Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Adult Beginners Forum Wanting to do something challenging for sightreading

I don't agree. You can't tell someone how they should feel about a particular activity. There's nothing wrong in thinking about it like a sport and honing your skill in a more methodical way. It doesn't have to be like that, but there's certainly nothing wrong with it. Also, sightreading several hours a day... well, I think if you split it up, it should be possible. 1-2 hours is definitely possible in my experience. 3 hours is pushing it, but it may be possible if you can split it up 1:30, 45, 45 or something.

Also, I dislike talking in absolutes. Never say never, if someone wants to push themselves hard to achieve something, I don't see why they shouldn't be encouraged to do so. It is how you discover the reality of your own ideas and potential. "Don't work too hard, it isn't a race" isn't necessarily bad advice, but I know students at conservatory work hard at it for several hours to an extent regardless of their motivation. It's a bumpy road. And who are we to stop them or tell them they're wrong?

I find this talk about enjoying the journey a bit foolish when it's bright up as a counterpoint to effort put in. Most of the time, the effort wins out. Often, that effort is driven by an inner goal and isn't necessarily painful. However, it's still hard work at the end of the day (I'm not saying talent doesn't exist but even prodigies need to work hard at piano to get anywhere decent). If someone wants to try to focus for several hours per day, good on them, and I know it can be done. There's nothing wrong in aspiring for it, as they say nothing ventured nothing gained.

Yes, but most good sightreaders also started young, something I could not do.

By the time they are at conservatory, most people don't practice sight reading. However, they often have to accompany for extended periods of time, which is imo pretty similar.

"Practicing" is a tricky word. Good sightreaders did often read for several hours a day, but it may not have felt tiring to them.

It also appears that you are drawing an artificial distinction between doing a particular activity and "practicing" it, so a number of people who are good at something didn't "practice" it. The distinction is not as obvious as you may think, as one could say that about most any subject -- you don't practice math, you just keep doing increasingly difficult problems and it just comes to you. But that's what practice means!

The thing is though, I would have way more fun if I could sightread better

Here is a pro doing sight reading and she has 20 years of piano. Notice the Bach toccata part at 11:00 where even for her it is difficult. The toccata is much more difficult than an invention, but still ....

Oh another YouTuber inspired by the 'likes' she receives - wonderful.

For someone who says "I'm not very good at sight-reading", she plays way beyond what most can manage on a first play-through. It's important to stress, particularly in ABF, that this is not a typical example of someone who is a bad sight-reader - not even close. So, don't beat yourself up if YOU consider yourself a bad sight-reader, but struggle way more than her. She uses this comment to reduce expectation from those watching, and therefore ease some pressure on herself, it's not as a genuine statement.

I think that Sidokar's point is that even a Julliard -trained pianist with a concert career can have problems sight-reading Bach. This is someone who can play Rach 3 and Gaspard and she admits that she doesn't normally sight-read Bach hands together.

BTW, I was shocked that such an accomplished pianist has never even heard To A Wild Rose. 😮

Here is a pro doing sight reading and she has 20 years of piano. Notice the Bach toccata part at 11:00 where even for her it is difficult. The toccata is much more difficult than an invention, but still ....

Isn’t how you approach sight-reading I.e., stopping, correcting or not dependent on your goal snd how you will use these skills?

If you will never be in a situation where you need to play unfamiliar music I.e. singing around the piano, the ability to sightread without stopping is not important

If you would ever need to play for church services, or singing around the piano, you need to acquire the skills of playing without stopping.

My teacher would have us play duets with music unfamiliar to me. I was expected not to stop and correct or slow down, while honoring dynamics.

Missing the point again. When I said that good sight readers didn't practice sight reading, I meant(as has been stated on countless threads at PW using the same language) they didn't say "I'm going to practice sight reading from some method book etc. for x hours every day" whether x was 1/4 or 2. They sight read a lot but totally for pleasure with music they wanted to read through. They never thought of it as practicing sight reading because they enjoyed what they were doing which is the main reason they did a lot of it. The same thing dogperson was talking about.

She's bad at sightreading relative to her "peers", proper concert pianists or at least those who have been learning for 20 years as seriously as her.

I don't understand the need to reflexively bash a pretty young woman who vlogs--it's not as though vlogging is unusual anymore. I see tons of young men significantly less talented than she put themselves forth as Youtube piano authorities, while she focuses on giving a somewhat deglamorized/more-realistic view of young concert pianist's experiences and studies. Good for her, I say.

And I don't understand why you've brought looks, gender or age into the argument.You're right though, there are many people striving to put themselves out there online and offer their advice.