Robin
long jumps (F1# D2 C3 C3)
One good way to get use to doing long jumps is start practicing wide intervals(4ths, 5th,....octaves, ...etc)
playing fast (for which I'm hoping there are a few things I can do other than just practising the final payload slowly)
This is where I am going to get flamed, but here it goes....
Every new piece/tune you learn should be done slowly, and should never be played faster than you are able to play it without a mistake.
This does not mean you should not try to play it faster. However, if you are playing at a given speed, and you start making mistakes, you
should play it at the fastest tempo you are able without mistakes. As you start to memorize and work out fingerings, speed will come.
Most issues I see with speed are memorization issues more than the physical aspect in most cases.(unless someone has a real physical problem of course)
Regardless what some will have you believe, the music you memorize is always to music you perform the best.
structuring my practice (I just play bits randomly - practising the first few bars, then the next few + the first few and so on)
Yes, that is a good practice to a point. However, you are playing a piece/tune, not measures. It is important to attempt putting it all together.
Remember, there are other factors involved besides zipping though the notes. You have to pace your breathing, work out articulation, working out rhythms, etc.....
The key in sight reading is learning a vocabulary, and recognizing what it looks like on paper. This goes for notes, and rhythm patterns. The more you do it, the more you memorize recognizable patterns, the more comfortable you will become with doing it! The only thing that makes a composition hard to play is a lack of knowledge of it.
That is my .20usd on the issue!
Phineas
