Site reading and theory

cain

Hi

What books would you guys recommend to learn site reading. I have limited site reading capabilities and did some lessons on it but i would like to expand on it. Learning to read musical notation at high speed helps playing allot, tabs do not show timing and you have to "guess" when to play.

Graeme

There are the Berklee books " A Modern Method For Guitar" by William Leavitt which I've found to be pretty useful for sight reading. http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Method-Guitar-Volumes-Complete/dp/0876390114/ref=pd_sim_b_title_3

I think the musicians institute also brought out a series.

The important thing is to start slowly , using a metronome, and trying not to stop when you make a mistake. Also don't play the same piece over and over - you'll just be memorising it! Rather rotate the music so that you don't play the same thing two days in a row.

You don't need to spend hours practising this - I've found that 15 mins a day is quite sufficient to start getting the hang of it. The thing is to do it regularly and methodically.

AllysonR

Hi Francis!

I personally would NOT recommend the Berklee methods as they tend to be quite pricey... and sight reading is something that you can train yourself to improve! What I would suggest is making sure that you understand your music theory back to front, and then practice sight reading pieces that are a grade or 2 below your level.

A lot of music shops sell old exam pieces or books at a discounted level... and these books come with some great pieces for practicing!

Hope this helps

Graeme

The Berklee books cover theory - chords/scales etc.
They are a well organised series of exercises which teach the student to read in position (very important when reading) - starting with open position, and gradually working up the neck.

I have used them successfully with a number of students over the years.