieces. Now I'm using your videos to help with that and start fresh.
Thanks for this video! This helped to answer more in detail the question I asked you in the comment section in another one of your videos :)
Had this in mind for a few days. Thanks for making a video
Thanks for the informative video Jazer. I prefer to read but would love to just be able to play. Work in progress!
Thank you for answering a question I didn’t even know I’ve had but that is now totally making sense. :-)
You're welcomed!
You are great man. Thank you so much! ❤️
Thanks for this great video, Jazer. I really enjoy subscribing to your channel.
Hey Jazer. Your tips regarding reading, are really helpful! I notice how my reading skills are going better and better! Thanks you so much!
Great job Dennis! So good to hear
OMG! Thank you! It's good to hear that learning pieces by heart is totally legit. I am terrible at sight reading. I translate the sheet music to fingers and notes a few times and then memorize that. After that I usually stare at my left hand while playing and rely on muscle memory for my right hand.
Part of my problem is clearly that I keep choosing pieces that are way above my current level which means deciphering the sheet music is a challenge, but on the other hand by the time I can play one hand I really know what is going on, because learning the music by heart required so much effort and patience in the first place.
I am trying to improve my sight reading though and practice playing through more than just a couple of bars in one go.
Hi Jazer. I took piano lessons for 6 years, starting when I was 9. That was 1959. ( Yes, I'm that old.) If I run across a song that I really like then I usually memorize it. At this time I have 33 songs memorized. This also keeps the brain sharp. Keep the videos coming. Very helpful.
Thank you James, 33 songs is a great amount. You have a sharp brain sir! 👏
Hi Jazer! I'm very used to memorizing sheet music but I'm currently bringing myself to sight read for the first time. It's been a rocky road but your videos help!
Oml thank you for this answer to a question I've been asking in my head.
Thank you, sensei. your videos are super helpful!
Great video: very clear and helpful, many thanks Jazer!
Thanks so much Rick! :D
The points you make are very valid. My guitar teacher could listen to a unique piece once and play it immediately. I played in an orchestra with some very experienced players. They could sight read and play a new piece immediately. I found that a change was happening where I wasn't consciously reading the music but was playing it, kind of how you go from reading letters to reading words. The really tough stuff with lots of notes, I had to memorise. I can still play them now many years later.
Thanks so much for all the great tips. I would be able to learn how to memorize music. I just started learning the piano at age 61 without any knowledge of it, but after 3 months, I am addicted and use the simply joy apps which is great. I also need inspiration from a great pianist like you, I appreciate watching your videos. Thank you
Great video. It makes me feel a lot less guilty about being a memorizer rather than a reader, but I'll take your advice and will try to improve my sight reading.
I’m returning to the piano after several years ignoring it in the other room. My sight reading skills were always weak and so I memorized almost everything. It took a LONG TIME. So I decided to start over from scratch and study theory and practice sight reading. I’m finally optimistic that starting at the beginning this time will improve everything and I’ll play better and learn (and re-learn) pieces in less time. I pulled out my old notebook today and discovered notes indicating my teacher TRIED to teach me some theory; I just resisted. This time I’m jumping in. I’m 75 but I’m pretty sure this approach is going to help a variety of things in my life. Thanks, Jazer, I really am enjoying your videos.
So thanks Jazer for your great understanding what I have wondering for a long time.
Glad I could help!
Thank you Lee for clearing my doubts😘
Thank you Jazer Lee, prefer reading the music, you convinced me and I decided to do both. At the moment I have 2 peaces to learn so one peace i was already doing reading and the other I, am going to memorize. Nice, I am curious!!!!!
As a self-taught adult I love sight-reading! It is like a miraculous language for accessing so much music.
My greatest challenge is rhythm and I have to force myself to use a metronome which reveals how flawed my time-keeping is.
It has concerned me how reliant I am on always having the musical score in front of me. I haven’t really tried to memorise pieces but having seen you video I will give it a go.
I don't know yet . Thats a really good question 🤔. You are an excellent teacher and I am learning with alot. Thank you
Thank you! 😃
Definately deserve more subs!!
Thanks so much Zhiyuan Liu :D
I am grade 5 but I HATE sight reading and have to memorize a piece bit by bit...but who knew I have such clever fingers? It is ultra-rewarding to play a memorised piece all the way through.Thanks fir your input on this!
