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Becoming a Great Sight-Reader -- or Not! Learn from my Quest for Piano Sight-Reading Nirvana
What a great feeling to read a review that says your book is so funny and interesting that it will appeal to everybody, not just piano students! I've never gotten that feeling, nor any reviews like that because my book, while admittedly hilarious (hey, did you see the cover?), would be excruciatingly boring to anyone who isn't interested in piano or sight-reading. So, if you don't play piano (and don't want to), this book is not for you. What are you doing here? Go away!
Anyway, on December 10, 2007, I decided to become good at piano sight-reading. Although I was already an OK jazz piano player (Google Al Macy Jazz), with 4-6 gigs per month, my sight-reading was lousy. Really lousy. Most seven-year-olds who had had a year of lessons could probably read music better than I. So, I vowed to learn everything I could about sight-reading, and sight-read TWO HOURS EVERY DAY FOR AT LEAST A YEAR!
That year stretched out to six, and I learned a lot about what works, and what doesn't. I wrote this book for other adults who want to improve their piano sight-reading (OK, also to show how clever I am, but mostly for others). I kept a careful OCD-like record of my progress, so you can hear exactly how I sounded (via web clips) at three months, four months, two years, etc. In the book I relate what worked and what didn't so that you can benefit from my experience. I answer your questions about how to become a better sight-reader. For example:
Should you hire a teacher? How long should you practice each day? Will you inevitably improve if you just do a lot of reading? How can you find enough practice music? Which are more important, notes or intervals? Is it OK to glance down at your hands occasionally? How far ahead should you try to look? Can practicing with your eyes closed help? How can you get better at leaving things out when you are having trouble? What can you do about the fact that the notes on the bass clef are in different places than on the treble clef? How does understanding the harmonic structure of a piece help you play it? Does it help to sight-sing a piece before playing? Should you analyze the tune before starting? If so, what do you look at? Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Where is Jimmy Hoffa buried? The answers to some of those questions might surprise you.
I also present my very own soon to be patented (not really) method for forcing you to attend to intervals instead of notes. If you find yourself so fixated on the note names that you can't work with the intervals instead, this trick might solve your problem.
So, if you want to take your sight-reading to a whole new level, and want some tips, or are just curious about what the future will hold for you, this book will definitely help. Definitely, definitely. And there are no Rain Man jokes in the book. Zero. Definitely zero.
Anyway, on December 10, 2007, I decided to become good at piano sight-reading. Although I was already an OK jazz piano player (Google Al Macy Jazz), with 4-6 gigs per month, my sight-reading was lousy. Really lousy. Most seven-year-olds who had had a year of lessons could probably read music better than I. So, I vowed to learn everything I could about sight-reading, and sight-read TWO HOURS EVERY DAY FOR AT LEAST A YEAR!
That year stretched out to six, and I learned a lot about what works, and what doesn't. I wrote this book for other adults who want to improve their piano sight-reading (OK, also to show how clever I am, but mostly for others). I kept a careful OCD-like record of my progress, so you can hear exactly how I sounded (via web clips) at three months, four months, two years, etc. In the book I relate what worked and what didn't so that you can benefit from my experience. I answer your questions about how to become a better sight-reader. For example:
Should you hire a teacher? How long should you practice each day? Will you inevitably improve if you just do a lot of reading? How can you find enough practice music? Which are more important, notes or intervals? Is it OK to glance down at your hands occasionally? How far ahead should you try to look? Can practicing with your eyes closed help? How can you get better at leaving things out when you are having trouble? What can you do about the fact that the notes on the bass clef are in different places than on the treble clef? How does understanding the harmonic structure of a piece help you play it? Does it help to sight-sing a piece before playing? Should you analyze the tune before starting? If so, what do you look at? Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Where is Jimmy Hoffa buried? The answers to some of those questions might surprise you.
I also present my very own soon to be patented (not really) method for forcing you to attend to intervals instead of notes. If you find yourself so fixated on the note names that you can't work with the intervals instead, this trick might solve your problem.
So, if you want to take your sight-reading to a whole new level, and want some tips, or are just curious about what the future will hold for you, this book will definitely help. Definitely, definitely. And there are no Rain Man jokes in the book. Zero. Definitely zero.
- GenresMusic
120 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2014
25 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
About the author
Al Macy
26 books152 followersAl Macy writes because he has stories to tell. In school he was the class clown and always the first volunteer for show and tell. His teachers would say “Al has a lot of imagination.” Then they'd roll their eyes.
But he put his storytelling on the back burner until he retired and wrote a blog about his efforts to improve his piano sight-reading. That's when his love of storytelling burbled up to the surface, along with quirky words like “burble.”
He had even more fun writing his second book, Drive, Ride, Repeat, but was bummed by non-fiction's need to stick to “the truth” (yucko). From then on it was fiction all the way, with a good dose of his science background burbling to the surface.
Macy's top priority is compelling storylines with satisfying plot twists, but he never neglects character development. No, wait … his top priority is quirkiness, then compelling storylines, then character development. No, wait …
But he put his storytelling on the back burner until he retired and wrote a blog about his efforts to improve his piano sight-reading. That's when his love of storytelling burbled up to the surface, along with quirky words like “burble.”
He had even more fun writing his second book, Drive, Ride, Repeat, but was bummed by non-fiction's need to stick to “the truth” (yucko). From then on it was fiction all the way, with a good dose of his science background burbling to the surface.
Macy's top priority is compelling storylines with satisfying plot twists, but he never neglects character development. No, wait … his top priority is quirkiness, then compelling storylines, then character development. No, wait …
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 6, 2017
This is a diary of the author's personal quest to improve his sight reading. He did not get the results he wanted, yet he did improve. For any musician who teaches, it's a must. For any musician who wants to improve their sight reading, it's also a must. For anyone who wants to know more about the learning process as well.
The author strikes me as someone I'd like to meet. And I know I'd like to hear him play.
The author strikes me as someone I'd like to meet. And I know I'd like to hear him play.
May 22, 2019
Al Macy gives an honest account of his sight-reading nirvana quest over 6 years. He never reaches nirvana, but he can memorize really well, which makes me wonder if someone who can memorize easily and plays by ear may possibly never reach sight-reading nirvana.
He has some good tips. Worth a read if you want to see what he went through, learn from his mistakes and gain from his tips.
He has some good tips. Worth a read if you want to see what he went through, learn from his mistakes and gain from his tips.
May 4, 2018
Unhelpful.
A bunch of journal entries. A window into what he was thinking at this point or that point in his studies. "Aha, I learned that this is the way!" "Changed my mind, no it isn't"
Spoiler ahead: he ends the book by giving up.
Please.
A bunch of journal entries. A window into what he was thinking at this point or that point in his studies. "Aha, I learned that this is the way!" "Changed my mind, no it isn't"
Spoiler ahead: he ends the book by giving up.
Please.
August 27, 2019
Neither interesting nor informative
September 19, 2019
Macy gives you the straight goods on sight-reading musical notation, but with humility and humour. I wish there were more educational books written in this style.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews