Dear Ones,
Here is the 7th rose from the book “A Dozen Roses” offered to you as a work to sight read - if you haven’t played it already….
RULES
Ideally - you want to play every line with no more than three mistakes, while keeping a consistent tempo moving one beat to the next consistently. You must keep a constant flow one beat to the next.
So, drop as much detail as you need to drop in order to keep perfect pace.
What to drop:
For example, drop all articulation, and detail regarding dynamics if that is distracting.
If you can’t play every note written - then just play the note on the downbeat. For example: if you can’t play every note in a triplet pattern, just play the first note of the triplet.
With each new pass - playing through the piece without pause or stopping or repeating - add more and more detail. When you repeat, be careful not to repeat any mistakes you made the last time you played it through.
If this piece is zero problem - meaning - you can play every measure perfectly without challenge, then this work is too easy for sight reading that increases your sight reading ability. If you were to attempt to play everything and make about 3 mistakes per line in doing so, then this work is the IDEAL level of difficulty for you. If you have to look something up, or learn a new concept and prepare yourself to play it (such as ledger line notes or learn new fingerings for notes you’re unfamiliar playing ) then it’s too difficult a level for you to sight read.
Enjoy and have fun. This is a good piece as a gauge for determining your ideal sight reading level of difficulty. Please let me know if this is too easy or difficult or ideal for you.
Best wishes with your sight reading progress.
OH
Apply your sight reading skills when learning new works.
Review entire piece, play what you can with each pass, and keep adding more and more detail. In this way, you do not practice mistakes.
TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY during Corona virus concerns: enjoy drinking warm to hot herbal tea while you practice, wash hands before and after practice, keep your oboe keys, cases, stand…TUBE OF REEDS and reed cases, reed cups…wiped down/disinfected as corona virus can live on metal and plastic for up to 9 days, do your best to keep hands off face. If you’re teaching an in person private lesson - keep at least a 6 foot distance apart, as healthy people with no symptoms may be carriers of the virus and unwittingly infect others. BE CAREFUL you are a dear member of our oboe family!!!!!!!!
At your service,
KJP
March 23, 2020