This week I wanted to dive right in to reading music, as memory is not my strongest skill, this was an interesting week. The online source I chose is youtube. Thinking back to when I took piano lessons as a child I remember using the mnemonics FACE and Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge to remember the notes on sheet music. While searching through youtube I found this video, the mnemonics in it were very similar to the ones I had previously used and found this to be helpful.
This video was easy to follow and had a lot of helpful information in it. I now needed to put this knowledge to practice.
This week I chose a new song to practice, “Beauty and the Beast.” The progress is slow, but it almost sounds recognizable! Even though I know the song really well, it has been a hard one to learn. I am still finding reading music to be really hard, I can do it, but not fast enough to keep up with the tempo of the songs I am attempting to play. In the video below you can really tell how much a struggle to read music fast enough to get the tempo in the song.
As much as I wanted to practice everyday this week life just got in the way and it did not happen. My goal for next week is to practice once a day for at least ten minutes. I figure starting with a smaller amount of time is more manageable and I should be able to fit in ten minutes each day. I plan to continue practicing “Beauty and the Beast,” and start to learn “I see Fire,” by Ed Sheeran.
I am excited to start this song as I am a huge Ed Sheeran fan and love “The Hobbit.” Wish me luck!
Hi Amber,
I am so excited for you! Reading sheet music can be so tough and I remember learning those mnemonics too when I was learning piano and they have stuck with me! Your progress is sounding great and I am excited to see the final outcome! In my EMUS 202 class last semester we were actually taught that you can go a long way in learning music by simply practicing for 10 minutes a day! Thanks for sharing your experience and the resources you are using!
Noelle
Hi Noelle,
Thank-you for the kind comments. It is good to know that I am on the right track for success!
Amber
Hi Amber,
As a musician myself, I definitely appreciate people taking the time to learn how to read music! It seems like a small skill but it opens a lot of doors for performing on any kind of instrument. I definitely liked what you said about taking things slow; whenever I need to learn a new piece, I usually start by practicing it at either a quarter or half speed, and then just focus on getting all of the notes and rhythms right. Once I’ve gotten that down, I’ll gradually start picking up the tempo, while trying to maintain the right pitches and rhythms. Hope this helps, and best of luck with your project! I look forward to listening to your music more!
Hi Amber! You are sounding great already! Reading music is definitely a difficult skill and I am grateful I learned how when I took piano and flute lessons when I was younger because the basics have definitely stuck with me. I can’t wait to hear your rendition of “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran because it is such a beautiful song.
Hi Amber! Sight reading music is tough! I completed several piano exams in middle and high school and found the sight reading portion to be the most difficult! I certainly did talk about boys eating fudge a ton when I practiced (my favourite mnemonics were Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge for treble clef and Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always for bass clef)! The trick for me was to learn each piece at a very slow tempo to get comfortable with the notes and the timing, and then bring it up to speed later. I’d suggest not worrying too much about tempo when you’re learning – it’ll come with practice! I can’t wait to follow along with the rest of your journey and see what else you’re learning!
Thank-you for the learning tips I will take it slow and try not to worry about the tempo!