7 Common Sight Reading Mistakes To Avoid | Piano Lesson

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

My sightreading recently improved immensely. I went and got glasses to correct an astigmatism. I don't need glasses for everyday life, but I am committed to being a better pianist. You were my inspiration over 2 years ago. I saw a video of yours, I paused the video and visited a music store and bought a piano, finished the video and have been at it ever since. Merci beaucoup from a now 68 year old in Western Switzerland.

[@maryreese4822]

Your best pointers: Don't stop, keep the flow (this is essential if you're accompanying a soloist or choir). Write in the fingering and notes. Learn music theory. I would also add: practice each hand separately at first so you can concentrate on fingering.

[@pasadenaphil8804]

Same here. I am so committed to never hitting a wrong note that a minor flub will throw me off and I lose my focus.

[@kathleencook3060]

Great Video. All points valuable. One question: I tend to read/practise hands separately, with Rught hand setting the pattern/melody.. I also read and follow the Tempo and other dynamics such as slurs which help with phrasing, before putting hands together. I have stopped attempting pieces which are too difficult after your top. Also doing some sight reading every day. Thank you for your excellent video. Look forward to your videos.

[@stormingcoasters]

Agreed! I've played for my high school choir, and one time I messed up, forgetting the right hand part and only depending on the left hand, but I kept the tempo and the flow, so nobody in the audience noticed that anything was wrong.

[@Mike--K]

Thank you! I'm glad that scribbling on the sheet music is a good thing.

[@streyycat667]

Agree with others who find it difficult to read ahead. When I focus 1-2 bars ahead I tend to mess up the bar I’m playing. My compromise is to have the next bar in my peripheral vision. That gives me clues about what to expect coming up.

[@uufruity]

That’s my struggle! I’m reluctant to sight read ahead because I end up messing up the measure I was playing.

[@nickshats]

I'm not at this level yet, but I'm trying to read one note into the next measure. Then eventually I want to graduate to two, half a bar, whole, etc. I'll see how it goes for me but maybe it's easier to start with something smaller than a whole measure. And sometimes you see the first two notes in easier pieces and it's just a simple progression, or a scale you recognise, so it feels like a freebie. From reading one note, you could get a bit more than you'd expect.

[@colomboeduardo3961]

Maestro Jazer: it is almost impossible to believe but watching your video I realized I was making those 7 mistakes all the time!. Thank you very much for this educational video. Un abrazo desde La Palma.

[@sylviebaudel9342]

Love your helpful videos Jazer and many thanks for their amazing quality 👍 Watching from France 🇫🇷

[@laurabraggins1373]

Thanks!

[@exek337]

Thank you!!! I have always struggled with the low and high notes. I thought why can't those notes be as easy as the notes I don't struggle with (notes in the middle) I needed your teaching and also realize now I need to take time to practice sight reading daily

[@EllaONeill-p1n]

I totally think that my #1 sight reading mistake is stopping every time I make an error. I also don't practice everyday, so that is another. I honestly make all of them except: focusing on individual notes, trust me, i see the bundle and am ready to play. Somehow, i made it to intermediate level without a teacher, my teacher was you, now i am 13, still in intermediate, i have a teacher, and she says i am perfect at technique and theory, all thanks to you Jazer. THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@WorstSanta]

Yep, read ahead is the main point. Thanks you Jazer! I can add to the list, mark the notes you are wrong at too often, that will help in correcting mistakes.

[@PCole-wn8jo]

Sight reading was always hard for me, I'd do it but not good at it. Yes, recognizing chords, patterns, intervals, etc. and reading ahead, but I was always impressed by those who could do this so easily. Until I taught piano and a local music store had clearance on old beginner books and sheet music, I bought up a bunch and played through it. Sure, it was supper simple, and I could easily sight read it. By reading a lot of it, books of it, I became so much better at sight reading. I'd say. It can't be too simple! And read through tons of music. My library has staff music to check out, so there's no excuse for more music to read. I still have a ways to go, but you are so right on this.

[@AgnesReynaud-z6z]

I love your vidéos, Thank you so much. My sight reading is okayish, but I’m still stuck when the notes are not on the staff like the high/bass notes or the notes between the two staffs.

[@bencheng9506]

Very useful! I will follow these advices, thanks a lot!

[@ilza_c_s_almeida]

Thank you, you are always amazing!

[@cesarpaula635]

Excellent lesson, very helpful tips and great musical pieces!

