6 Principles to Improve Your Sight-reading Skills

In this video I'm sharing 6 principles of sight-reading that every piano student should know. Here is my previous video "How to Practice Sight Reading? A Step-by-Step Guide": • How to Practice Sight ...

[@simstone7917]

I love the way you teach! Thank you so much for sharing your talents!

[@tackmack]

Thank you for a clear, concise explanation! I find that teachers often just expect their students to 'absorb' sight reading ability and technique and fail to adequately explain the process. Your contribution is MUCH appreciated. 😄

[@starros1]

Very refreshing and helpful Ms. Zhang. Thank you

[@jacksonamaral329]

I enjoyed it.

[@jeffh5388]

You are amazing. Your piano skills are equally great. A real treasure to watch and learn from. Thank you.

[@cassiusrwebangira2021]

Thank you for a great video. Can you please add the fingerings and the ways your eyes navigate across both staves so that we may see if the path you take can work for our learning

[@marcvermeersch3592]

Thank you for your very informative video, it is a very good explanation and your positive approach to sight reading of piano pieces. I certainly try to follow your guidelines. I enjoyed your good explanation.🎹🎹🎹

[@vincentnithin1079]

Im From Hindustan India who self teaching myself Learning Piano. Ur tips about Sight Reading really useful to me.

[@tingtingzhang]

Thank you for letting me know!

[@milanbhattarai7039]

Great beautiful teacher 👌👍

[@dawidjakubczak2908]

Thank you for your very helpful advice :) I'm amator and i'm playing piano for 3 years, but i feel very weak in sightreading. I should force myself into it and it will be fine i hope:)

[@tingtingzhang]

Yes, the more you sightread the better you get!

[@user-pv2he8im1b]

Please make more videoo, thankyouuu so muchh

[@opoknock]

Nice Video Dr. Tingting

[@surajshrestha4208]

Came here from Facebook. Thanks for the lesson.

[@tingtingzhang]

Thanks for your comment.

[@geralddavis5458]

How long did it take you in note recognition when do you think you were comfortable with individual notes and when were you comfortable with the recognition of broken chords.... seeing them as a group of notes

[@valerie_handani_pianist]

Beautiful teaching video!👍👍🎼🎶🎹 Keep up the great work.🙏🙏💯 L147🙂

[@tingtingzhang]

Thanks for your comment

[@valerie_handani_pianist]

@@tingtingzhang It's a pleasure, DR. Zhang.🙂 I am delighted to have found your KZbin channel and watched its amazing videos.🙏🙏💯

[@sylviapaul6844]

When I look ahead I tend to play faster as if to grab those notes on the next measure 😕

[@nackprincemusical3528]

Thanks for the tutorial I learnt a lot from this. Another problem I encounter not playing speed pieces (developing fast finger), is a I can improve on that too? Thank you.

[@tingtingzhang]

Thanks for your comment. I will discuss the technique development in my future videos, thanks for your suggestion.

[@kadiemalcolm1968]

Thank you Dr. Ting Ting Zhang, your lesson was such an inspiration. I always learn a lot from you. (Secretly hoping one day you will teach me 😅) Anyways, I thought something was wrong with me because I can’t seem to process the notes on the score quickly enough even when I “read ahead”. I find that I read note for note because my brain is not processing the intervals or patterns quickly and that causes me to miss the tempo, and go back and correct which is so frustrating. I also focus mainly on the treble clef instead of the entire stave. Do you read from bass clef to treble clef? (Up and down) I practice everyday but feel like I am not getting anywhere. Any suggestions? Please and thank you 🙏🏾 😊❤

[@tingtingzhang]

Kadie, thank you for your message. You're so sweet! There can be a number of issues that caused your frustration. First, I wonder if you're sightreading something too difficult. If that's the case, you can start with a method book such as Piano Adventures Lesson Book by Faber & Faber. Regarding reading the notes faster and seeing them in patterns, it takes time to train our brains to work that way. So I wouldn't worry too much, it's okay to read note by note first. Then gradually, you will try to read 2-3 notes at a time, figure out the intervals and broken chords, etc. It's a skill that takes years to develop. Interesting question about reading bass clef vs. treble clef. I think I definitely read treble clef (RH) first, because usually RH has more notes than LH. Overall, I think picking the right piece is important. Give yourself more time and be consistent. I'm sure you will make progress, sometimes you just don't notice it until later.

[@kadiemalcolm1968]

@@tingtingzhang Thank you for your response Dr. Zhang 💛, I appreciate it. I can comfortably read grade 3 pieces, it's just that my fingers are slow to response when I see the notes and dynamics markings..Lol. I did piano in college but hated sight reading and now I realise how important it is, so I'm taking up the mantle again, and I will with time as you mentioned make progress. I will definitely try the book out, stay discipline and consistent with my reading (and technicals). Thank you so much for your kind words.

[@ningbosmash6750]

张老师好，想问一下您要把这个视频的内容发中文版本吗？我想分享给我的同事看看 Thank you also for your advice! I consider myself an intermediate level sight-reader and pianist and will try to refine my practice based on your suggestions in this video!

[@tingtingzhang]

谢谢你的留言。是的，我会再做一期中文版。

[@ningbosmash6750]

@@tingtingzhang 感谢您张老师，我们这边期待看中文版！

[@monicaconsigliereLavieenfleur]

Thanks very useful. K am not a beginner pianist but I never really practiced sightreading. I really want to do on regularly basis now. Any suggestion for books for sight reading at an intermediate level?

[@tingtingzhang]

Oh there're so many for intermediate level. Try something shorter, such as a passage from Mozart Sonatas, Chopin Nocturnes, Mazurkas, waltzes, Schubert Impromptus, Schumann Kinderszenen etc. Basically, you can browse through anything you like to play.

[@monicaconsigliereLavieenfleur]

@@tingtingzhang thanks a lot That what I started doing. These pieces are still a bit dufficult fir me to sight reading so I do forr the moment pieces for late beginners, but definetly my aim is to sight reading decently average difficult pieces, like those you mentioned.

[@detectivericecake]

thank you for the advice! do u recommend student listen to the performance by pianist recording before they start learning a new piece? or just try sight reading at first time?

[@tingtingzhang]

If there's a recording available, definitely listen to it. It will help greatly with the learning process.

[@zeroossi5967]

how do you know its g or d major chords ?!

[@kayodeadeogun3325]

Can you recommend a good sight reading and method book for beginner Grade 1.

[@tingtingzhang]

I use Piano Adventures Lesson Book, Theory Book and Performance Book (by Faber & Faber) for my beginning level students. I believe they also have the matching Sightreading books. These are wonderful method books!