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I take private jazz piano lessons, and most of my lessons are working on ii-V-I voicings and improvising, and also working on scales and modes. For sight reading though, my teacher has me read through 2 pieces a day, but only playing them through twice, as anything more than that is memorizing and not reading. I think I have a tremendous teacher, yet I still struggle with sight reading. I am not sure if it's lack of confidence on my part, or if I need to focus more time on sight reading, or if it's just a mental block. I find it very frustrating that I can't seem to make progress in this area, because I feel I am advancing well in all other areas of music.

RonR, I have read your post, here:

The problem I have is when I see chord voicings that require reading 3 or 4 notes simultaneously in each staff, so a total of 7 notes at once. I look at it and freeze and have to name the notes 1 at a time. I have no problem reading from lead sheets, but it's playing full arrangements that I really struggle with.

Thanks.

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There are lots books called Jazz piano voicing skills with nothing but pages of chords like you said 3 and 4 notes per clef in all sorts of key signatures so you could read them or read them and play them until you can recognize the patterns and notes. Looking at them as a beginner piano player, I can read the notes okay, so it is note recognition, but I see one here I am looking at and the key signature is 4 sharps so I am in trouble because I only know 3 o 4 key signatures, so the issue is note recognition in addition to key signature so you have to know both well for sight reading. There are more than a dozen jazz piano voicing skills books at my local music store. This one I am looking at is by Dan Haerle - Jamey Aebersold jazz books that I have.

Thanks Michael. I do a lot of drills with my teacher, so I know the voicings really well, when I know the chord by name, but when I see the notes in a song, I can't read them quickly enough.

For example I know in jazz, F-A-C-E, is a Dm7(not an F maj 7) voicing with the 3-5-7-9 as a rootless vocing. Yet when I see those 4 notes in the bass cleff, I don't quicly note that it's Dm7 voicing, and I have to think to myself it's F - A - C - E, and I have to read it 1 note at a time.

But it can also be an F maj 7, in root position...

Jazz isn't my area. Can I assume that the difference between a rootless Dm7 vs. a root position F(maj7) can be determined both by sound in the context, and the context?

RonR, I have read your post, here:


Thanks Michael. I do a lot of drills with my teacher, so I know the voicings really well, when I know the chord by name, but when I see the notes in a song, I can't read them quickly enough.

For example I know in jazz, F-A-C-E, is a Dm7(not an F maj 7) voicing with the 3-5-7-9 as a rootless vocing. Yet when I see those 4 notes in the bass cleff, I don't quicly note that it's Dm7 voicing, and I have to think to myself it's F - A - C - E, and I have to read it 1 note at a time.

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Well, needless to say, I am miles away from voicings
but what was significant for me was constantly writing out, learning, reading and playing my - at this point - major scales above, on and below bass clef so recognition of bass clef and the key signatures, of course, was very helpful to me in my sight reading. When I played the sax I learned the treble clef then.

When you mentioned the bass clef - I understand that - because when you are learning to play the piano there is usually more going in the treble clef than in the bass clef at the start. But in Jazz and classical it is a totally a different story. Everything is happening everywhere at the same time.

Yes, that's the point I was making. I think Ron intended to say that it CAN be a Dm7 rather than an Fmaj7, rather than that it MUST be.

I was just giving an example of how if I am playing from a lead sheet and see the chord noted a Dm7, I may play any voicing in the left hand from D-F-A-C, or F-A-C-E, or A-C-D-F or C-E-F-A, etc. It all depends on what chord I am coming from as to what voicing makes the smoothest transition. The reason F-A-C-E is Dm7 and not Fmaj7 is: 1- In many cases I reach down and play a low D, as a bass note, then go up to the FACE voicing. So the D bass not makes it a Dm7. 2 - If I am playing in the key of C, and am playing ii-V-I, the ii will be a Dm7.

Sorry to get off track here, as I meant to focus this topic on sight reading, but just wanted to clarify the voicings I use.

So getting back to my sight reading struggles, when I see all those notes, that I can play from a lead sheet, how can I learn to quickly recognize them when trying to play exact arrangements. Is this something that is just going to take many, many years, or does it requre hours of practice a day specifially on just sight reading. With all the hours(2.5 on ave4age per day) I am already putting in, I would need to cut back on something else to give more attention to this. So just asking if the 20 - 25 minutes per day spent on sight reading is enough.

RonR, I have only been learning to sight read for five months so I am not qualified to comment, but heck I am not going to let that stop me. The main consensus of opinion is that we can only focus on sight reading for 15-30mins at a time. Consequently this is the daily recommended time to spend practicing SR.

Lots of web pages, blogs, forum posts are written about SR but I have yet to read someone actually describe the learning process in a cohesive manner. Just about every article is about the ten best tips.......just not enough information to anyone just starting out.

But to answer your question directly, note recognition is the first step, this then has to be augmented with interval recognition in addition to pattern recognition. Music is made up of repeated patterns, chord shapes that you mention are just one of those patterns. In my guitar lead sheets quite often the chords will not just show the name but a mini picture of the chord. Just as they became second nature to recognize and shape my fingers to the chord so must notated piano chords become instantly familiar. So this as you would realize is done by repetition, lots of it. The good news is your two hours a day practice also helps your sight reading, as it involves repetition, technique improvements, and spacial awareness just to name a few.

Thank you for your reply. It makes sense, and I am glad to know I am practicing SR int he 15-30 minute range as you suggested.