Questions about sight reading. Piano

[Zantetsuken7]

Hi. I have played piano a while now but taken piano classes for 2-3 weeks now and I want to hear tips to sight reading.

Is sight reading necessary to be a good pianist?
How long will it take to be good at sight reading?
Is sight reading gifted or can it be learned over time?
Any tips to share?
I am 19 years old is it too late to be pianist?

Bonus question:

I want to buy good FF piano sheet book with beginner - indertimate difficulty any recommendations?

Thanks and sorry for my bad english.

[anne burdett]

Hey,

Sight reading is a pretty important and useful skill for all musicians. It's not too hard to learn, if you're patient then you'll easily pick up on it. And 19 is definitely not too old to be a pianist, as long as you're passionate about music then you can be a musician

[hg19]

Is sight reading necessary to be a good pianist?

Sight reading is definitely a good skill to develop but it doesn't necessarily make you a good pianist. There are a lot of musicians who do not know how to read music at all but have an exceptional ear and intuition. Sight reading makes you a better musician but not a "good pianist."

How long will it take to be good at sight reading?

It depends really. What matters is how much effort you put into learning. The hardest part is probably getting familiar with the notes on the page. After that, things become easier.

Is sight reading gifted or can it be learned over time?

Sight reading is definitely something that can be learned over time, although, it's true that some people have a natural affinity for it. Like I said before, it really depends on your familiarity with the notes on the page as well as your familiarity with music in general (i.e. harmonic progressions, scales, cadences, arpeggios, chords, ornamentation, rhythm, meter, key signatures, etc.).

Any tips to share?

1. Carefully look at and analyze the score before attempting to play it
2. Read each note slowly and carefully (but in rhythm) until you get the hang of it.
3. Try reading each clef individually if reading both clefs is too much of a challenge starting out (right hand alone/left hand alone)
4. The key thing is to identify patterns in the notation. If you can mentally group figures together into musical patterns instead of looking at them as individual notes, then you are progressing quite well.
5. Lastly, keep reading new music; the more diverse the better.

I am 19 years old is it too late to be pianist?

Not at all. I have friends who picked up the piano while in college who were dedicated and put the work in that became quite advanced before they graduated.

Hey,

Sight reading is a pretty important and useful skill for all musicians. It's not too hard to learn, if you're patient then you'll easily pick up on it. And 19 is definitely not too old to be a pianist, as long as you're passionate about music then you can be a musician

This is really good advice.