CHECK OUT MY BOOKS AND OTHER DEALS Book bundle deal: www.billspianopages.com/bundle All six of my Piano Packs for £16.95: www.billspianopages.com/pianopacks My Patreon page: www.patreon.com/billhilton
I feel totally honored (and even somewhat famous) now that you addressed my question in this video! Thank you, Bill! It was fantastic. Your point about not overwhelming the sight reader with too much visual information at once makes a lot of sense. It's comforting to know that our notation system has evolved deliberately. I'll try to put some faith in the music theorists of yore who made these decisions for us. Gonna have to start hammering on your 5 methods to get my sight reading poppin'!
Hi Bill, the score reading was the new information for me. It's a great idea and I'm wondering if it will help with strengthening the ears for us jazz piano players too. Also, another question is when you've played a piece for a long while and you want to get used to playing it without the sheet music, aside from memorizing its chord progressions, do you find it helpful to acquaint your self with what your hands look like when you play it (before you may have not watched your hands because of looking at the sheet music)? No one told me to do that (looking where my hands/fingers go, but they look unfamiliar when I take the sheet away. I hope that makes sense. I should add that the muscle memory helps too, but I find that it's a learning curve for me when I take the sheet away after having used it along time. I like the idea of getting away from the sheet in case a piano is at a party etc. unexpected and I don't have my sheet music with me.
Hmmmm - good question, Rachel. The short answer is - maybe. The reason I say that is that something I've learned over the years is that the senses of touch, hearing and sight, and the faculty of memory, feed into each other when playing the piano. I suppose it stands to reason that some people will be stronger with some senses than others (I'm much better at the piano with sight and hearing than touch - I've never naturally taken to feeling my way around the keys as some do). So you should follow your own strengths and do what feels right. The only caveat I'd add - and this is something I have to watch out for myself - is that if you get completely habituated to watching what your hands are doing it can begin to make looking up - i.e, at score - more challenging. So just be aware of that!
Thanks Bill. Great-suggestion to watch score reading. I took up your advice. I picked up on a few mistakes I was making with reading music and is also helping me to get a better understanding of the rhythm from more complex sequences of notes.
That's really good to hear, Damian - thanks for letting me know. It always gives me a bit of a boost when I find out a tip I've given is working for someone! Let me know if there's anything else I can help with!
Merci Bill. I have to admit, I bought your books but have been overwhelmed at sightreading a John Thompson method book ( in French) recently that I haven't paid a lot of attention to yours. But I'm filling in the gaps and hopefully will have more chops to tackle your books. You do mention that the books aren't for the rank beginner, so I don't feel guilty. Great tips about sightreading.
De rien, Lawrence! I often wonder about producing French (and German) editions of some of my material, as there seems to be a Francophone demand in particular. Something else it's often occurred to me to do is produce videos in other languages - that would need a lot of practice, though, because although my German is pretty reasonable my spoken French est exécrable...!
A great video!! I don't consider myself an amateur pianist (after learning for 9 years), but this video served as a very good reminder of all these skills my teacher taught me when I was still very young. I was brought to this channel by the content on pop music, but this channel has certainly brought me back to start playing some classical music! Looking forward to more good content!
Thanks Harris! It's a strange thing, but the classical stuff and the pop stuff really feed into each other - work on either and you should find yourself getting better at the other, too :)
Another great video Bill,Thanks For tip N°5, I would like to add: Search in youtube for "easy piano scores" and you can start. When this is too fast for you, you can slow down the playing in the youtube settings. Channel "the great repertoire" can also keep you busy for a while. If somebody knows something extra...
For me, understanding the structure of music helps. The accidentals make more sense if you have some idea as to why a particular note is sharp or flat. For example in a piece which goes from major to minor often and you can see that, the accidentals don't take you by surprise
Thanks Bill as somebody whose been struggling to learn the piano for a few years, some useful tips here ( never heard of courtesy accidental until you mentioned them!). So thanks for the effort you put into your channel. Cheers.
Hi Bill! New subscriber here. Just want to say thank you so much for all these awesome videos. I’ve been on the piano joirney for 5 years but haven’t really felt like I’ve truly progressed (been frustrated with my progress). I’m really learning a lot from your channel (and bought the studies in pop piano too!). Just wanted to say thank you so much for helping all of us with our piano journey and taking the time to thoroughly and carefully explain these concepts with us and share your knowledge. More power to you and have a good day !
@@BillHilton I do---do you have any tips on how to avoid tension when playing chords? I find when I play notes on after another (with ballad style pieces or classical), it's "easier" to have no tension but somehow when I play chords my hands just tense up. Any advice?