[@IIgleebearII]

Finally! A content about sight reading 😌

[@nevetsny1]

When you get to a certain level is labeling notes a crutch? At some point one should quickly ID any note 3-4 ledger lines above or below? Fingering, I labeled every RH note for Chopin Etude 25.2 and it helped so much with learning it faster. I also try and label each bar with roman numeral, the “root” chord underlying that measure to see progression and it helps as well. Love seeing a marked up score - it usually means someone is thinking about structure and intention of composer. And you can’t know every word of Italian or French or Russian or whatever. I’ll translate those.

[@rogerparkhurst5796]

His Barton was one of my favorites because of its variety.

[@rogerparkhurst5796]

Should be Bartok!

[@Alter_Onkel]

Hi Friend Jazer! You are the best teacher I have found online! I learned to sight read back in college: I accompanied nearly all the voice students. For me, it was 'sink or swim.' You are 100% correct: we do have to practice sight reading, even if we become proficient. Your statements comparing it to language: I read Hebrew, French, German and English. Again, you are 100% correct! As one who has been playing for more than 50 years, my suggestion to those reading these comments: SUBSCRIBE TO, AND FOLLOW JAZER LEE! HE KNOWS!

[@SmileAgin]

Jazer transfers professional skills to us, greater and better than the professors of musical university. 👍💯

[@neylabak1]

thank you Jazer😊.this video is so helpful for me

[@M0nd-S0nne]

vielen Dank Jazer! ich stoppe , sobald ich danebenspiele. Dann fange ich x- mal wieder an und falle erneut über den Fehler. Ich werde dieses - und andere Fehler- in Zukunft vermeiden. Grüsse aus dem Osten der Schweiz 😊

[@bens9792]

Love these uploads! Thank you!

[@naund709]

I learned under pressure in college: I accompanied the voice students who brought their music, plunked it in front of me, and took their lessons! One guy hadn't practiced but somehow learned his six songs for his required mini recital. I'd never seen his music before or played for his lessons. Recital day I sight read. The teacher complimented me😊 I also took voice lessons years later. That's how I learned about phrasing, a story for another day.

[@adgurl01]

Thank you for the last tip…as a beginner I am always writing notes on my sheet music and for a while I stopped because I thought I was cheating or hindering my process. I always write in pencil so I can erase if I need to. ❤

[@sumbulhaider2109]

i think your last comment about scribbling on sheet music is a great tip! but in previous videos you mentioned that it was important to practice slowly enough so zero mistakes are made. Do you think this strategy is more useful after having learned sight reading then?

[@elaineolson550]

Hmmm….the hardest part of this is reading ahead. Definitely slows me down now (or I think it does anyway!). Practice, practice! Thanks as always for the video Jazer 😊

[@giftykiruba1134]

Thank you. Very useful. 😊

[@Slickin980]

Tysm man been watching u for a while and your videos are helping me a ton I’m now starting to learn a few chords but I’m a little stuck Becuase it gets hard at times and I don’t wanna Learn at a level too high

[@PianoGuidance]

Writing on sheet music is okay? Wish I knew that sooner! Always felt guilty about it. Thanks for the permission lol😅

[@streyycat667]

I was raised to avoid writing in sheet music, other than occasional fingering with pencil. Digital scores & digital pencil solved that. Also erasing is cleaner, if I change my mind about fingering or need to erase/move some writing so I can better see the music!

[@RobertoMena-mw2go]

Thank you, Jazer!!

[@Rhemi.]

I have been binge watching all your videos! Really want to learn piano the right way, and there seems to be so many things to consider. trying to take it one a time You say try not to stop if you mess up a note. As a beginner, I find myself messing up a note, which then has a domino effect, messing up my hand placement/the following notes as well. Should i really try to continue? Maybe its a sign im just playing too fast for my skill level lol

[@benjames4190]

Thanks

[@Oakeybloke]

I'm practicing for ABRSM grade 2 at the end of the year, and struggle with the sight reading, sometimes forgetting dynamics, or hitting the wrong note, etc. After practicing for a while I feel like my head wants to explode 🤯😄 Not sure writing fingerings will help, but looking a bar or 2 ahead is something I need to do more. Keeping going sounds good too, no pun intended...

[@gloriayee663]

I hope you can make a video on how to play ornaments with reference to a piece as an example.

[@notTopper]

wow, really helpful, tysm, love it.

[@mateuszaustralia]

One minute after upload u already know it’s helpful

[@rogerparkhurst5796]

Agree with everything he stated!

[@lia1b652]

Can you use an eye tracker while you sight read several pieces in a video that would be really helpful:)

[@reginabirchall5160]

All good suggestions... Surely your pen is mechanical with lead and not ink pen?

