pianoplayerforlife asked:


I have been playing the piano for about five years. The problem I have is sight reading. My piano teacher said my skill is way higher than my sight reading. It is not that I can’t play the piano. I have played the real version of Alla Turca by Mozart. I love playing the piano! I just feel that I am not going to get anywhere in music if I do not improve this one issue. If you have any suggestions please answer. I desperately want to be a better pianist.

How to Sight Read Music

asked:




Do you recall the advertisement that used to be run in countless magazines and newspapers?

“They laughed when I sat down at the piano…but when I started to play…” ?

I remember very well the first time I played piano for a group. They DID laugh. It was a disaster. I overheard the leader say “Let’s get somebody with some rhythm in there to play.”

Ouch!

That hurt. I determined never to be embarrased like that again, and set out to make sure I never was.

Guess what?

Nobody laughs anymore. And they don’t laugh at my students, either.

Why?

Because I discovered…

– The BACKDOOR to piano playing –

What in the world is the “backdoor to piano playing?

Chords.

There is a “backdoor” to playing the piano that is both fun and quick — it involves using chord patterns: years and years of scales, drills, rote practicing, etc. Chords are like shorthand — they are a shortcut to playing the piano without all those boring lessons.

How to Read Music for Beginners

Keys asked:


Okay, I just restarted playing the piano/keyboard and this time, I want to mainly play Pop/Rock. I’m almost always restricted to reading sheet music because I played Classical when I was little. I was just wondering what would be the best route for me since I’m going to focus on Pop/Rock now, sight reading or play by ear? Also, any other tips for playing Pop/Rock on the piano/keyboard would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

sight reading music

Grace:) asked:


I’m 14 and I’ve been playing the piano for almost 8 years. However recently (in the last year or so) I’ve become increasingly passionate in playing the piano. Throughout my time playing the piano I’ve found it easier to play by ear, I’d rather listen to pieces on CDs or Youtube and figure them out with a little help from my sheet music. But I’ve come to a point where if I want to continue to learn complicated pieces on my own without the assistance of my piano teacher then I really have to bring my sight reading up to scratch. Has anyone got any tips on how to improve (without using those tedious, tuneless “Improve your sight reading” books) Cheers x

How to Sight Read Music