Bill. excellent points... I follow some of these patterns. I don't like the courtesy markings.. but they are good reminders. I do the hands Separate method.I also sing my pieces whether the blues or classical. it actually is helping me do ear training exercises. I had been doing training videos for minuet in G by Bach, then one night I realized the first note D 5 was burned into my memory...Now I can be away from the piano and sing Bach's minuet in G. Good lesson
since it is hard to rememer the notes in keys why not make notes that are sharp a dark green and flat notes a dark red then you can save on brain strain. (if the score is already on paper a highligher could work)
I started learning La La Land by aSongScout and I got caught off guard with his fast 4th line of music. I don't really know timing well and a couple other things have been an issue, so this will help to figure it out
Very, very useful. Especially the critic on the well known learning strategy to play many unknown pieces one after the other. I'm no advanced sight-reader (can't play a beethoven sonata on first sight but easier pieces), but I have no problems with accidentals. It is a very logical way to sign notes out of given key and if one instinctively knows what the "normal" keys of the given key are.
Good and helpful content, though I was hoping for tips on the actual sight reading process, e.g how to train reading ahead, how many bars, how to keep track of left and right hand score and e. g. if to use chord symbols as a help or ignore them for sight reading. I guess there are no shortcuts for the average person, but a lot of what was in the 5 tips appears to me "just" on how to practice well and get a piece down. It's just that I would assume that if you followed all that successfully, you are no longer sight reading. You are playing to produce the piece to the best of your ability using muscle memory, acoustic memory and probably emotional connection. The score at this point is only giving you cues on staying on track. Is there a point in training for sight reading an unknown score, like navigating your dirt bike through unknown terrain by reading the land? Because what I took from your example was more on training again and again for a perfect rally run with a co-pilot giving you well timed technical instructions.
I'm actually gathering material for a Piano Questions Answered tutorial specifically on sight reading skills, Armin - I wanted to start off with something broader about reading in general. When I do, would you mind if I used part of this comment (maybe your second paragraph) as the question?
rachelsmename I was just trying to refer to the music, as you remember or imagine it, unencumbered by the necessary physical dexterity or cognitive ability to decode a score to reproduce it.
hi there! please how can I get a copy of your book " how to really play the piano " tried buying it couple of times, but doesn't ship to Nigeria. Equally had issues getting the digital version.. Any suggestions?
Apologies for the delay getting back to you on this Solomon! Hmmm - tricky. Could you drop me an email at billhiltonmedia at gmail dot com? I'll see what I can sort out for you :)
Hi Bill, I loved this video. Even though I don't have much problem with accidentals some of the tips you give will definitely come in handy. Score reading in particular sounds like something I want to try. I actually have a question of my own. I've been learning piano for a couple of years now and while I'm getting OK at playing melodies and bass lines, I really struggle playing chord based pieces. I can pick out the chords given time, but I can't seem to get my chord changes up to any sort of speed. It feels like I have to place each finger for the chord in turn, my fingers don't find the chord shape as a whole, if you know what I mean. I've tried playing with a metronome to try to stop myself hesitating at each chord change, but while it helps a little, my changes still aren't smooth. I realise it's a matter of practice, but I don't really know *how* to practice when it comes to chords - the techniques I use for melodies, like isolating small sections, don't really work. So do you have any tips on how to practice chord changes and progressions?
I can tell you what has worked for me in the past. First work on block triads up and down through the different inversions starting with C, go up two octaves and then down using only your left hand at first. Maintain proper fingering through the inversions and go slowly but still try to make it sound like music as opposed to simply banging out the chords. Use a metronome but use it to keep from trying to speed up. You need to play so slow that you say to yourself that you can and should be playing faster but keep in rhythm with the metronome at around 50 bpm to start. I know that seems slow but if you want to progress you need to start slow and increase the tempo when it is necessary. Also maintaining your fingering is also very important:Left hand root position is 5-3-1. First inversion is 5-3-1. Second inversion is 5-2-1. Listen as you play quite carefully, you want a clear full sound. You will get there through small increments but once you start improving, change will be more quickly made. I prefer to start with only playing on the C scale and not use any accidentals as in I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi vii dim. As you progress it would be advisable to try to play all major chords and then all minors. I also don't recommend that you spend hours a day trying this as it gets mindnumbingly boring. Try it for no more than 15 minutes a day. I hope that this is of some help. What ever you try to do though pay attention to the quality of the sound that you produce.
Hi Paul - thanks very much indeed! In answer to your question, basically, what Dennis said, although I'd maybe suggest a little more latitude with fingering. Looking at the problems you're talking about, it's probably a bunch of issues connected with response time and hand independence, and you should find you get better with practice. You might find my Train Your Piano Brain series helpful. Have a look at that, and let me know how you get on. Here's the playlist link: th-cam.com/play/PLpOuhygfD7QnKq5P3mf7TiofvItxhuM2i.html
Reading score during a boring meeting - classic advice. If you get busted, you can at least proclaim, ´´Hey, I don´t need this meeting. I know the score, bitches!´´
I just wonder if anyone thought about replacing sharps and flats with different coloured notes like instead of B flat just use a red coloured B :) I`m suspecting that it would be much easier for the brain to decode the information and it will also clear the sheet ?