[@alexclauff2410]

Just starting to dip my toes into piano. Did trumpet for 6 years, so I have experience reading music, but that was 20 years ago and it was only for the treble clef. I have zero experience with the bass clef. I wrote down letters of the notes for a piece, which has been very helpful. I also saw elsewhere though that doing that can cripple you into being dependent on the letters being there, which makes sense to me. What’s the best attack here? Only write the letter below the first note in the measure and maybe if it makes large jumps?

[@missvaultgal]

Hi there, I firstly started out on trumpet myself. :) To help learn bass clef, you should learn the specific pitches that lie in the bass clef. On a trumpet, we only read pitches from about F#3 - E6. But piano spans from A0 all the way to C8. When reading sheet music, start identifying which exact range the note is. The bass clef, also known as the "F" clef, lies directly on F3. The two dots to the right of the curve of the clef is a great indicator--F3 lies directly on the line in between those two dots. Every other line and space is relative to that. For example, the space directly underneath this location is the note E3. This all helps to quickly know exactly which note on the piano you should be pressing. A way to cheat is to also notice the bass clef note names are just the third interval of what it would be on the treble clef. For example, B2 on the bass clef looks exactly like a G4 on the treble clef. B is the third in a Gmajor chord: G-B-D. They look the same written on paper, but they sound completely different as they are in different ranges and different clefs. I recommend memorizing all of the exact written pitches in the entire range of A0 to C8 though, just so you fully understand where to find it on the piano. Search "the landmark system" in a search engine, this will help! Someday you won't even have to think about it and you will just know instantly! (I still don't myself, but I know if I play every day I will eventually). I hope this helps, I'm a total beginner at piano but I use my music theory knowledge to help myself out!

[@alexclauff2410]

@@missvaultgal Wow. I wasn’t expecting to receive such helpful tips. Thank you very much. I will begin to apply this information to my practices. Asking questions is worth it. :)

[@missvaultgal]

@@alexclauff2410 You're very welcome!! Guaranteed there is always a passionate person out there who wants to spread the joy of music and help someone on their journey!

[@Martial-Mat]

I felt that a few these really require dependent skills before you can do them. I have no idea what a tonic is, nor how to differentiate between a c major or a minor chord. I can see how pattern recognition would be helpful, but what if the notes don't simply go up and down in orderly steps. Even at ABRSM level 1 there are pieces where the notes leap around all over the place. I'm saving this video for later, and to rewatch, but I felt much of it was aimed for people a few years into their sight reading journey.

[@velcroman11]

Everything you said are for the most part the rules one needs to learn to read any language. In the language of Music you have characters = notes. There are words, sentences, phrases and clauses. Start off like you did when learning to read words “The cat sat on the mat”. In music, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”. Now you can read and comprehend Tolstoy. With consistent practice you will be playing Rach 3.

[@deadmanswife3625]

Good morning Jazer ❤🎉

[@louannephraim7406]

Omg: writing on the notes as reminders... is not cheating?!? 😮Oh I'm so relieved! 😊

[@Alter_Onkel]

After a while you won't need to write them! It gets better over time!😊

[@Collins_Edejero]

This was really helpful ❤

[@trevorhowells3770]

Hi jazer I've watching your videos for quite some time. I've been playing for about 4 years but not got anywhere. I have a few lessons but seem to freeze during lessons . I know longer have lessons but still love to play but not progressing much. The book I've been using is hal leonard adult piano book 2. Which can play . I would like another book but not sure which one please can you give me any ideas. Thanks Trevor

[@jeffdapson7138]

What piece did you show on the screen at 5:26

[@xmpltdf]

No way

[@jeffdapson7138]

@@xmpltdf by who

[@xmpltdf]

@@jeffdapson7138 nono Sorry Jeff I mean I think that people having the level to watch Jazer Lee don't have the level to learn the displayed piece at 5.26

[@jeffdapson7138]

@@xmpltdf oh okay

[@laramichael4123]

Thank youu😁😁🤓😇

[@thesuperscape2]

The last tip was wild. My piano teacher was very against it and when I was a beginner pianist I'd write the notes and he'd tell me to erase them!

[@richardlehoux]

Sometimes you discover to late that your teacher was actually not very good. Grrrr… Mine thought me nothing about how to practice.

[@erckupazo]

Great video! Btw what piano is that?

[@NCVluminati]

I've never actually wrote anything down on my sheet music andI never even considered it. thanks for that advice

[@deniseaileen5955]

That was helpful.

