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What Technique Helped You Learn To Sight Read Bass Notation Faster?

F

Funk$tar

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Jun 8, 2013
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#1
I have just begun focusing more on Sight reading and it has been a challenge. I've been doing quite good and I'm definitely making progress, but I feel like the technique I use to learn how to sight read is not working as fast as the techniques others use to progress their reading skills. Basically what I do is play the first measure of a piece real slow and then work on playing it in the correct rhythm and time, then I go on to the next measure.
I think that maybe that's not helping, so does anyone have any great techniques to advice they use when learning to sight read.
I've looked everywhere and basically all I've learned is that writing out the sheet music for the bass part in a song (which I haven't tried) and reading ahead will help learning how to sight read faster. Also knowing the rhythm really well will help out a lot, but other then that I haven't heard anything different.
I am working on all the above, but can someone give me some insight, could use all the help and advice I can get right now.
Thanks and God Bless! :thumbsup:
 
#2
Nothing works better than reading it, the more you do it the better you become.
Two things need to be addressed, firstly just sight reading the notes with none of the rhythmic information is the basics, if you cannot recognise the notes pitch you will struggle to transfer that to the instrument..
Secondly, the notes rhythmic values, again if you cannot recognise this you will struggle to transfer that to the instrument. Notes in groups are like words, they have a pronunciation that will occur throughout a score with regularity, the note pitches may change, but the rhythmic value will be the same.
So you will learn to see what a group of notes sound like rather than read each individual note...the same was you regognise words without the need to spell them out........look at this post.... how many words repeat in it? Once you have learned to pronounce it the job is to recognise it when it occurs.

Work on the two as a seperate task to start with, learn that tied notes or dotted notes sequnces appear all over a score, so learn to recognise them by transcribing out your parts, writing out your part again reinforces how the two parts should all be put together and helps aid the melding of the hands and the eyes to play what they see.
The more you do this the faster you will become at reading and writing SN, and the easier the task becomes to play intricate parts with a few run throughs......or with just seeing and playing if you develop it to that standard.
 
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#5
I agree with all of the posts, especially Fergie Fulton's point about separating rhythmic values from pitch values when you're starting out. In terms of reading pitch values, I recommend thinking of the key in order to reduce eleven possibilities to seven possibilities. That way, you're focusing on the accidentals. Also, most music shows the chords, and focusing on the chord tones reduces the possibilities even more, especially on the one. A root position chord is usually on only lines or spaces. The point is that the notes are not random, and understanding the themes improves both your reading skills and an understanding of the harmonic structure.
 
#6
Funk$tar said:
Basically what I do is play the first measure of a piece real slow and then work on playing it in the correct rhythm and time, then I go on to the next measure.
I think that maybe that's not helping
Click to expand...

I agree that there is a better way to do that if you want to get better at sight reading. True sight reading is reading at tempo, is it not? So practice sight reading at tempo. Yes, it will be full of flubs and mistakes. But it gives you a good view of the forest before you start focusing on trees. And it will give you practice at true sight reading.

Here is how I go about it:
1. Look through the music. Observe time and key signature, unusual and repeated rhythmic patterns, accidentals, etc.
2. Play through from beginning to end at tempo.
3. Work on places that are particularly difficult.
4. Play through at slower tempo.
5. Start working section by section, and working back up to tempo.
 
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#7
Lee Moses said:
I agree that there is a better way to do that if you want to get better at sight reading. True sight reading is reading at tempo, is it not? So practice sight reading at tempo. Yes, it will be full of flubs and mistakes. But it gives you a good view of the forest before you start focusing on trees. And it will give you practice at true sight reading.

Here is how I go about it:
1. Look through the music. Observe time and key signature, unusual and repeated rhythmic patterns, accidentals, etc.
2. Play through from beginning to end at tempo.
3. Work on places that are particularly difficult.
4. Play through at slower tempo.
5. Start working section by section, and working back up to tempo.
Click to expand...

I'd like to add a small addendum to your very good comment.
While following Lee Moses recommendations,
IMAGINE that you are sight-reading not in your bedroom/living room, but on stage with a band.
Start with easy sheet notes - the quarters and eighths - but think that you are on stage and the band depends on you.
It worked for me. In my (non-scientific) opinion, there is some kind of switch in your brain (probably called, "Panic") that helped me to expedite the sight-reading learning process.
 
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#8
It´s funny. I play the bass guitar since I was 15, and always sucked at sight reading.
But some years ago I started playing the violin, and to my own surprise, my sight reading was very good, even with complex rythmic patterns.
I think that, for me, three things worked very well on the violin: 1) you have to play without looking at your instrument; 2) you have to develop a muscular memory, so your fingers are always in position (the short scale of the violin neck allows this easily than the bass´s neck), and the notes come easily and mechanically, and 3) very good learning materials. My violin methods were very good and taught me to develop the techinique along with sight-reading.

Now I´m trying to apply this and learn to sight read well on the bass guitar. For me, Hal Leonard´s bass method is quite similar to my old violin books!
 
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#9
I agree with Lfsbera on not looking at your instrument. Reducing the number of times you change positions helps. Look at the highest notes and the lowest notes and determine which position you need to be to get from one to the other. Long rests are the best time to change positions. You'll find yourself playing positions that you might not otherwise use, just to reduce the number of positions.
 
#10
One more thing: you have to read ahead of the notes that you´re playing, one or more bars.
Try this: start playing an exercise, two bars. When you´re playing the second, try to read and memorize the third, turn your eyes away from the page and play the third bar by memory. Stop. Start again, and do the same thing for the third/fourth bars. I know a concert pianist which plays by sight reading some very difficuld pieces (i.e, Rachmaninoff) reading two bars ahead of the one he´s playing.

