Need help with sight reading

[DavyA]

Hi Folks!

I am trying to regain a skill that I lost 'cause I haven't used it in such a long time....sight reading. I know where the notes are and how to count time ok, but I really have to work at it. I know if I practice a little everyday I will get it back.

I was hoping that y'all could make some suggestions of some books or downloads that are fairly simple to read. Maybe all eighth notes at first so I could find my way with out having to figure out rhythms. I can progress to that as I get the notes under my fingers. I haven't had too much luck finding something easy to start with.

I'm starting to teach after 40+ years of playing and I'm also wanting to futher my own studies and I really need to get my sight reading skills back. Any help is appreaciated.

Thanks in advance!!

Davy

[klasaine]

Reading on guitar is tough. One way to get this skill back is to bypass "guitar" books for reading (there are a few exceptions - the Leavitt books).

Rubank "elementary clarinet method" - straight ahead standard reading practice. you can advance through intermediate and advanced with this series.

Lennie Neihaus beginning "jazz conception for saxophone" (int. and adv. also).
These are jazz oriented studies/etudes that are beautifully melodic.

All of these should be available at any music store that sells band instruments and gives lessons. they're still the "standard" for wind players. Don't worry if you only find them in Bb (clarinet key) or Eb. Trust me, that'll get your reading together even faster. I make a living sight-reading and I still use these books, among others, to practice out of.

[Leon Grizzard]

I was thinking about this the other day. I think Micky Baker's Jazz Guitar Book One is fairly easy reading, and does not have tab to distract you. It was written in 1956, I think, and is useful in lots of styles.

[jazzguitar14]

My sight reading is not up to par these days eithor, but on thing I used to do was study church Hymnals...

The melodies are usually pretty simple, and you have the option to play which ever voice you like, you can also add harmonies and other voices as you get more comfortable...

[Joe-Bob]

Just get out some music and start reading. Hymnals are a common source. The more you read, the easier it will be, but there are still no shortcuts.

[Chris S.]

This is by far the best book I've ever seen on learning to read music on guitar:



http://www.amazon.com/Melodic-Rhythm.../dp/0634013327

Highly recommended.

One other practice tip I've found helpful when I'm trying to sharpen my reading chops is to pick up at least one piece of music every day that you've never seen before and try to read it "cold." Piano, violin, trumpet, whatever, it doesn't matter, just "jump in with both feet" on a piece that's completely unfamiliar and see what happens. (Of course, with me, that often results in my sounding like I'm playing with both feet... )

Hope it helps, CS :-)

Edit: Oops, I see two folks beat me to the 2nd idea right while I was typing. Man, ya gotta be quick around here... ;-)

[jazztele]

the fernando sor studies...they're good for everything, and yeah, it's classical, but i'm telling ya, they're great...theres nothing better than exercises that actually sound like MUSIC.

[DavyA]

Thanks for all the great ideas! Jumpin' right into readin' stuff cold everyday is the plan. Now I'll have some things to jump into! The Real Books are just a little intimidating at this point, but with some practice I'll get there!

Thanks!

[blacklinefish]

+1 on studying other instruments (trumpet, clarinet, hymnal). Something like a Rubank Method book would be perfect. They are graded, beginning nice and easy. Don't worry about the key of the actual instrument.

I have another tip for you. Learn to play the notes around the 4th-9th frets. That middle part of the neck is just great. For sight reading, I try to play most things in guitar pitch (remember it is an octave low) in this area of the neck. Then, I try to play it at pitch (an octave higher than usual) about 4-5 frets higher. I think it is a good skill to play at concert pitch some times. Some may disagree, but an octave low isn't really concert.

Whatever you do, my suggestion is to stay away from the open position. When I sight read single note stuff, I "anchor" myself around the 4th fret, or 5th fret. Oddly enough, I can sight read single note stuff in the "flat" keys like Eb or Ab much better than E and A. That is not usual for a guitarist, I know, but it helps if you play with a group of band instruments.

--gh

(Just in case you think I am insane, I do sight-read classical guitar music in the open position which much of it is written for.)

[dsharman]

Melodic Rhythms for Guitar is excellent as is Classical Studies for Pick Stlye Guitar. Both are in the Berklee Series. The Melodic Rhythms book focuses on recognizing rhythmic patterns, thus making them part of your reading vocabulary. The main thing is to just read, read, read. If you ever are at a loss for something to read cold, just take a piece of music and flip it upside down. Single flags, dots, and accidentals come out a bit odd, but otherwise it will be very readable.

[klasaine]

do any of you guys remember a "reading book", not specifically for guitar, called "Rhythms" by dr. "Bugs" Bower? I think it was originally published in the late 50's.

[Tim Bowen]

Not familiar with the Bower book. I do feel that note (pitch) reading and rhythm reading are different beasts, and should probably be treated separately, prior to being combined.


Nearly every drummer worth their salt that I've been associated with has raved on the Louis Bellson books for rhythmic studies. There was a copy of Modern Reading Text in 4/4 in the dollar bin at a school where I work, so I snapped it up. Heavy duty stuff. Couldn't find a copyright date, but this quote from the preface should sufficiently date the book:

"His (Mr. Bellson's) unusual talent as an arranger, composer, and conductor are well known in both the jazz and legitimate field."

So I have to ask - what the heck is "legitimate field"? I know what was intended, but this sort of lingo never ceases to crack me up.

By the way, I also spotted a copy of William Leavitt's Modern Method for Guitar, Volume II in the dollar bin, so I pounced on that one as well. An absolute classic, and a staple tool of my early education with my Berklee alumni teacher in the early 80's. Thrilled to once again own a copy of this book.


Not sure what's up currently with reading studies at GIT in Los Angeles or here in town at AIM. When I attended GIT, a gentleman named Charlie Fechter was in charge of sight reading classes. Worth noting is that the first volume of his curriculum (aptly subtitled Golf Clubs on Fences I Have Known) is devoted entirely to rhythmic studies.


I read music five days per week, and for the record, I still pretty much suck eggs at it. However, I think it's certainly worthwhile to stay after it, so I do. I get jobs sometimes for the sole reason that I can read. If I were to land an orchestra pit gig, I'd likely be fired before the lunch break, but my plan is for that to not always be the case.


I'm with dsharman, it's a good idea to read "cold" as often as possible. When my students 'memorize' a piece, I then have them play the piece in reverse order, from the last measure to the first. Lately, I've been bringing in my mandolin for sight reading with students. Because this instrument is tuned in fifths (low to high) like a violin, the intervals lay out way differently than what I'm used to visualizing with a guitar. Reading on an unfamiliar instrument is a great discipline, not to mention that it's a source of endless entertainment for my students, when I toss out the inevitable clams. Students love to witness their teacher's occasional brain farts, as it reminds them of the human condition. Sometimes I let fly a brain fart by design, for this very reason.

[Larry F]

Originally Posted by Tim Bowen

both the jazz and legitimate field."[/i]

So I have to ask - what the heck is "legitimate field"? I know what was intended, but this sort of lingo never ceases to crack me up.

I don't know if the term "legit" is still in use. Many years ago Phil Wilson, trombonist and arranger for Buddy Rich, explained that legit referred to classical music. He made sure that we understood that the term was not a value judgment; it was just slang for classical.

[klasaine]

Yeah, out here (LA) "legit" refers to classical music. Not a value judgment at all. I have been in many situations where the leader will say, "play it legit" which means - don't swing the 1/8 notes, articulate all the notes as written, etc.