• From: Bellevue, Idaho
  • Registered: 2009-10-31
  • Posts: 57

Topic: Sight reading

Recently I've started practicing on my site reading. I don't really find anything online that isn't classical and occasionally, on the musical scores, I come across numbers above the notes. I've seen numbers like "2" or 4" and I've generally assumed that it stands for the finger you're supposed to use to press down on the fredboard to make the note.

But then I stared coming across numbers with an added negative sign such as "-2" or "-4"
I'm not too sure what this means. Could someone shed some light on this for me?
Maybe it has something to do with the position on the fret board your supposed to play the note (I.E. playing a note in second position rather then first). But this doesn't really make any sense to me, it wouldn't need a minus symbol to notate that. Would it?

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TheOnlyTaylor's Website

  • From: Bellevue, WA
  • Registered: 2006-06-15
  • Posts: 3,336

Re: Sight reading

Is this tablature?  Standard notation?  Nashville?  What are you actually reading from?

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jerome.oneil's Website

  • From: Probably Somewhere
  • Registered: 2010-12-09
  • Posts: 2,446

Re: Sight reading

If you're reading classical music that could indicate which finger to use on your picking hand (instead of PIMA). If you want something other than classical guitar music, try reading jazz melodies (buy a fake book), or violin/viola/cello parts. smile

  • From: Bellevue, Idaho
  • Registered: 2009-10-31
  • Posts: 57

Re: Sight reading

Actually, there's no tab. It's just the notes written out with two parts, a bass and a melody.

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TheOnlyTaylor's Website

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: Sight reading

I have a book by Lou Manzi "Fingerstyle" it is very similar and easy to follow I am not sure about the minus signs you mention but the numbers indicate which finger to press down and the pima (polgar or thumb,index,middle and Aguilar or little finger) are also indicated the minus is a mystery to me smile

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • From: Bellevue, Idaho
  • Registered: 2009-10-31
  • Posts: 57

Re: Sight reading

Eh, I won't worry about it. So far I've been playing most of the music in generic first position. I'm going to have to work through them in other positions (providing that they fit).

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TheOnlyTaylor's Website

  • Registered: 2011-08-26
  • Posts: 1

Re: Sight reading

Do you know that music sight reading skills and accompaniments skills are the two most important skills any pianist can possess?  Becoming an efficient piano or music sight reader takes a lot of practice. There are a few rules that will help speed up and improve your sight reading abilities.