Playing at Sight for Violinists...

...and Others in an Orchestra.

This is a chapter from the book on Sightreading by Syndney Twinn.

NECESSARY ATTRIBUTES.

"Musical appreciation is fostered much more by good sight-reading* than by slogging a few set pieces.” - Sir Herbert Brewer.

THERE is a story of a player who, when asked if he could read at sight, replied : “Oh, yes! but not at first sight.” This amusing retort, however, is nearer the truth than at first appears. When learning to read, as children, we might know the alphabet from A to Z, but it is not until we can recognise words, know their meaning and relationship to each other that we can read intelligently.

Similarly with the notation of music. It is possible to know every note on paper and every key on the piano, and yet not be able to read music. In order to read, the text should convey a definite impression to the brain, so that in turn that impression may be translated into sound. It will be seen, therefore, that in the case of music, in addition to the mental grasp of the text, three other attributes are essential, viz., the ability to choose suitable fingering, the necessary muscular or motor ability, and a good ear.

If a student stumble over a passage he is playing for the first time, supposing that he is technically equal to the task, it is because he fails, either aurally or rhythmically, to get a clear impression of the text.

Ex. 1

At sight, a violinist of average ability would hesitate in coming suddenly upon a passage like that at Ex. 1 above.

The difficulty is aural - uncertainty of intervals and pitch. The F flats and C flats are unfamiliar, and at a glance the player is hazy as to what intervals each forms with its adjacent notes, and consequently he bungles the fingering.

Sometimes, as in the present case, if a passage can be grasped enharmonically, it offers no difficulty.
Ex. 2


Ex. 3 Ex. 4

Many students would come to grief over such apparently simple passages as those at Ex. 3 and 4, when taken at a tempo too quick to be subdivided into quaver beats. The difficulty here is rhythmical. The notes form unfamiliar groups of time-values.

It will be seen from the foregoing examples how quite harmless-looking passages may be traps for the unwary.

If, however, the student make a thorough study of intervals and all possible combinations of note values (rhythmic groups), he should have no fear of meeting with difficult music involving either unusual intonation or tricky (rhythmic) figures.

Here it must be pointed out that the connecting links should receive as much consideration as the difficult passages themselves. Music is continually moving or progressing and to stop the march of the rhythm is to bring the hearers to earth with a bang.

We will now deal with each matter in turn and put the student in the way of becoming a first-rate sight-reader.