Thank you , Jazer! I personally find it almost impossible not to memorize the piece given the amount of practice that it usually requires to play it with proper articulation and dynamics. I never cared much about sight reading until a few months ago and I couldn't agree more with you: it really takes one's playing ability to the next level!
That's so great to hear Ana! I can relate very much to your comment about automatic memorising due to taking so much time to work on details like articulation and dynamics. Let's keep improving in both memory and sight reading!
totally agree, I actually struggled to learn to sight read when I started taking lessons when young because I couldn't help but play by ear or memorise everything so I wasn't forcing myself to read the music 😅
@@jazerleepiano I find your comments and videos encouraging. May I be so bold to add that daily practice is also key, i.e. emphasis on daily. Many thanks.
I am still new to the piano (I primarily play guitar so I understand the theory behind it and some of it transfers over quite well) and am finding that I memorize pieces much better than sight reading. I never did learn how to read sheet music but am doing so now and it's interesting to say the least! I will be putting more practice into learn how to sight read.
Thanks Jazer for your video. For me it´s hard to memorize some works. I will try, thanks for your lesson, again.
Jazer, i so love all the tips you give us. Each topic you pick is so relate-able. Much much thanks !!! Oh by the way, im terrible at sight reading.... i automatically end up memorizing. So i know i need to work on reading !
I took up learning to play the piano about 5 years ago. I have found that my preferred method of learning is to memorise the piece. My sight reading skills need to be worked on and I do this during the early stages of learning a new piece of music. I force myself to learn the piece by sight reading whilst simultaneously learning where my hands are in the keyboard by using muscle memory and paying attention to the sound. Once I am confident with reading the piece I move away from sight reading and rely on memory so that I can then focus on the performance and the musical dynamics. So far, this way of learning has served me well in my piano exams, but I can totally see what you’re saying about having a balanced approach to memory and sight reading.
I’ve on,y just found your videos. They’re brilliant. I’ll definitely be subscribing. ❤️
one thing I know for sure, everytime I play my music is sheet:)
😂😂😂
I see what you did here!
Relatable :')
🤣💟
Hi . I really like the way you teach the Piano very well
Hi Jazer, I’d love to memorise so that i can be more expressive, but I fear I can only read. You are the best and most concise teacher I have seen
Namasthe, What you told was exactly right as I feel too.
Thanking you.
Namasthe.🙏
I can't remember most of the pieces I learned decades ago so now I just sightread what I can...Really need to practice again. Thanks for your videos. I just stumbled upon them today but I feel that I will practice again soon.
OMG, YES. This is where I am. My teacher always encouraged me to ply more difficult pieces and I had no problem with them, but the READING just got beyond my ability and I had to dial back and catch up. I jumped down 2 grades to improve my reading ability (I had to catch up in theory and ear training, as well). I'm finally on an even level, which feels SO much better! Now going forward, everything makes sense and it's so much easier to understand what I'm doing.
i've learned to read notes from you tube videos for about a year now but i read really slow, by the time i get to play the entire piece i usually know it by heart. Takes me about a week. I've learned, shindler's list, forest gump, the entertainer, minuet in g, the friendship theme, cherish opus 11, and more i cant think of right now. also composed and recorded one. Im 45 years old and never imagined i could do this one day. I wish i cold afford a teacher but i cant. Not giving up though and making progress everyday i think. Thanks to you tube videos!
Both. I don’t want to read during recitals. However, I want to improve and be good at sight reading. Thanks for this video. I am now one of your subscribers. 😉👍🏼
New subbie here! Thank you for this encouraging video. I like to memorize and create my own songs, and slacked a little on sight reading. I'm still a beginner, but love to play Chopin pieces one day. So I'll better get to to the sight reading then😉😆 I love how Khatia Buniatsvilli plays...so much feeling without looking at sheet and piano♥️
Totally agree ---- about the goals or target - the level one wants to reach, and also own natural ability. For people that love music - that's pretty much all of us here --- most of us can remember melodies that we love, and also have snapshots of at least some portions of the accompaniment and counter-point music that comes along with it. It's fascinating. So combining it all with some useful piano theory and some useful tips about how things 'work' and 'fit' together --- eg. how some music having incredible melody plus accompaniment/counterpoint - combine to give a miracle of nature ---- can really help with understanding ---- so all of that actually help somebody play particular piece of music without full-on bare-bones memory work.