It probably would make for an easier decode, come to think of it. I would guess a system like that hasn't evolved because of practical problems - printing costs, the hassle of having to use different-coloured pens when jotting down score, etc. Who knows what might happen in the future, though? MIDI editors already use colour coding to indicate stuff like velocities.
TL; DW: Why aren't all the accidentals in a bar labeled? To save ink and effort. Why can't we just put them in on computer? Tradition. How do you learn to deal with it? Listening to music on CD while following the score. Analyzing your score and then marking it up with notes. Analyzing left hand and right hand parts separately and then combining them.
Plz can you convert or explain how to convert a major scale to a minor one e.g C to A minor. Also the easiest way to learn to play and run the scale on all keys. Keep touching life.
Actually that is just backwards, you go down three semitones to go to the relative minor scale of any major scale. The major C scale (no sharps or flats) has a relative minor scale of A (which is the aeolian mode of the ionian, always). For another example as in the G major scale you would go down three semitones to E. The major scale of G has one sharp F, the relative minor of the G major is E which also has only one sharp F. Going down three semitones is the exact same as going up six scale degrees. I have perhaps made this a little more confusing but believe me please, the easiest way to find the relative minor to any major scale is to go down three semitones.
Wow I get that... I was trying to see the explanation of getting the note on a minor scale through knowing where the semitones are and raising the 6th by semitone. Although it seems this is the better way.
It gets confusing at times especially when you think about the fact that you are going down a minor third but the note is actually the sixth scale degree. That is in the C scale although I said that you are going down three semitones to the A the truth of the matter is that you are going up to the sixth of the scale, it is just easier, for me at least to count to three than to six. You can also look at the question as not going to the relative minor but actually staying in the same key which if that is the case you need to flat three notes. For example C major (with no flats or sharps) to C minor requires that the B, E and A all be flat. As A major has three sharps (F, C, and G) you subtract the three flats from three sharps and you end up with no flats or sharps in A minor. I realize that this can be confusing but if you search online for the circle of fifths (sometimes referred to as the circle of fourths but not as commonly) you can print off the resulting diagram but make sure that you select one that has the relative minor inside the circle from the major. There will be an uppercase "C" at the top and inside the circle there will be a lower case "a" which will represent the relative minor. Using this diagram you will see not only the relationship of the majors to their relative minors but also the three steps from a major key to that same key in the minor. I truly hope that I have not made this all even more confusing but the differentiation is quite important. Thanks.
I am an engineer and mainly play sax and uke. I don't know if this is an engineer thing but I keep finding myself thinking "Musical notation is a really bad way to express what notes and timing are required."
It is and it isn't, Mark: it's quite a vexed question. The thing to remember is that the system of notation we have today hasn't been designed from scratch, but has rather been evolved over the years by working musicians whose prime aim has always been to permit fast sightreading (with fast handwriting also an important, albeit secondary, consideration). The downside of being a professional tool designed by professionals is that it's not especially easy for a beginner to learn: the curve is pretty steep. So from the point of view of a learner it is indeed really bad; but from the point of view of a professional who has mastered reading and whose principal needs are clarity and sightreadability, it seems very good. From a design point of view, I suspect that coming up with a notation system that works for everyone playing western music is an insoluble problem. I suppose it's fundamentally a problem of information density: learners need a lower density, but that's inefficient for skilled sightreaders; skilled sightreaders demand a higher density, but that's problematic for learners. People have tried designing improved systems, but none of the solutions I've seen seems very successful. Instrument-specific notation systems (e.g., tablature and solfege) can do the job, but tab in particular is as old as staff notation, and both it and solfege run into the problem of transferability between instruments. A reasonably famous invented system is Rochat's Dodeka - which certainly *looks* simpler than the standard system, but which strikes me as difficult to read.
@@BillHilton Thank you for the additional explanation. You are right. It is relatively easy to come up with a better solution but much harder to come up with a notation to suit all instruments.
I also found out there are different fingering for each major and minor key. Wow, how does one keep up. Major key is still giving one headache talk less of adding minor key and different fingering instead of the usual 12312345. I'm ready to put in the hours I just want to know how to practice right to achieve the best possible result.
OreChuks Obadofin There is no quick answer.. I don't think you have to go back to Hannon, but I would not play the first note of a scale on a black note. However these rules get broken in jazz and blues.I sometimes practice starting on different fingers so I can play multiple octaves.. also you would like to be able reverse too. Scales like Db seem to be hard but they really are a fairly easy scale to play.. Wish you the best
Hannon was one of the few that really codified exactly what were the best exercises for limbering up, playing efficiently with both hands. He lived hundreds of years ago. Some of the exercises sound easy to do if they are played slow. He covered scales ect. I one time downloaded an mp3 of his studies. There were and critics of his method. There is another person, Czerny, who wrote many studies also. I have taken classical music but I did not study either one. We're you able to try what I mentioned.?
