Level 7 of 36 · Book I: Single lines
Sight-reading exercises in quarter notes, both clefs
The last level of book one puts it all together: mostly quarter notes, so a new note comes on every beat, with jumps up to a fifth in either hand, and the hands taking turns between the clefs.
- Hands take turns
- C major
- 4/4 time
- = 60 to start
8 different exercises, each 8 bars. Listen first, or play it yourself: the music waits for each note.
What level 7 adds
With a note on almost every beat, there is no long note to rest on while you read the next one. The melodies use steps, skips, fourths and fifths, and the hands hand over every two bars, both in C position.
What to watch for
- Reading one note ahead: while you play a note, your eyes should already be on the next one.
- Jumps in the bass clef: a fourth or fifth looks the same as in the treble clef, but the names differ.
- Half notes among the quarters: hold them for two beats even when the music around them is busy.
How to practise it
- Set a pace you can keep without stopping, even if that is slow. Playing on through a wrong note is the skill being practised.
- Use “Listen” first to hear how even the quarter notes should sound.
- If you stop often, go back to level 5 or 6 for a few exercises, then return.
Each exercise is new music, written for this level by the same generator the app uses, so you can’t have learned it by ear. Read it once before you play, keep a steady beat, and play on through mistakes. Play it yourself checks your notes from a MIDI keyboard, the mouse or your computer keys, and Print gives you the music alone, to read at the piano.
A new piece every day, at your level
Pianomi is the app these exercises come from. It listens to your MIDI keyboard, grades every note and every beat, and moves you up the 36 levels as your reading improves. It’s free.