Sight Reading

[Motokid]

I am trying to work on sight reading and have realized that my problem with reading on the spot is recognizing notes (mainly fast passages) quickly both on the staff and fretboard. Any exercises you guys do or know of to memorize the fretboard (be able to play without looking) and work on looking ahead while reading?

Also, what is the best way to get music to read through? My problem with books is that after I read it once I can play it perfectly because I know what it sounds like and where it's going. So I am not sight reading anymore.

Any other tips would be appreciated as well. Trying to become decent at sight reading before starting college

[docbop]

Sightreading is all about training your eyes to recognize note and especially rhythms in groups like letters in the words your now reading. Same with the neck and notes your learn your common positions in C major so you know all the natural notes and program that into the guitar in your head. You develop a second sense of where you are the notes available, so you can keep your eyes on the music. One way to work on this is put your guitar down. Now before playing the piece of music go thru it figure out where each note is on the fingerboard and what finger you're going to use to play it. Now you have done the mental practice have an image of the neck in your subconscious, now pickup your guitar and sight-read the music. See the hard part about learning to sightread is it is both a mental and physical skill your learning. Well trying to learn to do two things at once isn't easy separate the two then put them together. So without the guitar work thru the notes, fingerings, rhythms, and roadmap of the music. Then pickup the guitar and play the piece. This will be a slow process at first, but you will get fast at it quickly. Learn to spot scale runs, arpeggios, large interval leaps, chord voicing, rhythms. Good sight reader do this in the time they have between receiving the chart and the tune being kicked off.

As for music get anything you can get your hands on if it has dots trying to read it. Don't matter if it sound weird you working on your eyes not the music. We used to even take music after we read it a couple time and just turn it upside down and read it. Get trumpet, sax, anything within range and read it.

Get rhythms books and spend a lot of time with them memorizing common rhythmic patterns. Remember reading music is like reading words in the book you see common rhythms like you read words. You don't read book C, A, T, cat, same with music.

Last work on rhythms remember you screw up a rhythm you stand out like a sore thumb, screw up a note, you're probably just going to add to the harmony.

[backliner]

Originally Posted by Motokid

I am trying to work on sight reading and have realized that my problem with reading on the spot is recognizing notes (mainly fast passages) quickly both on the staff and fretboard. Any exercises you guys do or know of to memorize the fretboard (be able to play without looking) and work on looking ahead while reading?

Also, what is the best way to get music to read through? My problem with books is that after I read it once I can play it perfectly because I know what it sounds like and where it's going. So I am not sight reading anymore.

Any other tips would be appreciated as well. Trying to become decent at sight reading before starting college

I like "Reading Studies For Guitar," William Leavitt - Berklee Press (now distributed by Hal Leonard HL50449490)
ISBN 978-0-634-01335-5

The lines are entertaining and musical, and you can get the fingerings and positions there, then burnish them in on the exercises, before moving on to say, Clarinet or Trumpet Method books for more burnishing, and Fake or Real Books on songs you don't know (yet).

Memorization just happens, so a moving target like new material is always good to mix it up. But first knowing the positions and fingerings will keep you on the page.

Once I look away from the page on a gig and get lost in the changes it's like stepping into an empty elevator shaft unawares. I hate that feeling.

[rabbit]

Might be fun, if you haven't seen it already:

YouTube - Jimmy Raney on Sightreading

[Solo Flight]

Originally Posted by Motokid

My problem with books is that after I read it once I can play it perfectly because I know what it sounds like and where it's going. So I am not sight reading anymore.

For increasing your skill at locating notes on the fretboard, you might want to try Sight Reading for the Contemporary Guitarist by Tom Bruner. The exercises are grouped by neck position and they’re not melodic so you can’t really memorize them. I found it very helpful for learning the fretboard. But it doesn’t help for recognizing patterns and becoming comfortable with particular key signatures (sharps and flats). For that, I’ve been using books of clarinet etudes.

[M-ster]

Originally Posted by rabbit

YouTube - Jimmy Raney on Sightreading

Thanks, Rabbit. Lots of good stuff in those Jimmy Raney vids. That must have been an interesting seminar or course (or whatever) to attend.