Thought about something that might help you. First get down the scales at the same time learn the the 1 and 3 of all the scales you are working on. This sounds like a lot of work. But it will be easier each time. So a typical mini practice might be C scale.. as you do it note the E is third and G is 5. You probably know that already. I'm in the same struggle that you have, you want to do things right and not waste time. I try to see patterns. As you probably know there are only three notes necessary for a dominant chord. root major 3 and b7. I use root C On the left hand base then notes Bb (b7) E(3) and A (13). it makes a C 13.. Notice that the A or 6 is just a half tone down from the b7. So this all ties together when learning the scale.. take your time.. I suggest use familiar keys like C and notice the 6 is just a tone above the five. Sorry so long winded.. I'm texting this hope no mistakes. Here's one chord hack.. Left hand C right hand E A Bb.or A Bb E. Just some thoughts. I'll be busy wood working but I hope this helps in direction.
PIANOSTYLE100 PIANOSTYLE100 Yes I did... It's becoming easier with time. Although if I'm woken up to say flats and sharps on all keys I might not be able able to that instantly but I sure will be able to play the scales on keyboard. Guess I'll have to memorize that differently. Thanks so much You've been a great help.
Is it true pentatonic scales is just 1,2,3,4,5 that's what my tutor said. For a begginer, what's the progression of things to learn during practice especially if they understand the theory but can't score a song or hear and play
There are multiple pentatonic scales, the major and the minor are the predominant ones but there are many more. A pentatonic scale always have five notes as opposed to the "normal" scale which has seven (heptatonic). The major pentatonic is based upon the major scale and contains the scale tones 1,2,3,5,and 6 exactly as DhammaDude stated. The minor pentatonic is based upon the minor scale and has the 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. These are the two pentatonic that you will encounter most in Western music. You may notice that the predominant blues scale is the minor pentatonic with an added #4 or b5 ( which is the tritone, the exact midpoint of the scale). I hope that this is helpful and that I have not muddied the waters.
Major and minor pentatonic scales share the same keys in their relative major/minor, so you really only have to know 1,2,3,5,6 and then practice a bunch improvising in every key Remember to experiment and that when you hit a wrong note, just try to figure out how you can make that note work in your favor, you can always just see where it takes you. Hope this helps! :D
I am not following your line DhammaDude. If you apply what I understand you to be saying then this would be the result using C as the major and A as the relative minor. In C the major pentatonic is the 1, 2,3,5, and 6 which are the scale notes C, D, E, G and A while the minor pentatonic is 1, b3,4,5, and b7 which are the scale notes C, bE, F, G, and bB. When switching to the relative minor of C which is A then the major pentatonic is still 1,2,3,5, and 6 which are A, B, #C , E and #F. The minor pentatonic is still the same 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7 which would be A, C, D, E and G. Perhaps I am simply not understanding exactly what you mean. In these that I have posted there is never a second or sixth scale degree in the minor pentatonic. Further there is neither a flat third nor a flat seventh in the major pentatonic. If you can point out where my rationale has gone astray I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
You answered your own question. Relative major and minor keys share all of the same notes. C is CDEFGAB, A minor is ABCDEFG, They both use the notes C, D, E G, and A in their pentatonic scales. With this knowledge, you basically only really need to learn one scale to play both major and minor with those notes, just different starting points I guess. Does this help?
Good tips but I disagree with one thing. It's always good to be repeating and sight reading pieces that you're working on. But you suggested not grabbing a stack of musical pieces and randomly selecting them to test your sight reading skills. As a session musician in Los Angeles of over 20 years and thousands of recordings and gigs, you're always thrust into unexpected situations where a piece of sheet music is plopped right in front of your face and you just have a few minutes to play it. It's always good to practice the unexpected because it keeps you Sharp. Especially in the music industry.
Yes, I think you have a point - it's a subject I keep changing my mind on, and I think there's a lot to be said for practising stuff blind. However, you meet a lot of people who try purely to improve their sightreading by doing sightreading exercises: I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that, although that may be necessary, it's not really sufficient. Does that make sense?
CHECK OUT MY BOOKS AND OTHER DEALS
Book bundle deal: www.billspianopages.com/bundle
All six of my Piano Packs for £16.95: www.billspianopages.com/pianopacks
My Patreon page: www.patreon.com/billhilton
I feel totally honored (and even somewhat famous) now that you addressed my question in this video! Thank you, Bill! It was fantastic. Your point about not overwhelming the sight reader with too much visual information at once makes a lot of sense. It's comforting to know that our notation system has evolved deliberately. I'll try to put some faith in the music theorists of yore who made these decisions for us. Gonna have to start hammering on your 5 methods to get my sight reading poppin'!
Hi Bill, the score reading was the new information for me. It's a great idea and I'm wondering if it will help with strengthening the ears for us jazz piano players too. Also, another question is when you've played a piece for a long while and you want to get used to playing it without the sheet music, aside from memorizing its chord progressions, do you find it helpful to acquaint your self with what your hands look like when you play it (before you may have not watched your hands because of looking at the sheet music)? No one told me to do that (looking where my hands/fingers go, but they look unfamiliar when I take the sheet away. I hope that makes sense. I should add that the muscle memory helps too, but I find that it's a learning curve for me when I take the sheet away after having used it along time. I like the idea of getting away from the sheet in case a piano is at a party etc. unexpected and I don't have my sheet music with me.
