| From: "Nande" <denanny@h...> "Nande" <denanny@h...> Date: Thu May 10, 2001 6:03 am Subject: Re: [vocalist] reading skills or rather a lack thereof.........
| Thanks for your story, Peggy! I recognize your piano-playing methods, as it is the exact same way I used to play the violin. I just never got over it and quit taking lessons when it became really difficult. Stupid in hindsight, but hey, I was only 12 at the time! :-))
Also, thanx for the tip on the book, I'll try to find a copy. We do have some theory-books here in the Netherlands, but most of them are really heavy stuff and no fun at all.
Nande
--- In vocalist-temporary@y..., Margaret Harrison <vocalist-temporary@y..., Margaret Harrison < > I'll explain: I learned my first instrument, piano, at age > 9. And progressed really fast, as children of that age tend > to do who have some ability. But my memory was really > good. So I memorized the simple pieces I was playing at > the time right away, and played looking at my hands. And my > teacher at the time let me do this. So when I moved and > studied with a new teacher, my sightreading was horrendous. > Now I had the skill to decode the music at slow tempo, so I > could read some, but I had no facility. So to this day, my > piano sightreading, while it has improved, has never felt > fluent. And funny thing, as I improved my piano > sightreading, my ease in memorizing piano music diminished > markedly. What used to be easy and natural because work. I > think it's related. > > When I learned my next instrument, the viola, my only > interest was playing in the orchestra or ensembles. I had > little interest in playing solo works. I played an hour a > day at school orchestra rehearsal. And a two-hour evening > or two a week in community orchestra rehearsal. And found I > could play my parts as well as I needed to with minimal > additional practice. So I sight-read - day-in, day-out. > Year after year. More and more difficult music. And after > 10, 15, 20 years, I played pretty well and sight read > incredibly well. Playing in the orchestra all those years > gave me the great rhythmic sightreading skills. But I can't > play music on the viola without the paper in front of me. I > can't hear a melody and reproduce it on the instrument, > without consciously thinking about intervals. > > As a singer, I started with choral music. Sight-read good > to start with (with my college theory training under my > belt, and rhythmic skills and interval recognition from > orchestra viola-playing also transferred over) and I only > got better. Now I'm an excellent choral sightreaders. > Melodies in solo music memorize themselves though memorizing > the words gets harder and harder the older I get), but in > choral music - I have to have the book in front of me > (though I do know the Hallelujah Chorus by now, after about > 1000 repetitions!). > > The original writer might want to check out that great book > "Soprano on Her Ear", which deals with many musical and > learning issued, with some great insights on sight-reading > and memorization and lots of other good stuff. > > Also, next time, put the words on a card and trust yourself > on the notes and rhythms you've learned the way you know > works for you. They'll be so impressed that you learned it > so fast and can sing it without the music in front of you, > that they'll overlook a mistake or two. > > Peggy > > -- > Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA > "Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile" > mailto:peggyh@i...
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