Transcript STEP - Patricia Carter

Eyes on The Music, Not the Keyboard
Patricia Carter-Zagorski
University of Tennessee- Knoxville, Tennessee USA
Abstract: This sight-reading method teaches collegiate secondary piano students
to sight-read, interpret, and play keyboard music without muscular tension by
looking only at the music, not the keyboard. Students will develop a tactile
awareness of the twelve major five-finger patterns in order to sight-read music
without looking down at the keyboard. The secret to the universal problem of
looking down at the keyboard is to read/play a printed illustration of 12
keyboards. Each keyboard has a major 5 finger pattern where the fingering
placement is ergonomically positioned and serves as a guide for a relaxed and
energized hand position on the keyboard.
This student is learning
to feel his way around
the real keyboard by
only looking at the
illustrated keyboard that
indicates the position of
the fingering in each
hand.
STEP !:
Recognize the twelve major five-finger patterns by finger-feeling the black key patterns
without looking at the keyboard
The first step is to feel where the black and white keys are in relation to each other on
the keyboard. The two black keys are surrounded by the white keys of C, D, E, and the
three black keys are surrounded by F, G, A, and B.
In terms of black keys and white keys, the D and Db major five-finger patterns are the
reverse image of each other. D has 1 black key and 4 white keys while Db has 1 white key
and 4 black keys. This reverse concept also applies to the other major 5-finger patterns
(except C and G).
An interpretative technique to use with the five-finger patterns are various levels of
dynamics, articulations, tempos and independence of hands as the students fingermemorize the 12 major patterns.
( place above the keyboards on slide #4)
The placement of fingering patterns on the keyboards below illustrates the natural hand
and wrist positions similar to the ergonomic computer keyboard.
Major Five-Finger Technical Warm-up Patterns
STEP 2:
The next step is to sight-read five-finger patterns on the grand staff. Just as a
typist becomes familiar with keyboard of a word processor, piano students
become familiar with the piano keyboard by learning to recognize groups of
notes on the grand staff. Once students know how to play the patterns, they
can easily recognize them on a page of music and play them without staring
at their fingers.
The following is an example of the major five-finger patterns
written on a grand staff.
Step 3:
Sight-read the following two excerpts from
Between Sleep and Waking by Stanley Fletcher and The Race by John Thompson
1 First analyze the right hand and left hand patterns of chords and five-finger
patterns.
2. Place your fingers on the highest and lowest notes in both the right hand and
left hand in the following musical excerpt.
3. Now play this piece while observing the tempo, poetic spirit, and dynamics.
The melodic and harmonic analyze of the first 8 bars of The Race, by John Thompson, are to
be read rather fast and with rhythmic continuity.
Measure 1 and 2 can be read in one glance by placing the R.H. fingers on the lowest and
highest notes.
Measure 3 in one glance.
Measure 4 in one glance.
Measure 5 to 8 in three glances.
Reprinted by Permission of Hal Leonard Corpoation