The Good Musician

5 Remedies for Sheet Music Sickness

by Arjun Muralidharan on January 19th, 2008

Photography by selva.

Recently I’ve been having some serious trouble when reading sheet music. I’ve begun slowing down! I guess the recent lack of classes has provided me with ample laziness to actual read scores. I’m finding it hard to decipher chords I could decipher with ease just months ago.

So here’s the Fast-Break Crash Diet I did to get back in reading shape:

1. Play scales of sheet music. I have some scales in traditional engraving, which I brought out and played note for note from sheet, as if I had never seen them before.
2. Play chord progressions. It’s important to get some examples of chord progressions in different inversions and practice these over and over. Slowly and carefully.
3. Sing a part of progressions. I played the aforementioned progressions, this time omitting notes. I sung them instead. This is a great exercise to build your hearing of chords as well.
4. Play simple preludes, starting with C-major and a-minor, then working your way through all keys. Most instruments will have some composer of some sort who has composed charming little preludes in all 24 keys of western music. Seek them out and keep them in your “first-aid-kit”.
5. Play thirds, sixths and other intervals. Playing intervals on your instrument is one of the most practical exercises you can do, as they come up in “real life” all the time. Got me back in the groove.

That was my quick remedy. If you didn’t understand what the hell I just squabbled about, do tell!

POSTED IN: Your Instrument & You