I MUST learn to sight read!! - I need HELP!!!

[Vai is God]

I REALLY need guidance in learning how to sight read guitar music. No one in my town can do it so I can't get lessons.

I'm DESPERATE, I'll practice 12 hours a day if I have to but I need help. I can sight read for violing OK, but guitar seems so much less linear.

[Devine]

* * First, why must you learn to sight read? *What purpose, I mean? *If you need to read chord charts, learn how to count time and memorize alternate chord voicings. *If you want to read, say, a Bach chorale, good luck. *It will require an immense amount of time to succesfully navigate anything with more than one voice on guitar.

* * If you're really really dead-set, start with a beginner's piano book and a metronome. *Read in treble cleff at a reasonable place. *Remember that most notes appear two to three times along the guitar's neck, so you need to practice in multiple positions. *

-Devin

[Vai is God]

The reason I want to sight read is because I need to to get a scholarship to Berklee. They give you a piece fifteen minutes before they make you play it. (This is what I've heard)

I want to know how people learned to sight read: what techniques, books, ect. helped you learn? I need help with learning all the notes on the fretboard cold too. If I just go up and down trying to memorize them I end up counting a b c d e f g and not retaning anything. I'm not associating the fret with the note, I'm reciting the alphabet.

This is important to me and I would appreciate any help.

[ashlock]

Here is one suggestion that will definitely work. * I have been playing classical guitar as long as I have been playing electric and I took lessons from a Classical guitar major. *The book that I learned from is the one he used and it is very widely used to teach site reading. *Get this book (I actually only worked through volume I) and work at it and you Will be able to sight read.

The other important part is to then read pieces that don't have suggested positions, and figure out the best of the possible ways to play the piece (you can't play everything in the 1st position, but that is a good way to "cheat" and play a piece for the first time to get a sense of the melody, unless it goes above the 1st string A).

Guitarists are notoriously the worst site readers, but thats partly because there are 5 places to play any one thing.

Here's the book; * Solo guitar playing volume I (there's also vol. II) by Frederick M. Noad. *It's a standard and "Originally designed for self-instruction".

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...349419-9408066

http://www.noad.com

[Chan]

I'm guessing you're attending Berklee next year. I'm attending this fall and I was having the same problems you are now. First, go get the book "Music Reading for Guitar", by David Oakes. This is the best book I've found for sight reading. If you practice the stuff in this book everyday you will be a great sight reader by next year. I didn't practice it that much, but even the little practice I did helped alot. But the one thing that helped me the most was CLASSICAL guitar lessons. I recommend you buy a cheap classical guitar and start lessons ASAP. I've only taken classical guitar lessons for about 6 months and I'm still only reading in first position, but I know all the notes in first position like the back of my hand. Reading single note lines has become easy and reading 2 3 and 4 notes at a time isn't even that hard anymore. The best thing about it is, I never played finger style before so I have to practice the peices everyday to get them down. This makes you practice sight reading everyday. Classical guitar and the David Oakes book will have your reading chops up in no time.

[Josh Blagg]

Sight reading single note lines is obtainable in my opinion. *I, however, totally suck at looking at multiple voice pieces (like Devin was talking about) and instantaneously playing all the notes. *I went in cold and had to do that for a jazz audition once, and it just didn't work out.

If you need encouragement, read what Steve Vai has to say about sight reading. *It's good that you want to try for a scholarship, but "cramming" for a no-holds barred sight reading tryout isn't going to work in your favor...it takes time. *My advice is to ask a lot of questions to all the Berklee guys, both past and present, that regularly visit this forum. *They will get you pointed in the right direction.

[Vai is God]

Well, actually, I have about three or four years before I have to worry about it, that's why I'm starting now. I will DEFINITELY check out those books. Thank you verrrrry much!!!

[yuza]

Another suggestion...... like everyone said practice with a classical guitar and classical music. I suggest you to take simple studies of the ninteenth century like the ones by Giuliani, Carulli, Sor and so on. They will be very useful. Also try to read the music and, without taking the guitar, imagine where the note should be played. Simply look at the music and try to imagine where your hands should go. I have good sight-reading skills, but I've been practicin' classical guitar for a lot of time by now. The best thing in my opinion is... read with your guitar as much music as you can! This IMO will work better than anything. Once again i suggest you to take a classical guitar and begin to read simple pieces of the classical period. Hope this helps...