Hmmmm - good question, Rachel. The short answer is - maybe. The reason I say that is that something I've learned over the years is that the senses of touch, hearing and sight, and the faculty of memory, feed into each other when playing the piano. I suppose it stands to reason that some people will be stronger with some senses than others (I'm much better at the piano with sight and hearing than touch - I've never naturally taken to feeling my way around the keys as some do). So you should follow your own strengths and do what feels right. The only caveat I'd add - and this is something I have to watch out for myself - is that if you get completely habituated to watching what your hands are doing it can begin to make looking up - i.e, at score - more challenging. So just be aware of that!
Thanks Bill. Great-suggestion to watch score reading. I took up your advice. I picked up on a few mistakes I was making with reading music and is also helping me to get a better understanding of the rhythm from more complex sequences of notes.
That's really good to hear, Damian - thanks for letting me know. It always gives me a bit of a boost when I find out a tip I've given is working for someone! Let me know if there's anything else I can help with!
Merci Bill. I have to admit, I bought your books but have been overwhelmed at sightreading a John Thompson method book ( in French) recently that I haven't paid a lot of attention to yours. But I'm filling in the gaps and hopefully will have more chops to tackle your books. You do mention that the books aren't for the rank beginner, so I don't feel guilty.
Great tips about sightreading.
De rien, Lawrence! I often wonder about producing French (and German) editions of some of my material, as there seems to be a Francophone demand in particular. Something else it's often occurred to me to do is produce videos in other languages - that would need a lot of practice, though, because although my German is pretty reasonable my spoken French est exécrable...!
@@BillHilton everyone has horrible French accents.
A great video!! I don't consider myself an amateur pianist (after learning for 9 years), but this video served as a very good reminder of all these skills my teacher taught me when I was still very young. I was brought to this channel by the content on pop music, but this channel has certainly brought me back to start playing some classical music! Looking forward to more good content!
Thanks Harris! It's a strange thing, but the classical stuff and the pop stuff really feed into each other - work on either and you should find yourself getting better at the other, too :)
Excellent explanation..
Glad you liked it Mitchell!
Another great video Bill,Thanks
For tip N°5, I would like to add: Search in youtube for "easy piano scores" and you can start. When this is too fast for you, you can slow down the playing in the youtube settings. Channel "the great repertoire" can also keep you busy for a while.
If somebody knows something extra...
That's a great tip Stefan - thanks very much!
Outstanding lesson. Thanks Bill.
Brilliant stuff Bill! Coming off your Beginner series this feels like a natural extension to it. Especially the bits about practicing effectively.
Thanks very much! I might actually add this this to the beginners' series playlist...
For me, understanding the structure of music helps. The accidentals make more sense if you have some idea as to why a particular note is sharp or flat. For example in a piece which goes from major to minor often and you can see that, the accidentals don't take you by surprise
Thanks Bill as somebody whose been struggling to learn the piano for a few years, some useful tips here ( never heard of courtesy accidental until you mentioned them!). So thanks for the effort you put into your channel. Cheers.
No problem - glad you liked it! :)
Thank you! I appreciate it.
You're welcome Billy!
Absolutely excellent video Bill! Thanks for sharing your knowledge, to help us get past that very difficult hump in reading music.
No problem Robert - glad to be of help!
Good stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I've been looking forward to this! Thank you!
Thank you Bill for this excellent video!
No problem Hannah - glad it was useful!
In the early 1980s I worked at Soundworks in NYC. I remember watching Harry Belafonte's arranger furiously marking up the score with pencil. :)
Hi Bill! New subscriber here. Just want to say thank you so much for all these awesome videos. I’ve been on the piano joirney for 5 years but haven’t really felt like I’ve truly progressed (been frustrated with my progress). I’m really learning a lot from your channel (and bought the studies in pop piano too!). Just wanted to say thank you so much for helping all of us with our piano journey and taking the time to thoroughly and carefully explain these concepts with us and share your knowledge. More power to you and have a good day !
Thanks very much Lian - glad to hear that it's been useful to you. Let me know if you have any questions, or suggestions for tutorials!
@@BillHilton I do---do you have any tips on how to avoid tension when playing chords? I find when I play notes on after another (with ballad style pieces or classical), it's "easier" to have no tension but somehow when I play chords my hands just tense up. Any advice?
@@liandyogi Search in youtube "josh wright tension" . Josh Wright is another great piano learning channel
@@hast66 Follow him too! I guess it's the same thing whether it's one note or multiple notes held together.
Bill. excellent points... I follow some of these patterns. I don't like the courtesy markings.. but they are good reminders. I do the hands
Separate method.I also sing my pieces whether the blues or classical. it actually is helping me do ear training exercises. I had been doing training videos for minuet in G by Bach, then one night I realized the first note D 5 was burned into my memory...Now I can be away from the piano and sing Bach's minuet in G. Good lesson
Thanks, this was an extremely clear and useful video!