But then again - whether or not somebody can play the world's or universe's most physically and mentally challenging pieces will generally depend on the person at hand. At the highest level of say sport and music (tennis, car racing, piano etc) ------ there are always the ones that have particular abilities - prodigies - with abilities well above normal.
I think with read or memorise ----- it will be about just choosing or doing what's necessary for the task at hand --- the intention/aim/goal. And - just to have flexibility ---- just work on both components if needed.
For me - all the music that I really like ---- I prefer to just play without sheet music. So it will be about getting to know the music really well, so that it becomes possible to play what we like at any time. Not necessarily the most challenging bits of music. Once we get to know the workings ----- then things can be quite interesting and nice.
right now i'm at a point where i haven't learned much music theory and i'm just going off of synthesia's on RUclips. sure i'm also chunking, doing one hand at a time, writing down the notes and trying to see patterns that way and all that. i do hope i can sit down to slowly learn some music theory to help a bit with learning more songs going foward.
I'm also a big memorizer and realized my sight-reading was terrible! Now I'm forcing myself to read and say aloud every note I play in my practice (Chopin Nocturne op9 no1) I was wondering this exact same question just yesterday! Thank you, you're born to teach!
thank you very much
i am just like you in your childhoods.i memorize the song i'm playing from the sheet music instantly.the good thing is i don't need sheet music that much and the bad thing is because of that i really suck at reading sheet music and i didn't really know what to do.accept my fate and memorize songs and stick with my crappy reading skill or force myself to read sheet music and change the way i practice and never memorize but your video helped me decide that it's ok to be a memory person but also i need to work on my reading skills
I have been an intermediate-advanced sight reader for over 60 years, but I also try to simultaneously be memorizing at least one complex piece at any moment in time with a goal of recording it for myself. What's sad is when I move to the next complex piece to memorize, since I know the previous one will decay rapidly and I never seem to have any sort of repertoire of memorized pieces beyond a few. I'll play the memorized piece over and over for a few weeks before saying goodbye. Selecting the next piece to memorize is then filled with excitement and anxiety!
The ultimate for a musician is not to play by memory but to play with feeling of certain situations that will improve your performance. One example is hearing Vivaldi's Four Seasons played by Nigel Kennedy. He spoke of seeing in his minds eye, ducks on a lake, the breeze wafting through the shore grasses. This is when you can convey your unique vision to your audience, even if the audience is a sample size of one. Blessed are the musicians!
Great channel. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for these useful tips🤩
I'm a new fan Jazer, but this reminded me of a story my piano teacher told me. She knew a piece backwards and forwards. At a mother daughter tea in school she was going to play that piece. So she didn't take the music. During the piece she realized she didn't know what was coming up after the first part. In a panic she replayed the first part twice. In the end, in college she could never play without music in front of her. Her skills were amazing. She could play very difficult pieces but would never play without music right there. Funny stories that anyone who gave a speech might relate.
Janet, You are grate. Greatful Frankie. PS:. I hope you and everyone (or anyone ?) reading this knows exactly what I mean 😃. They ought to, because I am sure they feel exactly the same as I do.
Thanks Jazer for lesson .
This video really hit home to me in many ways. I’m almost 50 years old. I have been playing piano again over the last couple of years. I played when I was young and took lessons, from age 10 -17. I had to perform at recitals , and in front of judges . I gave up playing for many years but now I’m playing again. Learning some pieces that I always wanted to play and relearning old pieces that I had to perform. But always back then and even now, people would want me to play for them. Even if I’m somewhere else and there’s a piano. But right now, there are only a couple of songs I can play by memory . I’d like to be able to memorize more so I can play for them. I think that’s what I need to work on. But my challenge was always site reading . The judges would mark me down when I was being graded by them. And I always knew it was something I needed to work on more . And yes, I wished my teacher helped me more with sight reading . Good video. But I need to work on both
I’m subscribed because of the Aussie accent! Let’s gooo Aussie!
I’ve dipped in and out of learning keyboard skills, through my adult years. I didn’t have any opportunity to learn as a child. When lockdown started, due to Covid, I made more of an effort to practise the keyboard!
I found it interesting that you said that those who were good at English at school, were usually good at sight reading - I must be the exception!! I am quite good at spelling, but I really need to concentrate when I look at a music sheet! I have quite a good ear for music, but I’m not sure whether I could memorise a piece! I am retired, and would describe myself as a young 73 year old!
