Basic CD/DVD

[RedBottom]

I have a work colleague who doesn't play sax, but who sings in an a cappella choir and is just learning how to read music. She doesn't actually learn this at practice but is having to pick it up as she goes.

I've given her some basic, printed material, which she says she's finding useful, but she's still having some problems. Typical of these problems is the fact that she thought, until I corrected her, that if notes are printed more widely spaced apart, they have to be sung for longer (I guess we were all there at some point).

I spent half an hour today explaining to her how to count beats and half beats, the difference between a slur, a tie and a fermata (didn't understand why sometimes she has to change notes when she sees 'that line' and other times she doesn't) and why 'tails up' notes have stems that stick right up into the air, and what does that mean (she's trying to read SATB scoring here). There's only so much I can teach her with neither a keyboard nor my ... ahem ... delightful singing voice to hand, and I wondered if any of you can recommend a CD or DVD that could illustrate these basics to her. You know, something where she can have something explained, then listen to an example and follow it on a printed page.

All suggestions welcome. We work for a library service, so anything published in the UK, we'd probably be able to get the service to buy for loan.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jadoube]

I stored this site some while ago, never really looked at it but it seems to have basics and an option to listen as well as simply read the lessons.

Not a CD but perhaps its a start.


Site

(URL code fixed by admin)

 

[losaavedra]

As a long-term non-reader I've been looking at different ways to relate 'what I hear' to what it looks like written down. The best I've found so far is Band In A Box that for many different musical styles can show the score in a kind of 'Karaoke' fashion, highlighting each note as it sounds. Very useful to have sound and vision at the same time to get a handle on timing etc. Worth a look if not seen already.

 

[RiceBag]

Hi Red,

I play by ear but 3 days ago I took a sheet of music of a song that I like and am familiar with.

I am at the FACE is the space, and All Good Boys Deserve Fudge level.

What I did I took the scan of the music, and using Photo Shop, I went and wrote each note letter for the whole song.

Pretty soon I was kind of learning where each note went.

When I finished, the song sounded a little strange, and that's because I did not know that the # next to the 'clef' meant that some particular notes were all sharp. The song was in A.

Also, that was only for reading the melody part. I did find that reading the chords is a little harder, but I' am to new. I did find that the chords are in a different 'clef''.

One thing I did not like about notation is that a note sometimes is in a space and some times it's in a line, when going over or under the Five lines.

But then again, I did realize that this notation is meant for 'sight' reading, i.e., reading patterns.

If it's not for that, I just can't conceive that people can 'read' all the information on a bit by bit basis, AND at the same time, enact it with hands, feet, and VOICE, for those who sing.

So, my redundant suggestion is to start with a song that is easy and familiar, and there are plenty of MIDI files in the web.

The Vanbasco Karaoke player also shows the piano keys playing, and one can slow the tempo to one's wishes, plus one can change the pitch, and that software is completely free, and there's none better even for money, so far.

Also, there are some inexpensive Yamaha keyboards that are oriented to teaching/learning, which do show the pentagram as one plays, or as one learns a loaded song. I don't have one of those, but I should.

But from my little experience, I can see how note-reading beats anything.