Thanks Jasper - glad you liked it!
Thanks
You're welcome!
since it is hard to rememer the notes in keys why not make notes that are sharp a dark green and flat notes a dark red then you can save on brain strain. (if the score is already on paper a highligher could work)
Thank you!
No problem - glad to be of help!
I started learning La La Land by aSongScout and I got caught off guard with his fast 4th line of music. I don't really know timing well and a couple other things have been an issue, so this will help to figure it out
Very, very useful. Especially the critic on the well known learning strategy to play many unknown pieces one after the other.
I'm no advanced sight-reader (can't play a beethoven sonata on first sight but easier pieces), but I have no problems with accidentals. It is a very logical way to sign notes out of given key and if one instinctively knows what the "normal" keys of the given key are.
Synth Player 1
Good and helpful content, though I was hoping for tips on the actual sight reading process, e.g how to train reading ahead, how many bars, how to keep track of left and right hand score and e. g. if to use chord symbols as a help or ignore them for sight reading. I guess there are no shortcuts for the average person, but a lot of what was in the 5 tips appears to me "just" on how to practice well and get a piece down. It's just that I would assume that if you followed all that successfully, you are no longer sight reading. You are playing to produce the piece to the best of your ability using muscle memory, acoustic memory and probably emotional connection. The score at this point is only giving you cues on staying on track.
Is there a point in training for sight reading an unknown score, like navigating your dirt bike through unknown terrain by reading the land? Because what I took from your example was more on training again and again for a perfect rally run with a co-pilot giving you well timed technical instructions.
I'm actually gathering material for a Piano Questions Answered tutorial specifically on sight reading skills, Armin - I wanted to start off with something broader about reading in general. When I do, would you mind if I used part of this comment (maybe your second paragraph) as the question?
Bill Hilton sure, please do!
Armin, I've never heard the term "acoustic memory". Is that memorizing the aural part of the tune?
rachelsmename I was just trying to refer to the music, as you remember or imagine it, unencumbered by the necessary physical dexterity or cognitive ability to decode a score to reproduce it.
Fantastic tutorial. It addressed my weakest point
Thanks Carlota - glad you liked it!
hi there! please how can I get a copy of your book " how to really play the piano " tried buying it couple of times, but doesn't ship to Nigeria. Equally had issues getting the digital version.. Any suggestions?
Apologies for the delay getting back to you on this Solomon! Hmmm - tricky. Could you drop me an email at billhiltonmedia at gmail dot com? I'll see what I can sort out for you :)
Hi Bill, I loved this video. Even though I don't have much problem with accidentals some of the tips you give will definitely come in handy. Score reading in particular sounds like something I want to try.
I actually have a question of my own. I've been learning piano for a couple of years now and while I'm getting OK at playing melodies and bass lines, I really struggle playing chord based pieces. I can pick out the chords given time, but I can't seem to get my chord changes up to any sort of speed. It feels like I have to place each finger for the chord in turn, my fingers don't find the chord shape as a whole, if you know what I mean. I've tried playing with a metronome to try to stop myself hesitating at each chord change, but while it helps a little, my changes still aren't smooth. I realise it's a matter of practice, but I don't really know *how* to practice when it comes to chords - the techniques I use for melodies, like isolating small sections, don't really work. So do you have any tips on how to practice chord changes and progressions?
I can tell you what has worked for me in the past. First work on block triads up and down through the different inversions starting with C, go up two octaves and then down using only your left hand at first. Maintain proper fingering through the inversions and go slowly but still try to make it sound like music as opposed to simply banging out the chords. Use a metronome but use it to keep from trying to speed up. You need to play so slow that you say to yourself that you can and should be playing faster but keep in rhythm with the metronome at around 50 bpm to start. I know that seems slow but if you want to progress you need to start slow and increase the tempo when it is necessary. Also maintaining your fingering is also very important:Left hand root position is 5-3-1. First inversion is 5-3-1. Second inversion is 5-2-1. Listen as you play quite carefully, you want a clear full sound. You will get there through small increments but once you start improving, change will be more quickly made. I prefer to start with only playing on the C scale and not use any accidentals as in I-ii-iii-IV-V-vi vii dim. As you progress it would be advisable to try to play all major chords and then all minors. I also don't recommend that you spend hours a day trying this as it gets mindnumbingly boring. Try it for no more than 15 minutes a day. I hope that this is of some help. What ever you try to do though pay attention to the quality of the sound that you produce.
