CLASSICAL GUITAR LESSONS AUCKLAND with John Wakelin MMus, GradDipTchg
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    • Musical Literacy Amongst Guitar Students >
      • Introduction
      • A Closer Look at Reading Music
      • The Student's Perspective
      • The Development Of An Effective Pedagogy
      • Summary & References
      • Appendix A
      • Appendix B
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MUSICAL LITERACY AMONGST GUITAR STUDENTS - Pt. 5

by John Wakelin

Summary

The ability to read music is an important skill for all musicians to have, and a deficiency in this aspect of music amongst guitarists is something that can severely limit their possibilities for the future. The use of a rationale will hold the guitar student’s attention temporarily, but there needs to be light at the end of the tunnel for the student, and if the process takes too long there is a strong possibility that the student may quit and return to the easier path of tablature. It is vitally important that the process of learning to read music is completed as quickly and efficiently as possible, which is why careful thought needs to be given when considering the best music reading methods and how best to implement them during lessons.

The conclusions drawn from this study are as follows:

  • Pitch and rhythm should be taught separately using different approaches.

  • Rhythm is an important foundation to reading music and should be taught first.

  • The use of tonal patterns when teaching pitch is beneficial.

  • Saying the note names as they are read and played reinforces the reading abilities.

  • Students should be taught to read ahead in the music.

  • The use of a carefully constructed rationale is essential.

Guitar lessons that are constructed around these principles and delivered in fun and engaging ways stand the best chance of success, and the introduction of good sight-reading techniques in the initial stages will lay a strong foundation for a musically literate future.

References

Boyle, J.D. 1970. The effects of prescribed rhythmical movements on the ability to read music at sight. Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 18, 307-318.

Drake, C., and Palmer, C. 2000. Skill acquisition in music performance: Relations between planning and temporal control. Cognition, Vol. 74, 1-32.

Elliott, C.A. 1982. The identification and classification of instrumental performance sight- reading errors. Journal of Band Research, Vol. 18, No. 1, 36-42.

Fasanaro, A.M., Spitaleri, D. L. A., Valiani, R., Grossi, D. 1990. Dissociation in Musical Reading: A Musician Affected by Alexia without Agraphia. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol. 7, No. 3, 259-272.

Goolsby, T.W. 1994a. Eye movement in music reading: Effects of reading ability, notational complexity, and encounters. Music Perception, Vol. 12, No. 1, 77-96.

Goolsby, T.W. 1994b. Profiles of processing: Eye movements during sight-reading. Music Perception, Vol. 12, No. 1, 97-123.

Green, L. 2006. Popular music education in and for itself, and for "other" music: Current research in the classroom. International Journal of Music Education, Vol. 24, No. 2, 101-118.

Grutzmacher, P.A. 1987. The effect of tonal pattern training on the aural perception, reading recognition, and melodic sight-reading achievement of first-year instrumental music students. Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 35, No. 5, 171-181.

Gudmundsdottir, H.R. 2010. Advances in music-reading research. Music Education Research, Vol. 12, No. 4, 331-338.

Gudmundsdottir, H.R. 2010a. Pitch error analysis of young piano students’ music reading performances. International Journal of Music Education, Vol. 28, No. 1, 61-70.

Henson, R. A. 1977. Further observations on the neurology of music: music notation and pitch discrimination. British Medical Journal, Vol. 1, 1121-1125.

Jang, H. 2008. Supporting students’ motivation, engagement, and learning during an uninteresting activity. Journal of Educational Psychology, Vol. 100, No. 4, 798-811.

MacKnight, C. B. 1975. Music Reading Ability of Beginning Wind Instrumentalists after Melodic Instruction. Journal of Research in Music Education, Vol. 23, No. 1, 23-34.

Sloboda, J. A. 1974. Music reading and prose reading: some comparisons of underlying perceptual processes. Unpublished, Ph.D. thesis. University of London.

Sloboda, J. A. 1976. Visual perception of musical notation: Registering pitch symbols in memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, Vol. 28, 1-16.
Click to continue - Appendix A

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  • ABOUT THE LESSONS
  • GUITAR TEACHER
  • VIDEO/AUDIO
  • TIPS & TRICKS
    • Where Can I Find A Good Guitar Teacher?
    • Are Group Guitar Lessons Cheaper Than Solo Lessons?
    • Buying A Guitar
    • How Much Practice Do I Need To Do?
    • Should I Sit Guitar Exams?
    • Musical Literacy Amongst Guitar Students >
      • Introduction
      • A Closer Look at Reading Music
      • The Student's Perspective
      • The Development Of An Effective Pedagogy
      • Summary & References
      • Appendix A
      • Appendix B
  • FREE SHEET MUSIC
    • FREE SHEET MUSIC - Classical Guitar >
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar Duo
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar Trio
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar Quartet
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar and Cello
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar and Flute
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar and Mandolin
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar and Piano
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar and Violin
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar and Voice
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar, Flute and Viola
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Guitar, Violin and Viola
      • FREE SHEET MUSIC for Various Ensemble
    • FREE SHEET MUSIC - Piano >
      • Bach, Johann Sebastian >
        • Bach, Johann Sebastian - Fantasias, Sonatas, Toccatas, Variations & Miscellaneous
        • Bach, Johann Sebastian - Inventions, Sinfonias & Duettos
        • Bach, Johann Sebastian - Preludes & Fugues
        • Bach, Johann Sebastian - Suites and Partitas
        • Bach, Johann Sebastian - The Well-Tempered Clavier
      • Beethoven, Ludwig van >
        • Beethoven, Ludwig van - Piano Sonatas
        • Beethoven, Ludwig van - Piano Variations
        • Beethoven, Ludwig van - Bagatelles
      • Chopin, Frederic >
        • Chopin, Frederic - Ballades
        • Chopin, Frederic - Etudes
        • Chopin, Frederic - Impromptus
        • Chopin, Frederic - Mazurkas
        • Chopin, Frederic - Miscellaneous
        • Chopin, Frederic - Nocturnes
        • Chopin, Frederic - Polonaises
        • Chopin, Frederic - Preludes
        • Chopin, Frederic - Rondos & Scherzos
        • Chopin, Frederic - Piano Sonatas
        • Chopin, Frederic - Waltzes
      • Debussy, Claude
      • Haydn, Franz Joseph >
        • Haydn, Franz Joseph - Sonatas
      • Liszt, Franz >
        • Liszt, Franz - Piano Studies
      • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus >
        • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Piano Sonatas
        • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Piano Variations
        • Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus - Piano Miscellaneous
      • Rachmaninoff, Sergei >
        • Rachmaninoff, Sergei - Etudes Tableaux
        • Rachmaninoff, Sergei - Miscellaneous
        • Rachmaninoff, Sergei - Preludes
        • Rachmaninoff, Sergei - Piano Sonatas
      • Satie, Erik
      • Schubert, Franz >
        • Schubert, Franz - Piano Dances
        • Schubert, Franz - Piano Sonatas
        • Schubert, Franz - Piano Miscellaneous
  • CONCERTS
  • CONTACT