Connecting theory, rhythm and sight-reading with your playing
In this Ask the Faculty video, Lona Kozik responds to five questions on practical musicianship. She considers how a self-taught pianist can begin understanding musical structure and harmony, how to develop a reliable internal pulse, how to put theory to work at the keyboard and how to make sight-reading more manageable by prioritising rhythm, reading in layers and recognising patterns.
Questions answered
00:00 – As a self-taught learner, what’s the best way to start understanding musical structure and harmonic analysis?
05:28 – My main problem is keeping a steady pulse when I perform without the metronome. I speed up in the parts I know well and slow down in the less secure parts. I can play in time with the metronome, but how do I develop a reliable internal pulse without it?
14:45 – I’ve done quite a bit of theory, and I know it’s supposed to be important, but I still don’t really know what difference it should make when I’m sitting at the piano. How can I actually use what I know?
25:45 – Two related questions on sight-reading:
My sight-reading has always been terrible, and sometimes I wonder whether it’s just something some people can do and others can’t. Can you actually learn to become a good sight-reader, and if so, where do you start?
When I try to sight-read, there just seems to be too much to take in at once: two hands, rhythm, notes and so on. Is there a way of breaking it down so it feels less overwhelming?
Develop Your Musicianship with Lona
Discover The Well-Rounded Keyboard Player, an eight-week course bringing music theory, ear training, sight reading and keyboard harmony together to help you connect what you see, hear, understand and play.