One of our submarines is missing

Or rather, one of our staff is. Nessa wrote to us in BigBlueBall a while back, saying that she was bogged down with stuff, and hence would be pretty much absent from BBB.

Suffice to say that I am concerned about her, as it has been longer than I anticipated. So Nessa, if you’re reading this, please report to base as soon as time permits. Thanks.

Edit: OK, I’ve heard from Nessa. Seems like she’s having some problems with her Internet service. And she’s alright.

Piano lessons: Part 2

OK, confession time. Probably my number one on the hate list during all those years of piano lessons was sight-reading. I could never do it well, even with the advice given by my piano teachers. And it only seemed to get worse as I went up the grades for the ABRSM examinations.

It wasn’t until I went to England to do my A-Levels that I realized what I had missed out. I was at the West London Institute of Higher Education (now part of Brunel University) and doing a 2-year Foundation course in Music. I looked right and looked left, and there were students sight-reading like there was no tomorrow. I felt very tiny then . At that point in my life, I resolved to improve my sight-reading by sheer hard work and determination. After a short span of time, I noticed that my sight-reading skills had improved, and it was getting easier and very rewarding to be playing chamber works with other students.

I was also very interested in Jazz and Popular Music, so sight-reading sheet music and scores was no longer difficult. The acid test was sight-reading church hymns, with their typical 4-part SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) arrangements. I still do this today, and modesty aside, I never look at the hymns I’m supposed to play in church until I get to the organ and prepare myself.

So for my students and for anyone else lamenting about having to go through sight-reading hell, here are a few simple tips to make it easier:

1. Sight-reading, like practice, should be done daily. The more often you do it, the faster you’ll learn the ropes and improve.
2. If you are a poor sight-reader to begin with, start by first sight-reading easier material. Say you’re at Grade 4 level, start by reading Grade 1 or Grade 2 pieces. This is not embarrassing or humiliating; in fact, you will build up self-confidence by doing so.
3. ALWAYS try your best to read the notes quickly. Let your eyes look ahead at least a bar, and maintain a steady pulse (using a metronome would be advantageous here). Go with little sections at a time.
4. Don’t restrict your sight-reading to only sight-reading books. Grab any music sheets, scores, whatever, and work on them.
5. How quickly you’ll improve depends on how often and how much you do it. Remember this: sight-reading is a wonderful gift to have. And you don’t have to worry about losing it once you have it (but remember to keep doing it though).

Here are some good sight-reading links:

• http://www.musicteachers.co.uk/resources/sightr.pdf
• http://www.serve.com/marbeth/teaching_sight_reading.html
• http://www.soundfeelings.com/free/music-reading.htm
• http://www.thefxcode.com/music/sight.htm

Best of luck!

Andrea Bocelli…magnifico!

Managed to borrow the DVD of Andrea Bocelli’s “Vivere Live in Tuscany.” The man is blind, plays the piano…and sings like an angel. In fact, all Andrea has to do is open his mouth and sing, and I’ll drop everything I’m doing and listen. No other tenor has captivated me as much since Pavarotti, and the thing that makes me all gooey when Andrea sings is that he gives 110% of himself, always. This DVD also boasts stellar performances by Lang Lang (bravo!), Sarah Brightman, David Foster, and Chris Botti (he does for the trumpet what Andrea does for the voice).

The passion in his voice, the fantastic orchestra, and the humility when he sings, stirs up a wonderful sense of magic in the air. When I watch and listen to him, I can forget about all my problems for a moment or two.

Grazie, Andrea, for your wonderful voice and music. Encore!