[@Bakindecollins]

Reading ahead of the next bar or measure is more important in order to keep the flow

[@NirHason]

I can relate to the annoying pen clicking noise at the end of the video 😅 Joke aside, tnx for all the helpful videos you’re making for us 🙏

[@davidwhatkey]

Good video! ❤

[@rakketytammacburl8421]

Hey Jazer Lee, I have a question. When I do piano I don't know what to learn first, and in what order, can you help me?

[@aycannehir]

Alfred's Basic Adult All-In-One Piano Course Level 1 book is great way to start. It will show you what to do step by step. After that move on to level 2 and level 3 books.

[@lia1b652]

I find myself struggling with rhythms a lot. do you have ideas on how to easily spot them as you sight read?

[@beancount61]

There's a trick I learned as a wind musician. If you're reading printed sheet music (instead of handwritten music) don't look at the stem and the flag of the note. How do you know the length of the note? By how much space it takes up horizontally in the measure. For example, if you have 4 eighth notes and 2 quarter notes in a measure each eighth note will take up one-eighth of the measure and each quarter note will take up one quarter of the measure. A 4/4 measure will be divided up into 4 equal sections with a beat for each section. So you can tell the length of the notes from the spacing of them without looking at the stem and the flag. It's faster to just look at the head of each note in a fast passage.

[@Alter_Onkel]

Unless, of course, it's MANUSCRIPT. Many people crowd the score when using pen or pencil.

[@neylabak1]

Which pieces do you suggest for us to pracice?

[@AmritaOSullivan]

I’m a bit confused, you also say to practice without making a mistake and focus on 100% accuracy, but here you say to carry on if you make a mistake. I am not sure what to do. Thanks!

[@deadmanswife3625]

Well the one I can relate to the most is to just keep going keep going. Of course that is exactly the opposite of stop when you make a mistake and practice it correctly for seven times😂 it's a balance of the two I guess

[@FunmiOlubanjo]

I watched your video and learnt how to play Twinkle little star. And Mary had a little lamb

[@yahyakhazbak4713]

i saw tarum piano play (little red riding hood) and reading it at the same time

[@eyitimofe2831]

First one here🎉

[@craigt820]

I have erasable gel pens that I use to mark where I messed up. I go back and checkmark everytime it was perfect, once I hit 3 I erase them and move on.

[@laramichael4123]

😂the stopping at every little mistake was my go to mistake hahaha

[@sfallico3]

Could you recommend a few more pieces for early intermediate players that aren’t kids stuff and would be stuff adults actually would enjoy? I’m struggling with what the Alfred’s learning book has to offer I’ve bought a few pieces of separate music and some have been major misses🤣🤣 . thanks your videos have helped me a ton!

[@WendyLynas]

Most important is to focus on the rhythm more than the melody.

[@C.Pachovsky]

Piano Marvel - Sight Reading Ninja. This is the way.

[@velcroman11]

I never write on the score. That is my master copy. I make a working copy and write all over it. Keeping the master means I can make as many working copies as I need.

[@Louise-xr5ok]

I cannot no matter how hard I try read ahead.any tips

[@b0570nk4]

i believe that those who didnt play for at least a year have to pause and regularly look down on the keyboard in order to play it right despite sight reading it correctly additionaly, i for example tried to learn some music theory but i find most of videos way too compressed in "lets make the theory as overwhelmingly detailed as possible in a shortest time possible" which is a wrong approach in teaching

[@peggyd9597]

Don’t stop at every mistake!

[@relicofgold]

I always enjoy your helpful videos, and these are good suggestions........but: Sight reading is nonsense. It is not music. It takes decades, when in fact it could be MASTERED in months with one easy change. Music is a language, and sight-reading is TRANSLATION, not music. And the ridiculous methods which have evolved make it more difficult. Those methods are apparently set in stone because those who have spent decades learning this ridiculous system are not open to change, after all, they had to suffer, and so should you. People laugh when I mention this, and I dfc. Here's how it should be done: Each of the 7 notes is a distinct color on the page. And of course there are no white keys. The physical keys are the same color as the corresponding note on the page. So you don't even have to "read" the music. You'll get it quickly and easily just glancing at the color. Queue: Avalanche of derision by people who have already taken decades to learn to be fluent at sight reading. If this system was in place, sight reading could be mastered in months, not decades, and your focus could be on the music itself, not this pedantic chore where notes on one staff are not even the same as on the other staff.

[@sandrahohnen9331]

Thanks