[ashlock]

By the way, *the Frederick Noad book is teaching you to play classical guitar.

[Vai is God]

I'm ordering both those books today. Thanks again, guys.

[jemsite]

Here's the book; * Solo guitar playing volume I (there's also vol. II) by Frederick M. Noad. *It's a standard and "Originally designed for self-instruction".

Great advice here. I used this book back in college studing classical and it gets deserved rave reviews.

It is ironic to be reading this thread AFTER buying this book again TODAY (version 1, 3rd edition). Saw it in ****** on 48th and I have a personal goal to be able to play my classical guitar again and site-read to some degree. Personally i am embarrased how long i have played guitar and can no longer recognize the notes of the Treble Clef :lame:

I also bought "A Classical Christmas (Centerstream / Hal Leanard) hoping to have the ability to play thru some x-mas songs this winter... glen

[rickboot]

I have the Noad book and agree it is great for reading and to learn simple classical pieces. Of course, I can't do either anymore! I may need to whip it out and start again.

www.berkleepress.com has more books on sight reading including the William Leavitt book Vai used and raved about in one review. I read somewhere. Getting that one might be useful, especially if it becomes one of your textbooks!

Rick

[rgr]

I would recommend the Leavitt books too, if you have a few years you should be able to get through all 1, 2 and 3 by spending 1/2 hour to an 1 hour a day. *When you get through them you will be a good reader. *I'm starting book 2 now, I keep getting sidetracked an not getting back to the books but I want to finish them someday. *With a little discipline, you may finish them all before I finish the 2nd one. *They are recommended by about everyone that has gone to Berklee, including Vai and Petrucci. *

Here's a link.

Roger

(Edited by rgr at 12:39 pm on July 9, 2001)

[Ricky Garcia]

Hi!!

I give you two advices:

1. About the reading thing. Another great way to start understanding reading is transcribing. Since I dont know how safe you are with note values at all this is the way to learn it even before you start reading something. If you dont know what the letters mean in a word how you will ever read it? Ok how you start to transcribe. Well you hopefully like the great Satch so get yourself a score book from his songs for reference and take a peace of paper and start writting down notes. Take one song you like and try to figure out what you can by your own. If you are totally stucked get the book and look it up. Get a pitching program like TRANSKRIBER so you can slow down the tune without changing the pitch. Weewww is that helpfull sometimes Get any notation software like "Finale". Thatīs not the cheapets but fantatstic and you can hear the program playing the notes you put in so you can check your ideas. Iīm sure there are free things on the net. Than the other ulitmate tool is PowerTAB. You get for free on the net. There you can see where the notes are on the fredboard. Well and read all the advices from the other guys again.

2. Berklee audition: I tell you what man.. Do you play Jazz? I mean totally RealBook dry Jazz? No? So forget about high scholarships at all because they dont give them. You can get *one but the only way to do this is to KICK SOME SERIOUS ASS. Thatīs the only way and for that you dont have to read. You have to play like MoFk. Take a tune and my biggest advice let it be an original!!! and play it in front of 5 old guys who want to see a show. You have to understand that Berklee is a complete money place. What the can hold back and get you to pay... they do man, they do so make them feel they have no choice then give you money to come here. And that will not happen if you have the reading peace good.

GOOD LUCK!!

(Edited by Ricky Garcia at 10:56 pm on July 10, 2001)

[track7]

Its kind of sad cause guitarists have a bad name for sight reading - but in all honesty its the most bitch assed crazy instrument to sight read for.

On a piano you take a middle "C" and where do you play it...well ****
me there is only one place to play it. Now on the guitar for example. You make the choice. And that is what makes the differnce. Even with orchestral instruments where a note appears more than one place, there are position markings, or generally the composition will be so as to lead you to the correct place. As is the same with classical guitar.

In fact classical guitar is easy to sight read. Because the music itself tends to flow, its composed with not only the neck of the guitar but also the dots in mind. Rock, Jazz etc etc now that is very diffrerent. It can be a bitch to read if you are coming in cold.

My advice is to learn to play classical guitar, not necassarily grade 8 standard or whatever, cause you may hate it, but learning exercises out of the famous Mr Noad bookd will give you a thourough grounding in no time so long as you practice.

Hope this helps,

later

Track7

P.S good luck