Sight reading means to read unseen music sheet successfully. It is a skill of being able to transfer the notes, rhythms, articulations, dynamics, pedal markings and other details on a music sheet onto the instrument on a steady tempo. It is crucial in developing musicianship.  It takes consistent practice to get better at sight reading. When you are new to sight reading piano sheet music, start with easy sheets such as a hands alone, simple rhythms, fewer articulations and dynamics. Then up your level of reading only when you feel ready.

Here are a few steps you can follow before you start playing:
1. Glance through the sheet to recognize the key, and meter and whether they are changing anywhere.

2. Scan through the piece to identify the direction of notes (interval recognition), repeated notes, scale or chord patterns, and changing rhythms. Clapping back a tricky rhythm is a good idea at this point.

3. Map out the excerpt to find any repeating passages or phrases.

4. Find your starting position (ideal fingerings). Silent practice can be done to find out hand position changes, big leaps, chord patterns and so on.

Now is the time to put your hands and start playing. The following tips will serve you better-
1. Practice playing without looking at your hands.

2. Follow a slow and a steady pulse (e.g. metronome beat) and if you make mistake don’t stop but keep going.

3. Look ahead by a few notes, just the way we do while driving.

4. Practice regularly. Daily practice for a few minutes is enough in the beginning until you build up your attention span.

5. Make your piece sound as expressive as you can.

There are many resources that you can use. These days apps are very popular and many of them have sight reading examples arranged level wise. RCM four star sight reading books are also a great resource as they are available level-wise.

Read, read, read, as much as you can. With consistent deliberate practice, you will see ourself getting better.

Happy reading!

We have heard and read many researches that talk about the benefits of playing the piano for our physical, mental and emotional health. But is that it? Today I would like to share my thoughts on the value of playing piano.

We are all aware that piano playing is a fun and rewarding activity. It can bring us joy to express ourselves, and even serve as a therapy. When we play the piano, we are not just entertaining ourselves and others, but we are also engaging in a practice that has deep cultural and historical significance. The piano has been a fixture in music for centuries, and has played a key role in the development of many genres and styles. 

But beyond that, playing the piano requires discipline, focus, and dedication. It challenges us to improve our skills, to tackle difficult pieces, and strive for excellence. In doing so, we build valuable traits that can serve us well in all our lives. 

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” -Plato

Music exams are conducted by many institutions depending on where you live. In North America (Canada and USA), we have national standards established by The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) and Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). These exams are great for receiving formal education in music, be it for any instrument or voice exams. There are many benefits of taking these exams.

1. Music exams provide an established goal to work towards.

2. Exams impart structure as each level has set expectations.

3. Preparing and completing the exam successfully can provide immense satisfaction.

4. Detailed feedback provided by the examiners help students focus on the areas of improvements

5. RCM exams provide a national standard for teachers, and students to measure progress (ref: RCM portal)

6. It is a great motivational tool as students strive to become a better musicianship

7. Acquiring certifications can offer a broad career path as they can become teachers, accompanist, participate in band orchestra, concerts and earn a living

8. Overall, musicians are well respected and recognized in the community.

Students benefit tremendously and show improvement in increased attention span, building confidence and self-esteem, improves their financial status, develops patience and ability to persevere by going through examination process. Exams are great way for receiving formal education in music.

To sum up, taking music exams is an outstanding decision one can make for learning an instrument and getting enough joy and satisfaction out of it.

Metronome is a device that produces a click sound on a steady pulse/ tempo. Tempo is measured in Beats Per Minute (BPM). Example, a clock ticks at 60 times a minute, so it’s tempo is 60 BPM.
The name metronome comes from Greek words metron meaning “measure” and nomos meaning “regulating”.
Music is all about Pitch and rhythm. Metronome is a very important practice tool and below are a few important uses of metronome-
– Its helps you to focus on the rhythm of a music piece or a song
– It helps you to track your progress. E.g. If you are practising a scale or an exercise on 60 bpm, you can gradually increase your speed to 65 or 70 and so on.
– It helps you find errors. E.g. if you fall behind (say get slower) in a particular section of a song, then it’s best to practice the entire song at a slower tempo to stay on the beat.

All in all, Metronome is a critical tool to shorten your learning curve.

In this article, I will give you few tips to optimize your piano practice:

1. Schedule your practice time-Learning piano is a commitment you make to yourself.  Respect your practice time and if possible practice same time every day.
2. Have a goal for a day/week/ or even 1 practice session- Before you even start your warm-up, you should decide a goal for your practice session. Goals can be as detailed as what piece, which measure, HT or HS, what tempo and so on.
3. Practice more on your problem areas – It is very tempting to practice things that you are good at. However, it cannot help you with your problems/weaknesses. It can be anything as small as a “measure of a piece” you are struggling with or as big as a “technique problem”.

I hope you would be able to put into practice the above tips and excel in playing Piano. As always, I encourage you to express your concerns and excitement about your progress.

In the world of Music, musicians play a piece either by Sight reading or Memory or both.

Today, lets understand what it means by playing a piece “by Memory”. We will talk about playing by “Sight reading” in our later articles.

Repetition is the key to memorizing a piece. When you play a piece without thinking it means it is now set in your muscle memory.  Inherently, this also helps you develop an important skill – Patience. The biggest advantage of muscle memory is that it stays with you for a long time.   While you are trying to memorize a piece, you are training the movements of your muscles in a specific way and with practice it comes out automatically/ naturally (as it is in your memory).

However, on the contrary, same rule also applies when you practice your piece incorrectly. Be mindful and don’t practice your mistakes i.e. repeating wrong techniques as it will get registered in your memory. This is a big watch out as it takes time to reverse your mistakes and then learn the right way.

If you were to remember one thing in Music, remember this- accuracy is important than speed. Practice makes you perfect.

It’s not a race to win but it’s a “Journey to Success”.

There is a very well-known quote by Helen Hayes, “The expert at anything was once a beginner“.  When you begin your journey to be a musician, you need patience, practice and PERSEVERANCE.

So, what is PERSEVERANCE? It is the determination to keep going or the will-power to continue your journey.

 A journey of a musician is like a roller coaster ride.  Whether you aspire to become a concert pianist or play just for fun, you will sometimes feel as if there is “No progress” and that’s called PLATEAU.  It could last for as short as a week or even months. Plateau is a period of accumulation meaning whatever you learn – techniques, pieces, muscle memory; they are all advancing but you may NOT notice the progress until one day when you suddenly realize that you are able to do it!

So, have a ‘Don’t quit’ attitude, and keep working towards your dream to play Piano.

Happy Practicing!