Sight reading help

[Chris Reardon]

Hi all. I have played the piano for my own personal pleasure since about 9 years old. I am now 42. I have always played by ear. If I am given the melody line on a sheet of music, I can usually follow it slowly, and make up the chords as I go along. When faced with chords on the page though, I go very very slowly.Please, can anyone tell me, is it just a case of keep doing it and I will get quicker? Sight reading I have always found very hard, literally counting "all Cows Eat Grass" on the bass line to work out which note it is before I hit it on the keyboard. I get very frustrated that I cannot do this any quicker. Is there anything I can do to help myslef get quicker. I would eventually like to be able to sit down in front of a hymn book and play the hymn as it is written, rather than making up the chords because I'm not fast enough. Thank you in advance.

[austin]

Part of the problem is that you are not familiar enough with the bass clef. This will always slow you down because you really need to be able to read the notes without counting evertime.
The best way to improve would be to practice only using the left hand, and reading simple bass lines. If you need to, pencil on the A C E G on the spaces at the begining of each stave. Keep practicing bass before you play your hymns.
Once you get used to it you will find it much easier to play with the treble.
Don't be too frustrated if you can do it all in one go (sight read on both hands)... you could first try..

1) Playing the bassline with LH and just the chords with the RH

then..

2) Playing the treble line with the RH and just the root of the chords in the LH

Don't be to ambitious to start with. Try to stick to 2-3 pieces that you like but are not too hard initially.

All the best
let us know how you get on

[Gill the Piano]

Also, you could get yourself a big bit of manuscript paper, draw a bass clef at the beginning of each system and scatter notes all along it on different lines and in different spaces. Then sit down and write all the note names underneath and get someone who reads music fluently to mark it for you. Four or five pages in, it'll suddenly click for you. Austin's right; there's no quick fix, only slog! Keep going; it'll be worth it!