I can’t tell you how much I really appreciate your teaching videos!! I find the Internet such a brilliant resource for learning music theory.
I am learning Minuet in G at the moment, and I find the advice to play SLOWLY, is paying off, as well as several shorter practices pays off for me, rather than a longer session.
Patience.Perseverance. Perspiration!!!
Thank you SO much for your videos, and hope that you have recovered from Covid. 😘🤗❤️🙏
Thank you for the kind words. And keep up the good work! 🤓
I am older and I can’t remember whole songs. I need the music at least to look at. I remember parts but not everything
I Just love to play... any sheet music I can lay my hands on... And so every now and then encounter a piece that keeps on stalking me. It doesn't wanna leave me... It will haunt me day and night, I'll hear it in my dreams and it interferes in my daily life... Then I fervently attack it in practise and study it with so much intensity, it just unintentionally get stuck forever after.... With, or without the sheet music...
I use both ear and eye. However, my strength is in memorizing chord progressions for contemporary music. I am now building my sight reading skills using method books such as John Thompson and Bastien piano basics
Great video! You always come up with things that pianist struggles with the most! I am also like you. We didn’t have RUclips at the time so I would watch my teacher play through a piece once, and I would go home and play based on my memory. As a result, my sight reading skill suffered because I had relied so much on my ear. Thank you so much for this! I am now using hymns to help me with that. What other books do you also recommend other than hymns? I do find that after awhile I am getting pretty comfortable playing chords.
RUclips is amazing! I find a book called 'Piano Pieces for Children' to be an extremely good sight reading resource. Lots of pieces in there and graded sequentially.
You make the best videos for piano thanks
Awesome video! I am a good sight reader, I tend to memorize parts where I can’t read and play at the same time 🤣 I think if I start to focus on memorizing my pieces from now on, I will probably be good at both ☺️ Can’t wait to start learning to memorize my new piece tomorrow!
That's a great idea!
Thank you. I used to ask myself the same question .
I used to memorize songs, because it meant not having to read sheets that much xD but the more songs I learned, the more frustrating it got to play "old" songs, since I've forgotten some notes and had to look them up and looking up one specific note in a three pages sheet every 15 seconds was really annoying, so now I'm learning how to read sheets faster. To me it's like learning how to read words, you start not knowing anything, become better and better by practicing until you look at the word/note and immediately recognize it and know how to pronounce it/which key to press! :)
I've just recently started my journey playing the piano. For the past30 years I played the fiddle. Bluegrass and Oldtime, Celtic, Scottish, Irish etc. In the beginning I bought every fiddle fakebook I could find to learn tunes. Then I started going to music festivals and fiddle contests and recorded fiddle tunes from fiddlers at all different levels. Trying to memorize tunes from books took forever. On the other hand, learning the tune from a recording would take a couple of days and I remember those tunes thirty years later. I realized using my ears and audible learning used the other side of my brain. When playing with a band or group at a fiddle festival printed music wasn't available. I make the music my own when memorized, I can express my feelings into and make music out of the simplist tunes.
This depends on how many pieces you perfrom per week, over a year. For example, as a church organist and pianist, I performed 3 pieces or more each service, plus interludes and responses. Easter week had the most services with the most arrangements, and played only once a year, so memorization wasn't possible. I am retired now, and it's amazing how many hymns I can play from memory, but didn't dare doing so while I was actively performing. My personal rule, was to play a piece only 1 time per year, but each following year included new arrangements and a few old ones. Therefore, both are important, but it depends on whether it is a recital or a weekly/yearly mass of arrangements.
Very useful, thanks! I have subscribed.
I tend to like to memorize music but that is a problem for me because it is a "cop out" for sight reading and I have realized that when watching some of your videos on sight reading. I am going to work on the sight reading and follow your advise on how to effectively sight read. I appreciate your videos and look forward to improving my piano skills.
I'm one of the crowd that took a couple of years of piano decades ago and am now learning again, with much more internal motivation. I want to be able to play tunes that are popular. I learn these pieces much better if I know the original as a listener, because I know what the piece should sound like...the "feel" of the piece. When I find a piece (or part of one) perplexing, I go to a music service (like Apple Music or Amazon Music) which allows me to listen to the original. By doing this, it helps me with the sight reading.
