Agree 100%... I am a bigginner and used to look at my hands more than the score... I reversed that... and now look at my hand less than 5%... I noticed a huge improvement navigating the keys - I make less mistakes - I play better... this is the way for me from now on! It also helps greatly playing the dynamics correctly...
As a very efficient computer keyboard typist from the age of 13, when you compared the two, that was a light bulb moment of inspiration and believability that I can play without looking at the keys. Thanks.
HI Louise- yes of course if it's something like that you have to look down. But the important thing is to look right back up again so that you don't lose your place in the music. Just do the best you can, Cheers
Are you referring to sight-reading? Kids are taught to play the keyboard, not master it. That is why they always look at their hands. Faber is always an excellent source for teaching beginners. Excellent material for sight reading. Mastering the keyboard is not mention. You did not have to look down once while playing. Your fingers and hands did not move that far in order for you to look. Developing muscle memory skills will resolve that. If you can't play a step, a jump, or a leap without looking at your hands, then how will covering the keyboard with a piece of cardboard make it any better?
Yes I use Faber- it's great. I don't mean to never look down. I think I mentioned that it's okay to look down if you have a jump or something, but as a general rule, you should focus on the page when sight-reading.
Hey Jason, i have the issue of looking at the piano sheet while playing, this is just the last piece of Alfred level one book, which is Amazing Grace, but throughout my learning, i have faced the issue and i loose a second or two, then the whole piece doesn't sound the way it should .... though you say that one should not look at the piano keys, but one has to exactly know the notation and should know the which fingers to be placed on which keys while playing ... hope you got what am explaining. So how does one come across this issue? ..... I can figure our the right hand notation/keys, left hand i have to sometimes look at down on the keys...
I am preparing for my grade 5 piano exam and I screw up whenever I look on the sheet music. Getting very frustrated when I have already nailed down the whole song.
This happens to me when I have already learned a piece and memorised it somewhat.. to then start using the score...it doesn't work.. my rule now (as a beginner) is to use that rule... only 5% or less looking down from the first go at learning a new piece...I tried it and such an enormous benefit