Also, always have a pencil ready and write the fingerings/positions on your sheet music.
 
#11
Sight reading takes into account a number of techniques. Do you know scales and chords? Do you know where all the notes are on the neck? Do you have the technique and flexibility to get to the notes when you need to? If there are problems in those things, then you need to get that straighten out or you'll hit a ceiling pretty fast.

What you are doing as you learn to sight read is train your mind to get your hand to the right note at the right time. Keeping a steady tempo is (IMHO) the best way to get that together. It doesn't have to be fast, in fact it can be incredibly slow... like setting a metronome to click for every 1/16 or 1/8 until you can move through a piece in a steady tempo. Playing with other musicians is the next step. Someone earlier mentioned this and its so true. Getting play along things like Abersole recordings (Jamey Aebersold Jazz or Band In A Box, or iReal book, anything to keep you moving and get your mind to tell you what you need when you need it.

Last thing to mention is that learning to sight read well is a process, not an event. That is, there is no one piece of information or no one exercise that will do the trick. It's the whole package and you'll need to work on it at some level all the time. In most academic auditions and many for reading type gigs, sight reading is of major importance. NOT because the gig requires you to be able to read at sight (although some may) but rather because any musician who has their sight reading chops together has solved many, many playing problems and is the better candidate for the gig.

Good luck. It's takes a lot of work and time, but its totally worth it for your self confidence as a player and your ability to learn new music quickly.
 
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#12
Fergie Fulton said:
Nothing works better than reading it, the more you do it the better you become.
Two things need to be addressed, firstly just sight reading the notes with none of the rhythmic information is the basics, if you cannot recognise the notes pitch you will struggle to transfer that to the instrument..
Secondly, the notes rhythmic values, again if you cannot recognise this you will struggle to transfer that to the instrument. Notes in groups are like words, they have a pronunciation that will occur throughout a score with regularity, the note pitches may change, but the rhythmic value will be the same.
So you will learn to see what a group of notes sound like rather than read each individual note...the same was you regognise words without the need to spell them out........look at this post.... how many words repeat in it? Once you have learned to pronounce it the job is to recognise it when it occurs.

Work on the two as a seperate task to start with, learn that tied notes or dotted notes sequnces appear all over a score, so learn to recognise them by transcribing out your parts, writing out your part again reinforces how the two parts should all be put together and helps aid the melding of the hands and the eyes to play what they see.
The more you do this the faster you will become at reading and writing SN, and the easier the task becomes to play intricate parts with a few run throughs......or with just seeing and playing if you develop it to that standard.
Click to expand...
Thanks, will definitely use this advice!
Appreciate it!
 
#13
BassChuck said:
Sight reading takes into account a number of techniques. Do you know scales and chords? Do you know where all the notes are on the neck? Do you have the technique and flexibility to get to the notes when you need to? If there are problems in those things, then you need to get that straighten out or you'll hit a ceiling pretty fast.

What you are doing as you learn to sight read is train your mind to get your hand to the right note at the right time. Keeping a steady tempo is (IMHO) the best way to get that together. It doesn't have to be fast, in fact it can be incredibly slow... like setting a metronome to click for every 1/16 or 1/8 until you can move through a piece in a steady tempo. Playing with other musicians is the next step. Someone earlier mentioned this and its so true. Getting play along things like Abersole recordings (Jamey Aebersold Jazz or Band In A Box, or iReal book, anything to keep you moving and get your mind to tell you what you need when you need it.

Last thing to mention is that learning to sight read well is a process, not an event. That is, there is no one piece of information or no one exercise that will do the trick. It's the whole package and you'll need to work on it at some level all the time. In most academic auditions and many for reading type gigs, sight reading is of major importance. NOT because the gig requires you to be able to read at sight (although some may) but rather because any musician who has their sight reading chops together has solved many, many playing problems and is the better candidate for the gig.

Good luck. It's takes a lot of work and time, but its totally worth it for your self confidence as a player and your ability to learn new music quickly.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much!
And yeah I know where all the notes are on the frets, I know my scales and chords, I'm just a slow learner is all, but I'll get the hang of it!
 
#16
Get a gig in a band with charts. I grew up playing big band jazz, bop and dixieland (sic) and always had a chart in front of me. Band leaders reckon my sight reading is amazing, but you do need to maintain the skill...nowadays I do a lot of pit shows and play scratch jazz gigs to keep my hand in =^)

It also helps to learn to notate. Writing groups and phrases help you see patterns, or 'shapes' in front of you which helps with interpretation on the fly. Get familiar with key signatures and other notation symbols, like rests, fermata, accidentals, trills etc.
 
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#19
Years ago, being under the gun to play two shows a night with a new entertainer every night for 3 months on a cruise ship got me in gear to improve my sight reading. Nothing like adrenaline and fear of losing a gig to help with your sight reading technique!

If you don't want to leave home, try to find a rehearsal band or jazz jam session (the ones that are cool with you using a Real Book on stage).
 
#20
Some good advice for the most part so far. I have to sight read a lot on my gigs, and one thing that's helped me is to scan each piece of music for the hardest parts and work them out as quickly as you can before you start playing. Another thing I'd recommend when you're practicing your reading is to go through the piece once, then go back and correct your mistakes and work the parts out till you play them right. If you don't correct your mistakes, I believe you don't benefit from practicing sightreading, as you'll just make the same mistakes the next time you see something similar.
 
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