EVERY note has a home.

Some students have a hard time playing a new piece on sight.  Many focus on the note they are playing and fail to look ahead.  Students also keep their fingers closed up instead of opening up to hover over the keyboard.

  • How do we learn to read?  One letter(note) at a time.
  • Reading notes doesn’t make a sentence like words do…do they?  Yes they do, they are phrases like any sentence.  
  • I have a hard time seeing what note is coming next.  Learn to map out what’s coming next. 
  • How do I learn to look ahead?  Start by mapping to sightread where the notes are going.

This 4 page Jump and Step is a start on showing the relationship between the notes and their HOME.  Every note has a home.  

Arrows are used to MAP the direction of the notes.  Upon learning to read, we learn to read from left to right. This is the same when reading notes, also known as SIGHT READING.  Meaning, play a piece you have never seen before.

The first thing is to see what the Key Signature and Time Signature is.  Next position the finger asked on the first Treble Clef starting note.  Now with your left hand on the first Bass Clef starting note.  When playing the piece, remember, SPEED is not required.

Always try to look ahead.  See if the next note is stepping, skipping or the same note.  Which direction is it going?  Up or down?

Excerpt from Just Play With C