Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph Hoffman,
and in this lesson it's time for a sight reading challenge.
It would be helpful to have your Sight Reading Trainer Book 1.
So, pause the video if you need a moment to get that ready,
otherwise let's get started by checking out exercise number 78.
Let's start with exercise number 78 which is on page 16 in your Sight Reading Trainer Book 1.
Step one as usual
is to identify the clef and time signature.
What do you see?
You should have said treble clef and 4/4 time signature,
telling us we'll count 4 beats in every measure.
Step two is going to be to tap the rhythm while counting the beat.
Now, can you try that on your own once?
I'd like you to pause the video and tap this rhythm while you count the beat out loud,
then press play we'll try it together.
Let's tap and count together. I'll count four beats and then we'll start. 1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
Great.
Now step three is to point to each note on the page while we identify steps, skips, and repeats.
Like this: start, repeat, step up, repeat, step up,
and when we have a skip let's identify the interval. So I might say skip up a third.
Now can you do the rest?
Starting right here.
The correct answer is step down, step down, step down, repeat, step down.
Step four is to point to each note while singing the letter names.
Tell me the letter name for this first note.
If you said C you're correct.
Now before we sing the letter names,
one thing interesting on page 16:
there are a couple of exercises that sound like a song
that we've learned in a previous unit. So kind of keep that in mind.
I'd like you to once again pause the video. We start on a C,
and can you sing the letter names?
Let's see if this sounds like a song that you know.
Pause the video to try singing these letter names, and then press play and we'll try it together.
Let's sing the letters together. Ready, go:
C C D D E G F E D D C
Does that sound familiar?
Not the whole thing, but those first two measures sound a lot like
"Let Us Chase the Squirrel".
This time instead of eighth notes we've drawn the rhythm with quarter notes.
So, I'll tell you that another exercise also on page 16
sounds like part of another song that you've learned in an earlier unit.
So keep a lookout for that. Now let's try to play this.
Step five: place your hand in the correct position.
So we use right hand or left hand this time?
It's our right hand since we're in treble clef,
and how would you find your position?
Can you show me on your piano where to place your hand?
The first note is middle C, and it asked for a finger 1,
so this is the position.
Now like you to try step six and seven on your own.
So pause the video and first play and sing the letter names.
Then step seven: play and count the beat.
Try that on your own, then press play and we'll try it together.
Let's try it together now. Finger 1 is on C. Let's play and sing the letter names.
Ready go: C C D D E G F E D D C
How are you doing at keeping your eyes only on the music not your fingers?
Remember, if you see a skip in the music you don't have to look at your fingers to do a skip.
Practice just feeling that skip without seeing it.
Remember, when you're walking you don't have to look at your feet to be able to walk right?
Same with playing the piano.
trust your fingers and just let them play while you keep your eyes on the notes.
Now let's try step seven, which is to count the beat while we play.
Practice keeping your eyes on the notes the whole time.
Start after 4 beats. I'll count 4 beats and then we'll start.
1 2 3 4
Great.
Now let's take a look at exercise 79.
Step one: can you identify the clef and time signature?
What do you see?
We have a treble clef, and this time a 3/4 time signature
telling us we'll have 3 beats per measure this time.
Step two: tap the rhythm while counting the beat.
So now we'll be counting 1 2 3
bar line we start over at 1.
Only 3 beats per measure. How many beats for the dotted half note?
If you said 3 beats you're correct and that's why it takes up the whole measure.
We start again at 1 2 3 1 2 3
Let's try it together. Tap 1 2 3 sorry, count 1 2 3
while we tap the beat. I'll count 3 beats to get us started 1 2 3
1 2 3
Step 3: point to each note on the page identifying steps, skips, and repeats.
So remember when we have a skip, try to say the interval.
So you'll say, start, repeat, step up. can you do the rest on your own?
The correct answer is start, repeat, step up, step up, skip down a third, repeat, step down, step down.
Step four: point to each note while singing the letter names.
Can you tell me the letter name for this note?
If you said E you're correct.
Now, this melody it so happens doesn't sound like a melody or a song you've learned before.
But I'd like you to pause the video and see if you can sing
the letter names while pointing to each note.
Don't worry so much about the singing being perfect. That's not the goal.
The goal is to mostly focus on the letter names, but notice if the notes are moving up and down.
Try to make your voice follow along.
Pause to sing the letter names, then press play and we'll try it together.
Let's try it together now. We start on E, ready go:
E E F G E E D C
Let's try and play it.
Step 5: can you find the correct hand position?
We're using the right hand.
It asks for a finger 3 on E.
Which would look like this.
It's our C major pentascale position.
Now once again I'd like you to try step six and seven on your own first. Pause the video,
and then play and sing the letter names,
then play and count the beat.
