Sightreading Mozart and Beethoven is more or less a matter of vertical com/tag/pattern">pattern com/tag/recognition">recognition, and you already have the com/tag/pattern">patterns in your hands, just no connection to the visuals. That makes it frustrating.
There are two approaches: com/tag/start">start with simple com/tag/pattern">patterns and stuff that is more spread out horizontally. Scott Joplin might be reasonably nice to work with here.
The other extreme is just working on stuff that isn't composed vertically. Work yourself up from the Bach two-part inventions and three-part symphonies to the Well-tempered Clavier. Stuff like the Fugue #1 in C major is not something you play by ear and by harmony. So it's not as much an exercise in recognizing chord com/tag/pattern">patterns as in overlaying several melody com/tag/lines">lines.
I think that this will also help to moderate the perceived difference between your sightreading skills and your play-by-ear skills. Of course, it is not much of a preparation for chord reading, but at least it works on your ability to see more than one note/voice at a time and it breaks up your hands' ways of thinking mostly in chord com/tag/pattern">patterns.
manpreet![Tuteehub forum best answer]()
Best Answer
2 years ago
It's been long ~ 10-15 years since i started playing/fiddling around over piano. Although it's been just 5 years that i am into staff notations reading thing. I have completed 2 grades with Trinity. Despite this I can play Beethoven, Mozart of grade 6-7 by looking at people play and by ear.
My question is i am absolutely ZERO - a BIG BIG ZERO at reading music, i literally have to decode each note on staff sheet. I just can't read and play simultaneously. It's so frustrating for me that i am thinking of giving up on reading music. I want to be in such a position where at any given instance if i am given a sheet of music , i will be able to just read and play simultaneously. 1. Is it a feasible dream or just a mirage ? are there people around who do this or 'those' masters also need to go through the sheet atleast once. 2. If it is possible then how should i achieve this. Thanks