Helping reading students play fluidly
Found in: Reading
Ruth P., North Carolina
I have an adult student who has been taking lessons with me for about 4+ years. We are still doing playing based instruction, but she is into the reading program and has reading projects. Her playing is very halting. Think of a first grader reading a book and stopping at every single work. She has very little fluidity in her playing. She seems to not be able to take a “snapshot” of the current measure while looking ahead to see where she’s headed. It’s like she plays one note or one chord at a time, then sees what’s next. Any suggestions on how to get her moving forward with some flow?
Brenda D., Colorado
Dial back the tempo so that she can “control the events” until she is more familiar with what comes next. Slow and steady wins the race!
Laurie Richards, Nebraska
I have a suggestion if you want to try it. This is my own practice technique I have personally used in areas where my playing is not fluid. Assuming the issue is a pause at the end of every measure – play the first measure followed by ONLY the very first event of the second measure – slowly. Then repeat that fragment several times until the brain has learned it. Then add the 2nd event in the 2nd measure. That takes the thinking out of the process of transitioning between measures. I bet if she started doing this consistently, eventually she may not need to use it any more because her initial learning process would adapt.
Marcia V., North Carolina
I’m wondering if she needs to learn about the concept of being musical vs being a technician. When I think they’re ready, I talk with my students about trying to craft a musical sentence, in contrast to just playing notes. This is similar to the way they verbalize a sentence in conversation, with feeling and emotion behind each word which shapes the tone and connection between words.
Patti P., Hawaii
It sounds to me like you are feeling this student should be able to read and perform with flow simultaneously, which is really only possible once a piece is well learned. The exception to that is pianists who are excellent sight readers, which is a very advanced level of reading.
I think we do have to watch out for over-reliance on the page after the students learn to read. I explain that the page is just a resource to get the piece into our fingers and ears and memories. They don’t have to watch the video every time they play a foundation piece; they shouldn’t have to watch the music either. The danger that comes with reading is it becoming a crutch vs a tool.
Karen K., Oregon
Have you asked your student how much she is spending in practice time every day? Also learning the hands separately can be helpful. Try covering half or more of the current measure with your hand so she’s forced to look ahead. And go back to Jackson Blues and see if she plays that haltingly, and needs to work on her transitions.