Then press play and we'll try it together.
Let's try it together now. we're going to start on E
I'll count 3 beats, and then we will play and sing the letter names.
1 2 3
E E F G
E E D C
Now let's try playing while we count the beat.
Starting on finger three with E.
I'll count 3 beats and then let's start. Count the beat with me and play.
Ready, 1 2 3
1 2 3 1 2 3
Great job.
Last up today let's try exercise 84.
What clef and time signatures do you see?
We've got our grand staff and a 4/4 time signature.
Now because we're in the grand staff
when we do step two which is tapping the rhythm,
remember use your right hand for any notes up here in the treble staff.
Use your left hand for any notes down here.
So get both hands ready,
and why don't you try this one on your own. Pause the video and try tapping
the rhythm while you count the beat out loud. Remember to pay attention when each hand is playing
or tapping. For example, here in the last measure right hand taps on beat 1
then beat 2 is left hand, and then 3 4 also for the left hand.
Here in measure three, 1 2 3 4 going from left hand to right hand.
Pause the video, count the beat out loud while you tap
right hand and left hand, then press play and we'll try it together.
Let's tap this rhythm together while we count the beat out loud.
I'll count 4 beats to get us started, and then we'll start with our right hand
1 2 3 4
Now can you point to each note and tell me if the notes are stepping, skipping, or repeating?
Let's try it together actually. Start,
skip up a fifth, repeat, down a fifth, repeat, now let's pause. From middle C
down to base F, what interval is that?
That is down a fifth.
So we'll go down a fifth, up a fifth, repeat, down a fifth, repeat.
Now step four is to point to each note while singing the letter names.
Let's just scan ahead and see what we're dealing with.
We've got a middle C. What's this?
A G, more G's and C's, then what's this?
Aha, it's our base F.
F C's and F's, ok, let's try it together. Here's our middle C, ready go:
C G G C C
F C C F F
Now let's try to play it.
So for this exercise since we're in the grand staff we'll need to find a position for both hands.
Starting with the right hand, can you find on your piano the correct position?
It should be right here. The first note is C, with finger number 1. So I've placed my finger 1 on C.
To find the left hand position, you have to find the first note the left hand plays,
which is right here.
Can you find where the left hand should go?
It's asking for a finger 2 on bass F, which would go like this.
So it looks like that puts both of our hands in a C pentascale position.
Now, pause the video and see if you can do step six and seven on your own.
Remember, when you see notes up here in the treble staff you'll be playing the right hand.
Looks like we have all C's and G's, and then have the left hand ready.
The only note the left hand plays is this bass F.
It's always nice to scan ahead
and just notice oh my goodness I'm only playing these three notes.
Noticing that will help you be successful as you sight read.
Now pause the video, try step six, play and sing the letter names,
then step seven: play and count the beat. Then press play to go on.
Let's try just step seven together. We're going to play and count the beat.
Finger 1 starts on C. I'll count 4 beats and then we'll start.
1 2 3 4
Nice.
How'd that go?
If you need more practice, feel free to pause and work on it some more.
Otherwise let's keep going.
Let's take a sneak peek at what's coming on the next page in your Sight Reading Trainer Book 1.
This is page 18. You'll notice we have all grandstaff exercises,
so you've got to really pay attention to when it's left hand playing, when it's right hand playing.
You'll notice in these
what is the left hand playing?
It's always this bass F,
but the right hand gets a little more interesting.
Starting here though it's not a bass F. What note do you see this time in the bass clef?
If you said G you're correct.
Always use your guide notes to figure out other notes. Ah it's just a step above your bass F.
That has to be G.
Always of course remember to check your time signature.
A lot of these are 4/4, but you'll start to see some more 3/4's thrown in as well,
and later on you'll even see 2/4's and 5/4's
so just always make sure you check that for step one.
So remember, part of sight reading is figuring out melodies without a teacher's help. So we went
through a couple together today,
but on your own every day I'd like you to try a couple of exercises.
Go through the steps and just build your skills of being able to figure out notes without the help of a teacher.
Great job today with our sight reading challenge.
Learning to sight-read is such an important skill.
I encourage you to do a little sight reading practice everyday.
Make sight-reading a daily part of your piano practice routine,
and you'll see those sight reading skills grow and grow.
Thanks for watching and learning with me, and see you next time!
Monkey, now it's your turn to learn how to sight-read.
I'll tell you how the notes are moving, and you play it on the piano okay?
You ready? It starts on bass C.
Go ahead, play a bass C.
Good!
Now repeat.
Now step up. Good.
Step up.
Now jump down. Oh!
I meant to say skip down!
Sorry!
Monkey? can you hear me?