Learning how to sight read! Harmonic Experience update

[giggedy]

Ok, so from the advice of some of you, I've started to learn how to sight read. You give me a CDEFG on the 3rd and 4th string 5th position and nothing more complicated than 8th notes, and I can do it!

Chapter 1 of the Oakes book went swimmingly, I'm going to try to bang out 2 more chapters at least tonight.

It is certainly a change of pace from playing what I want to playing what a little book wants me to play. And so far, I like it!

Oh, and the Harmonic Experience book, I've read the intro, and I think it's going to be exactly what I was looking for. I love the writing, and I can't wait until the sight reading is proficient enough to dive into the rest.

[KRosser]

Ok, so from the advice of some of you, I've started to learn how to sight read. You give me a CDEFG on the 3rd and 4th string 5th position and nothing more complicated than 8th notes, and I can do it!

Chapter 1 of the Oakes book went swimmingly, I'm going to try to bang out 2 more chapters at least tonight.

It is certainly a change of pace from playing what I want to playing what a little book wants me to play. And so far, I like it!

Oh, and the Harmonic Experience book, I've read the intro, and I think it's going to be exactly what I was looking for. I love the writing, and I can't wait until the sight reading is proficient enough to dive into the rest.

congrats...

FWIW, I teach Level II & Level III (intermediate & advanced) reading at GIT and David Oakes is my friend there who wrote the curriculum I work with. That reading book of his is basically the Level I (beginning) curriculum, word for word.

It's very good, I think..

[fenderbender4]

Maybe I can get some more input here. I started taking classical guitar lessons (about 1 year now) and I asked my instructor regarding site reading on guitar. He says it's fine with simpler pieces, however there reaches a point where it becomes difficult due to the possible fingerings/positions.

Is this true? Or are there people who can site read almost anything (at a somewhat realistic tempo)?

Just a curious question on people's thoughts.

[giggedy]

I'm curious about that as well, although my main motivation for this is to be able to then learn and understand more theory. I felt like I was hitting a wall, but then when I started looking around at everything, the wall went away. I'm still going to learn this anyways though, it's fun so far.

krosser - that's very good to hear. I blew through the first chapter (I've learned to read for piano before), but I noticed right away that I'm going to have to spend a lot more time here on out.

I have a question as well though: Would it be in my best interest to do the exercises in all positions now, or should I wait until after I finish the book?

[jzucker]

My friend Jim Roberts who plays bass and guitar can sight read almost anything including John Coltrane Solos, Classical pieces, etc. He started out reading instead of playing by ear like most guitarists. His first teacher didn't play the guitar and taught him out of a clarinet book. Consequently, he didn't grow up with the prejudice associated with guitarists "not being musicians" and learned to read without the idea of limitations on things like positions, duplicate notes on different strings, etc.

To me, it's proof that anything less than that (and I include my own reading limitiations) are just excuses. ;)

[Flyin' Brian]

I think that we might agree that having a really good ear can actually get in the way of sight reading. I'm learning a lot of reading now (even at 61 it ain't too late) by transcribing solos, but I can still figure out a Grant Green solo and play it in 1/10 the time it takes me to write it out.
The clarinet books help quite a bit as well.

[HHB]

cool! I've been reading seriously for the last 10 years, it's been a long hard road but very very rewarding. I'm still at the low rung of the ladder compared the the pianist and horn players I know but I get better everyday, and thats really the point.

ps reading expanded my gigs by a factor of 5 at least

[HHB]

gotta a link or title of the Oakes book, sounds great

[jimfog]

ps reading expanded my gigs by a factor of 5 at least

Please elaborate!

[giggedy]

http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/019246/details.html

I got it from amazon though, amazon isn't working for me right now.

[HHB]

Please elaborate!


well, I'm playing @ the Flatrock Playhouse this summer for a monthlong show, just picked up the book today, this gig would be near impossible to do by ear , even if you could they wouldnt hire ya cause it's a reading gig, part of the description. I can grab some music and do wedding,jazz gigs, causals, tons of stuff that could be done by ear but would take years instead of minutes to learn. I teach at a local private school, reading is a must. I did a local TV show last year, an Americal Idol style show. Reading got me that one too and I hear season 2 is a go. I was a decent player before I really got serious reading and that is the problem! It's sooo hard to suck at Long Long Ago even for an hour when you can whip out Page and Jimi and whovever you think is cool or express yourself through a bent note that just makes your heart soar, if your on the fence about reading just start doing it, the pain turns to pleasure in about a week ( I should aply this to my excersise mind LOL )

[giggedy]

so far I haven't found any pain yet, when I miss something I smile, "ohhh, I almost got it!" and then do it again.