Hi Paul - thanks very much indeed! In answer to your question, basically, what Dennis said, although I'd maybe suggest a little more latitude with fingering. Looking at the problems you're talking about, it's probably a bunch of issues connected with response time and hand independence, and you should find you get better with practice. You might find my Train Your Piano Brain series helpful. Have a look at that, and let me know how you get on. Here's the playlist link: th-cam.com/play/PLpOuhygfD7QnKq5P3mf7TiofvItxhuM2i.html
Reading score during a boring meeting - classic advice. If you get busted, you can at least proclaim, ´´Hey, I don´t need this meeting. I know the score, bitches!´´
I just wonder if anyone thought about replacing sharps and flats with different coloured notes like instead of B flat just use a red coloured B :) I`m suspecting that it would be much easier for the brain to decode the information and it will also clear the sheet ?
It probably would make for an easier decode, come to think of it. I would guess a system like that hasn't evolved because of practical problems - printing costs, the hassle of having to use different-coloured pens when jotting down score, etc. Who knows what might happen in the future, though? MIDI editors already use colour coding to indicate stuff like velocities.
TL; DW: Why aren't all the accidentals in a bar labeled? To save ink and effort. Why can't we just put them in on computer? Tradition. How do you learn to deal with it? Listening to music on CD while following the score. Analyzing your score and then marking it up with notes. Analyzing left hand and right hand parts separately and then combining them.
Plz can you convert or explain how to convert a major scale to a minor one e.g C to A minor. Also the easiest way to learn to play and run the scale on all keys.
Keep touching life.
Actually that is just backwards, you go down three semitones to go to the relative minor scale of any major scale. The major C scale (no sharps or flats) has a relative minor scale of A (which is the aeolian mode of the ionian, always). For another example as in the G major scale you would go down three semitones to E. The major scale of G has one sharp F, the relative minor of the G major is E which also has only one sharp F. Going down three semitones is the exact same as going up six scale degrees. I have perhaps made this a little more confusing but believe me please, the easiest way to find the relative minor to any major scale is to go down three semitones.
W. Dennis Sorrell Well, looks like I need to hit the books once more, thanks for the correction!
Wow I get that... I was trying to see the explanation of getting the note on a minor scale through knowing where the semitones are and raising the 6th by semitone. Although it seems this is the better way.
It gets confusing at times especially when you think about the fact that you are going down a minor third but the note is actually the sixth scale degree. That is in the C scale although I said that you are going down three semitones to the A the truth of the matter is that you are going up to the sixth of the scale, it is just easier, for me at least to count to three than to six. You can also look at the question as not going to the relative minor but actually staying in the same key which if that is the case you need to flat three notes. For example C major (with no flats or sharps) to C minor requires that the B, E and A all be flat. As A major has three sharps (F, C, and G) you subtract the three flats from three sharps and you end up with no flats or sharps in A minor. I realize that this can be confusing but if you search online for the circle of fifths (sometimes referred to as the circle of fourths but not as commonly) you can print off the resulting diagram but make sure that you select one that has the relative minor inside the circle from the major. There will be an uppercase "C" at the top and inside the circle there will be a lower case "a" which will represent the relative minor. Using this diagram you will see not only the relationship of the majors to their relative minors but also the three steps from a major key to that same key in the minor. I truly hope that I have not made this all even more confusing but the differentiation is quite important. Thanks.
Wow... Tried reading circle of fifth didn't really understand it. But I'll keep reading especially with what you wrote. Thanks.
I am an engineer and mainly play sax and uke. I don't know if this is an engineer thing but I keep finding myself thinking "Musical notation is a really bad way to express what notes and timing are required."
It is and it isn't, Mark: it's quite a vexed question. The thing to remember is that the system of notation we have today hasn't been designed from scratch, but has rather been evolved over the years by working musicians whose prime aim has always been to permit fast sightreading (with fast handwriting also an important, albeit secondary, consideration). The downside of being a professional tool designed by professionals is that it's not especially easy for a beginner to learn: the curve is pretty steep. So from the point of view of a learner it is indeed really bad; but from the point of view of a professional who has mastered reading and whose principal needs are clarity and sightreadability, it seems very good.
From a design point of view, I suspect that coming up with a notation system that works for everyone playing western music is an insoluble problem. I suppose it's fundamentally a problem of information density: learners need a lower density, but that's inefficient for skilled sightreaders; skilled sightreaders demand a higher density, but that's problematic for learners. People have tried designing improved systems, but none of the solutions I've seen seems very successful. Instrument-specific notation systems (e.g., tablature and solfege) can do the job, but tab in particular is as old as staff notation, and both it and solfege run into the problem of transferability between instruments. A reasonably famous invented system is Rochat's Dodeka - which certainly *looks* simpler than the standard system, but which strikes me as difficult to read.
@@BillHilton Thank you for the additional explanation. You are right. It is relatively easy to come up with a better solution but much harder to come up with a notation to suit all instruments.
I also found out there are different fingering for each major and minor key. Wow, how does one keep up. Major key is still giving one headache talk less of adding minor key and different fingering instead of the usual 12312345.
I'm ready to put in the hours I just want to know how to practice right to achieve the best possible result.
