Reading piano notes while playing.?

Question

I'm a intermediate piano player. I've already took 1 1/2 years of piano and I can play pretty well.
Now most of the songs in my schools piano book aren't really popular songs, their very very old songs or lullabies or whatever.
I can sight read those songs no problem.

But when i'm playing advanced songs such as Utada Hikaru's piano version of "First Love". I find myself needing to look at the piano keys rather than the notes. I mean I can play it by heart but sometimes i'll forget notes and mess up, thats why i really want to play that song by sight reading and not heart. Any tips.

ps: if your a piano player and havent heard "first love (piano version). you gotta hear it, lovely song.

Answer 1

Well, knowing exactly where keys are on the piano when looking at music is really something that develops over time. I've been playing for 13 years and sometimes I still need to look at the keyboard to get my bearings.

To help yourself with this, practise technique. Scales, chords, arpeggios, the whole bit. This will help you to familiarize your mind, and your hands, with the piano keyboard.

That being said; it's common practise, and also expected, for pianists to NOT use music when performing. Which means; you gotta learn how to memorize sometime.

The best way to memorize is to analyze the music. When you're nervous, or when you're thinking about the music, muscle memory is the first to go, so you need to rely on your brain. Knowing that lets say, you start with a C major chord, and then move to a G major will help you more than just knowing how it sounds and how it feels to play.

When you are practising without music and you forget a note, stop and look at your music to see what you're supposed to be playing, but look at it in context. Where is the note coming from and where is it going to? Lets say you're missing a G at the beginning of a bar, and right before that G is an F and right after is an A. This is simple, it's just part of a scale. F-G-A. Now you won't forget.

Look for stuff like that to help you memorize. Other ideas can include looking for sequences (the same musical material and intervals that's just repeated on different notes), or rhythmic patterns.

I prefer playing without music, and I generally prefer when others do as well. When people play without music, there is a greater emotional presence to the piece, and the player is often listening more to the music, for they are not focusing on reading music on a page.

Answer 2

I think this is normal for an intermediate player. I wouldn't worry about it. I'll venture to say even advanced players look at the keys from time to time.

Answer 3

well,just try to practice more and don't worry!
mayb somedae you might find yourself just memorizing it all!=)