[mcuguitar]

Reading music is a constant thing if you want to be good at it. I'm studying classical piano, and that is really getting my bass clef reading together. The best guitar sight reader I've been around is Carl Verheyen. He taught me the valuable lesson of never stopping! Drop notes, do what you have to do, but keep your eyes moving all the time. That is the difference between sight reading a piece of music cold, and just reading music. Most good musicians can read music to some degree. Very few musicians are spot on sight readers that can handle a black page. And even fewer guitarists can do so. Flute studies are good, and reading 2 part classical studies with another guitarist will do wonders, and it's fun...just don't stop once you start the metronome running!

[shredtheater]

what is it about harmonic experience you like? I get the impression its beyond fundamental theory, intervals, keys, building scales etc etc

[KRosser]

krosser - that's very good to hear. I blew through the first chapter (I've learned to read for piano before), but I noticed right away that I'm going to have to spend a lot more time here on out.

I have a question as well though: Would it be in my best interest to do the exercises in all positions now, or should I wait until after I finish the book?

I'd get through the book first. You can always go back or investigate the Berklee Reading Studies For Guitar books to supplement.

The most important thing is to read in time and never stop.

[57tele]

Maybe I can get some more input here. I started taking classical guitar lessons (about 1 year now) and I asked my instructor regarding site reading on guitar. He says it's fine with simpler pieces, however there reaches a point where it becomes difficult due to the possible fingerings/positions.

Is this true? Or are there people who can site read almost anything (at a somewhat realistic tempo)?

Just a curious question on people's thoughts.

A really experienced sight reader could probably cold read just about anything, but I think your teacher might be talking about cases where there are a lot of voices and hence a number of choices, some better than others, about fingerings. If you look at something like the Walton Bagatelles, it might not always be immediately obvious how to approach some of the fingerings. Of course, if pushed to cold read something straight through, experienced players will sometimes cheat and skip inner voices--I recall Tommy Tedesco's column sin GP years ago--it was clear he raised cheating in the studio to a high art, said he'd even snuck a pick into his hands when he recorded the Deer Hunter theme with John Williams.

[giggedy]

what is it about harmonic experience you like? I get the impression its beyond fundamental theory, intervals, keys, building scales etc etc

that's what it seems to be so far. I really haven't delved too deep into it yet. What I like about it so far is the writing, it resonates deeply with my thoughts on music.

[theRocco]

http://www.amazon.com/Solo-Guitar-Playing-Bk-1/dp/002870763X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212957831&sr=1-4
Frederick Noad's solo guitar playing, books 1 & 2 is what I have. It's for Classical Guitar but works just as well for electric. I'm learning to sight read at my own pace, improving my technique (even fingerpicking), and discovering other repertoire.

[55bar]

The tommy tedesco book "For guitarists only" is a fantastic source for sight reading. Not sure if its still in print but if you can get hold of it it's a great book.

[Roadbull]

I would also recommend Berklee's A Modern Method for Guitar vol 1. This is what got me started sight reading. It starts very easy but ramps up quickly. It took me about 8 months to get through the book but it was very rewarding. Get the one that includes the DVD. Larry Baione rocks :dude

[GovernorSilver]

I would also recommend Berklee's A Modern Method for Guitar vol 1. This is what got me started sight reading. It starts very easy but ramps up quickly. It took me about 8 months to get through the book but it was very rewarding. Get the one that includes the DVD. Larry Baione rocks :dude

I have this book/DVDROM set too. But I need to order another copy of the DVDROM because I scratched it.

Having said that, I'll probably order the Oakes book, as it appears to be more focused on sight reading whereas the Berklee book is more of a generalized guitar method that happens to make heavy use of sight reading.

[giggedy]

The Oakes book is very focused on sight reading. I like it a lot so far.