OreChuks Obadofin There is no quick answer.. I don't think you have to go back to Hannon, but I would not play the first note of a scale on a black note. However these rules get broken in jazz and blues.I sometimes practice starting on different fingers so I can play multiple octaves.. also you would like to be able reverse too. Scales like Db seem to be hard but they really are a fairly easy scale to play.. Wish you the best
Thanks so much PIANOSTYLE100 but please what is Hannon?
Hannon was one of the few that really codified exactly what were the best exercises for limbering up, playing efficiently with both hands. He lived hundreds of years ago. Some of the exercises sound easy to do if they are played slow. He covered scales ect. I one time downloaded an mp3 of his studies. There were and critics of his method. There is another person, Czerny, who wrote many studies also. I have taken classical
music but I did not study either one. We're you able to try what I mentioned.?
Thought about something that might help you. First get down the scales at the same time learn the the 1 and 3 of all the scales you are working on. This sounds like a
lot of work. But it will be easier each time. So a typical mini practice might be C scale.. as you do it note the E is third and G is 5.
You probably know that already. I'm in the same struggle that you have, you want to do things right and not waste time. I try to see patterns. As you probably know there are only three notes necessary for a dominant chord.
root major 3 and b7. I use root C
On the left hand base then notes
Bb (b7) E(3) and A (13). it makes a C 13.. Notice that the A or 6 is just a half tone down from the b7.
So this all ties together when learning the scale.. take your time.. I suggest use familiar keys like C and notice the 6 is just a tone above the five. Sorry so long winded.. I'm texting this hope no
mistakes. Here's one chord hack..
Left hand C right hand E A Bb.or A Bb E. Just some thoughts. I'll be busy wood working but I hope this helps in direction.
PIANOSTYLE100 PIANOSTYLE100 Yes I did... It's becoming easier with time. Although if I'm woken up to say flats and sharps on all keys I might not be able able to that instantly but I sure will be able to play the scales on keyboard. Guess I'll have to memorize that differently. Thanks so much You've been a great help.
Is it true pentatonic scales is just 1,2,3,4,5 that's what my tutor said. For a begginer, what's the progression of things to learn during practice especially if they understand the theory but can't score a song or hear and play
Actually pentatonic is 1,2,3,5,6
There are multiple pentatonic scales, the major and the minor are the predominant ones but there are many more. A pentatonic scale always have five notes as opposed to the "normal" scale which has seven (heptatonic). The major pentatonic is based upon the major scale and contains the scale tones 1,2,3,5,and 6 exactly as DhammaDude stated. The minor pentatonic is based upon the minor scale and has the 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7. These are the two pentatonic that you will encounter most in Western music. You may notice that the predominant blues scale is the minor pentatonic with an added #4 or b5 ( which is the tritone, the exact midpoint of the scale). I hope that this is helpful and that I have not muddied the waters.
Major and minor pentatonic scales share the same keys in their relative major/minor, so you really only have to know 1,2,3,5,6 and then practice a bunch improvising in every key
Remember to experiment and that when you hit a wrong note, just try to figure out how you can make that note work in your favor, you can always just see where it takes you.
Hope this helps! :D
I am not following your line DhammaDude. If you apply what I understand you to be saying then this would be the result using C as the major and A as the relative minor. In C the major pentatonic is the 1, 2,3,5, and 6 which are the scale notes C, D, E, G and A while the minor pentatonic is 1, b3,4,5, and b7 which are the scale notes C, bE, F, G, and bB. When switching to the relative minor of C which is A then the major pentatonic is still 1,2,3,5, and 6 which are A, B, #C , E and #F. The minor pentatonic is still the same 1, b3, 4, 5, and b7 which would be A, C, D, E and G. Perhaps I am simply not understanding exactly what you mean. In these that I have posted there is never a second or sixth scale degree in the minor pentatonic. Further there is neither a flat third nor a flat seventh in the major pentatonic. If you can point out where my rationale has gone astray I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
You answered your own question. Relative major and minor keys share all of the same notes. C is CDEFGAB, A minor is ABCDEFG, They both use the notes C, D, E G, and A in their pentatonic scales. With this knowledge, you basically only really need to learn one scale to play both major and minor with those notes, just different starting points I guess.
Does this help?
That's note abuse - flattening notes. These key signatures need to be reported to the authorities.
0:20 this was, like, exactly the beginning of Mothers Pride by George Michael haha I was kinda startled lol
Good tips but I disagree with one thing. It's always good to be repeating and sight reading pieces that you're working on. But you suggested not grabbing a stack of musical pieces and randomly selecting them to test your sight reading skills. As a session musician in Los Angeles of over 20 years and thousands of recordings and gigs, you're always thrust into unexpected situations where a piece of sheet music is plopped right in front of your face and you just have a few minutes to play it. It's always good to practice the unexpected because it keeps you Sharp. Especially in the music industry.
Yes, I think you have a point - it's a subject I keep changing my mind on, and I think there's a lot to be said for practising stuff blind. However, you meet a lot of people who try purely to improve their sightreading by doing sightreading exercises: I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that, although that may be necessary, it's not really sufficient. Does that make sense?
Leaning is easier more now
That's good to hear!