Sight Reading... my arch nemesis

I was never good at sight reading.

   In my studies, sight reading was, of course, purely a technical exercise. I had my Four Star sight reading book (that's an affiliate link, by the way), out of which I faithfully did my daily exercises and never got anywhere as far as real progress went. 

   Sight reading was something you had to know to pass the exams.

   I became a teacher, and discovered that my lack of sight reading skills was slightly more problematic than a poor exam mark! Suddenly I had to be sight reading my students' pieces. This wasn't a problem the first year that I taught, not even the second. After that... different story. 

   You can see why sight reading is a priority for me this summer.

   Thankfully, my last piano teacher was able to help me. (Remind me to tell you a story about his incredible sight reading one of these days.) He told me, "The first time, you don't worry about the right notes. You get the rhythm right, because the rhythm is the most important. The second time, you ignore the rhythm and focus on getting the right notes. You aim for the right notes as if you were walking in a cave, where one wrong step and you could fall to your death. The third time, you get the right rhythm and the right notes. The fourth time, you play it musically."

   He then leaned back in his seat philosophically, a new thought crossing his mind. "You know," he continued, "this proves something. I have students come to me who say they can't play their pieces musically until they have learned the right notes, the right rhythm. Sight reading is the proof. You can play musically from the start." 

   Then he laughed the warm, amiable laugh that I knew him well for. 

   Back to this summer. I decided I would sight read through an old music book I have, Piano Pieces the Whole World Plays. The book is at least a hundred years old. It was a gift, as most of the music on my shelf is. 

   The very first piece in it was Chopin's Nocturne in E flat Major. 

   Now, if you listen to the video, you will understand my first challenge. This piece is hard. My second? I'm an abnormal pianist. Most pianists love Chopin. I don't mind listening to Chopin, but I do not enjoy playing Chopin. I'd rather play Brahms, thank you very much. Thunder and storms and wailing and triumph... yes, Brahms is more my cup of tea than Chopin's delicate romances. 

 

   All that to say, it took me four days to sight read through the Nocturne, using my teacher's method. But I knew it very well by the time I was done! 

   The upside? Sight reading is one of those things where it's very obvious: the more you practice, the better you become. So, I think I must have greatly improved my sight reading skills by doing a Chopin nocturne!