What I find, though, is that when popular tunes are translated for piano, some sheet music is much better than others. The better ones sound more like the original and are easier to get into because of the knowledge I have of what the phrase should sound like. Without this reference, especially on the poorer translations (very simple pieces at my level are probably most susceptible to this), I may be able to play the notes as written, with the song being almost unrecognizable.
So, to my mind, ear training and understanding the feel of the piece should help with sight reading. If you only learn sight reading without the ability to memorize the pieces, it means you have to perform the piece by translations every time you play it. I think you should should use your good ears to inform your sight reading, and help with translating the written notes into more artistic phrasing.
Thanks for your videos, they are very informative and thought provoking!
I think more to appreciating and indirectly memorize the pieces. O dont read notes but understood the sequence if the chord progression once I know the tune and melody but tend to forget about it if I dont play the pieces too long
My apologies, Mr Lee. For failing to notice that the ubiquitous Auto-Spellcheck had slyly altered JAZER, which I had typed, to something else.
Hey Jazer Lee,
This is such a great video!
Very recognisable for me: I now play the piano for 2 years and 1 month (!!!). I am an adult learner and I found right from the very beginning that I very easily memorize the music I am learning. I practice 3 hours every day and so I play a lot of different stuff..Händel, Bach, Eric Satie , Burgmuller,,...also pop/jazz piano pieces.
I just memorize immediately what I am learning. It does not cost me any effort at all. My piano teachers tell me this is not very common for a 'beginner'.
The downside is that, although I spend a lot of time practicing every day, I do not spend that much time sightreading the music. I can read notes , but not fluently to even manage play grade 2 stuff whilst sightreading.
I do try and practice 10 min every day unseen musicscores so that I have to sightread. I play it no more than a couple of times / days ...
So, yes memorizing music easily is an advantage but it does not help improve my sightreading skills...
Wow Christel, seems you're quite gifted in memorising music! Yes do keep up that sight reading, you'll do wonders for your progress because you will be able to learn more complex pieces with less time! Thanks for a great comment!
Christel P - Same 😂 I’m an adult learner too. 5 years, but also can’t read grade 2 at sight (even 1!). I’m definitely fixing it this year, somehow. Nice to hear your story too
@@TheSIGHTREADINGProject indeed Kathryn...even Grade 1....same here. We just have to keep at it and slowly we will improve....
Me too! Adult learner, more than a year into lessons, and I find myself memorizing more than reading notes. I am trying, in vain it seems, to recognize notes fast enough while playing...
@@pilotsmother keep going and read new pieces every day...even for just 10 minutes. I find it does help and sightreading does get easier...slowly...
I oblige myself to read everyday stuff I have not read before. It does not matter what...even if they are pieces I cannot play yet. I practice reading notes with the metronome, without paying attention to the rythm...
I als take eady pieces, beginner stuff, and try to play sigtreading. I do this 10 min every day. I also practice scales and arpeggios every day for 30 min. It helps me to recognise patters when reading music and so make sightreading easier.
I agree it is very time consuming but I find it pays off...
When I was a kid I was a bad sight reader. As an adult when I picked up my instrument again, I learned to read the music without writing the notes at the bottom or cheating with writing in the fingerings. I play the oboe. Since covid I learned how to transpose music so that also helped with sight reading and looking at it from a different view.
I wish I picked up theory earlier, that just helps with both reading and memorizing, I just literally read the notes and never made associations or noticed patterns as deeply as I did until I took a theory course. Also pop and jazz genres, playing by ear, transcribing, etc... actually helped believe it or not.
Greetings from Korea!! :)
I would like to see a video on Synthesia and Piano sheets comparison, pros and cons, and if you should use it.
Btw love your vids, subscribed and notification bell's on, pressed like on all of your videos that I watched.
I love all your advises.
شكرا جزيلا خلي المعلومات والارشادات التي قدمتها لقد كانت مفيدة فعلا
I appreciate my memory as strangely I don’t have to work at memorizing but I wish, wish, wish I could read better / faster/ even slightly 😆. I’m working on it after grade 6 before I move to grade 7 as everything is taking so long to learn now. Thank you for this discussion. It’s so encouraging that you went through similar and fixed it
All the best with working on sight reading Kathryn, it is a beautiful world being able to learn music so much faster. Let me know how it goes :)
Thank you. I saw your other video about it before. I will go back to it when I begin. See you 👍