Sight Reading with Counting the Beat

Hello and welcome back. I'm Joseph
Hoffman,
and in this lesson we're going to practice combining two skills:
the skill of sight reading with our new skill of counting the beat.
For this lesson, it will be helpful to have your own copy of Sight Reading Trainer Book 1,
which is available on the Hoffman Academy Website.
For our lesson today,
let's get started with exercise number 66.
Pause the video if you need a moment
to get your Sight Reading Trainer Book 1 ready,
otherwise let's check out exercise 66.
Here's exercise 66 which you can find on
page 14 of your Sight Reading Trainer Book 1.
On page 13 you'll find seven
steps that I'd like you to do
each time you come to a new exercise. So we're going to practice going through those seven steps together
right now with this exercise.
Step one is to identify the clef and the time signature.
So, can you tell me the clef?
It's a treble clef and the time signature is 4/4.
Always
important to check that before you start to play.
Number two is tap the rhythm
while counting the beat.
So you can just tap it right on your lap. I'm going to
tap it right here,
and as we tap we'll count the beat. So these whole notes of course will get 4 beats each.
When we get to these half notes, remember this
first half note will get beats 1 and 2,
then when we get to beat 3,
we'll tap for this half note, and then hold through beat 4, like this:
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
Now try it with me.
Count the beat out loud while you tap.
1 2, ready go:
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
Great.
Step three is to point to each
note on the page identifying steps, skips, or repeats.
When we have a skip let's identify the interval.
So we'll say start for the first note,
and then
right here you can see we go from this treble G, we skip
that line number one
down to this first ledger line which is middle C.
What interval is that?
If you
set a fifth you're correct.
Line, skip a line, to a line will always be a fifth or
a double skip.
So we'll say skip down a fifth skip,
skip up a
fifth, repeat,
and then what's this last interval?
Another skip down a fifth.
You'll notice we have all G's and C's,
which brings us to step four: point to each
note while singing the letter names.
Here's our G.
So we'll sing G, C
G, G, C
Did you notice I was trying to hold each note for the correct rhythm as well.
Can you sing with me and point?
Ready, go:
G C
G G C
To help me keep track of how many beats,
I'm tapping with my finger.
You might try that as well.
Now let's come to the piano
for steps five through seven.
Step five is to place your hand in the correct position on the piano.
In general, when we see a treble clef we'll use the right hand. Bass clef we'll use left hand.
So, which hand are we using this time?
The right hand.
Now, to
know where to place it you look for the first note
and look for a finger number
over or under that note.
So, what do you see?
Here we have a treble G with finger 5. So, can you place your finger 5 on treble G on your piano?
So, that should
look like this.
Your finger 5 right here on treble G.
You'll notice in this
melody we have all treble G's and middle C's.
So we'll need those two fingers.
Now, remember with sight-reading you're going to be figuring out these notes by yourself
as much as possible. So, let's see if you can do step six on your own.
I'd like you to pause the video and try and play
each note as you sing the letter names, and then press play and we'll try it together.
Let's try this together. Finger 5 on G,
and remember try to hold
each note for the right amount of time. These whole
notes will hold for 4 beats.
Ready, go:
G C
G G C
Great.
Last step is to play while you
count the beat out loud.
That will sound like this:
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4
Now, pause the video and try that on your own.
Play each note while you count the beat out loud.
Remember, for good sight-reading you keep
your eyes on the notes,
not on your fingers.
Trust your hands, trust your
fingers, they're not going anywhere.
Keep your eyes on the notes, and let your
fingers just feel where they're supposed to play.
Let your eyes guide your fingers
Now let's check out exercise number 68
next.
We're going to be jumping around a little bit on page 14.
I just want to try a few together. On your own,
I'd like you to go through all of the exercises, trying two or three lines a day.
S ...