Do you think I'll be able to learn reading sheet music in two days?

Alright, I have a talent for music, and I do play very often on various instruments.
The problem is, I'm gonna go on a rehearsal or whatever on a music school in two days, and you're required to handle prima vista (i.e. ability to read and play music at the same time) over there.
I'm training right now, and, well, it doesn't seem completely hopeless - I can handle this prima vista a little bit, although I often have to stop for a few seconds and check things.
My reading sheet music is comparable to a seven-year-old trying to read words.

Do you think I can finish this in two days? :)

I can't, you might be able to.....If you were Satan.

If you can't read music to begin with you won't be able to do it in two days.

If you can read music in theory I don't know what the problem is.

Ergo it makes most sense to say you won't be able to read music in two days.

Peter_20, when things get tough and you're not sure if you can go on, if your hope is fading and you don't know where to turn to, please just remember this: I believe in you. I've watched you for many moons now, and I know you have what it takes.

Good luck, Peter. Justice always prevails.

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Originally Posted by Pureghetto

If you can't read music to begin with you won't be able to do it in two days.

If you can read music in theory I don't know what the problem is.

Ergo it makes most sense to say you won't be able to read music in two days.

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Well, I can interpret sheet music and so on, the only problem is that I find it hard to read it AND play it at the same time.

You're more or less screwed. It takes a decent amount of time to learn to do that. I suggest you get practicing now if you want any hope of doing it.

In two days? No.

I guess this is one of those days when I manage to get into some kind of fight with exactly everyone. :eep:

Oh well, I actually seem to have made some progress already - it is easier now that an hour before, anyway.

So, uh, why would you sign up for this if you needed something you couldn't do? Or why didn't you start this earlier if you signed up for it earlier?

All-in-all, this sounds like a pretty lame thing.

In this particular situation, referring to "Parasites Lost" is probably the best thing to do. Go pick up that Holophonor!

This is not like learning Omni Slash where you get a bag of it from some random arena and you know it all of a sudden. :(

EDIT: and I alway wonder why Omni Slash come in a bag form. :screwy:

It's a manual which you make the characters read. That's why they say "I don't understand this" or something like that if you give it to the wrong person, or before they know all the other limits.

That also shows that they don't just suddenly get it, but need extensive knowledge about fighting before they understand how to do them.

It must be that knot on that bag, they really do need some extensive knowledge before they can untie it and consume it. :(

EDIT: I mean, it is pretty hard to untie a knot with those kind of hands they have! :whimper:

if you could learn the music in advance with sheet music and submit most of it to memory so you can glance at the sheet music for reminders, that would work depending on how good you are but if its completely new to you it doesn't look good. give it time.

boys from the dwarf has a good point if that option is available to you. If not then i would say you may struggle. Do you know how long the piece is? or any information about what it is. Fortunately a lot of music follows similar patterns so if you are familiar with similar pieces that may help (for example Pagannini's caprices tend to have similar ideas or a lot of Bach's work) try to familiarise youself with common patterns in the style it will be (again if you know what style it will be).

Beyond that, good luck, give it a shot you have nothing to lose. And go to the doctor when you get back. :)

The odds go down every second you spend asking for the opinions of people on the internet.

you're in good shape then. I could read pretty fluently when I was seven. I read things like chapter 1 of A Tale of Two Cities, Catharine Called Birdy, many babysitters club books, and grimm's fairy tales.

Sheet music is easy, just take it one clef at a time until you're fantastic. (the treble/right hand clef is usually the one with the melody and I tend to think it's more important)

Every Good Boy Does Fine! FACE (notes on lines, notes in spaces on treble F clef)

Good Boys Do Fine Always! All Cows Eat Grass! (notes on lines, notes in spaces in bass G clef!)

well, that's what they told me in piano lessons xD

The best thing is to practice. I assume you know all your sharps, flats, accidentals, double flats, double sharps, key changes, tempo changes, style changes, dynamics, etc?

In my high school band, we sight read a lot...As long as you have the basic concepts (i.e. tempo changes, key signature changes, style changes, dynamics, rhythms) down, it shouldn't be too difficult =]

How is your progress now?

What instrument are you focusing on? If you're going for Piano, then that's a tall order for 2 days. Even for other instruments that only use one stave, it would be difficult to get it down completely in just 2 days.

When you say you have a 'talent for music', I assume you mean you play stuff by ear. The most basic part of reading sheet music is recognizing the notes themselves. If you are focusing on one instrument for this thing, you need to know what the notes on the instrument itself are if you don't already. That way, when you are reading music, you can translate the dots-and-dashes on a page to where your fingers should go, and it might help in the sight reading process.

Talking about 7 year olds reading :P I was reading music when I was 7. My first instrument was a recorder. I've been off-and-on with music since then, right now I'm in a military band doing regular engagements (not with my recorder though). It's something that gets more natural with time (which it seems you don't have), so sight reading will be a chore if you have to think about every little thing.

If you are *that* good at playing by ear, there may be a chance that they will have whatever song there for you to listen to. (I don't know, just hopeful guessing.) If you can play it successfully after listening to it, it may earn you a consideration (instead of outright acceptance).

Don't know how long you've known about this audition, but to try to do something as vital as reading music effectively in 2 days is a lot of hard work. Can't say it's impossible though. I'm assuming this school is not a kid's school, so they'd expect you to be able to do this sort of stuff by now. Do your best, and whatever happens you'll be able to learn from it.

Given your incompetence, lack of confidence and initiative in other matters - NO.

EDIT: You can be a little more tactful when responding next time. -Murder

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Originally Posted by Nominus Experse

Given your incompetence, lack of confidence and initiative in other matters - NO.

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burn

If the music you're working with is ridiculously easy, then yes. If not, then no. There are so many freaking rules to reading sheet music, I still don't understand them all. Especially since most of them are in Italian, like play "elegantly" or play with a "stacato" or whatever. You also have to know how to interpret styles that the music wants you to interpret. It's not exactly something you can just learn off of one sheet of music, you'll have to research several songs in order to get the hang of sheet music. If you sight read something, you may find something that'll totally throw you off and you end up playing the song wrong.

So my answer is, no. I've played the violin since 5th grade and there's always something new for me to learn when it comes to sheet music. And I'm not talking about something to learn as in the difficult aspect of a specific song, but things in sheet music regarding style, note values, etc.

Anyway, good luck with the attempt.

Time's UP!

yeah you can. Reading music is easy.

But then, i've been doing it since i learn't how to read normally, so my opinion might be a little skewed.
:roll:

Sight reading (i.e, reading and playing something for the first time without any preparation) is always tough, but it *can* be learned. It's all about anticipation: You've got to check the time and key signatures immediately to know what you're in for, and always try to read several notes ahead of where you're playing, so that you don't stumble or hesitate at every bar.
Not always easy, but by no means impossible either.