I'm currently working on my sight reading with the book "Super sight-reading secrets" by Howard Richman, but I’m stuck on Keyboard Orientation drill #5. Is there by any chance someone who can explain what i need to do here?

hi

As I understand it...............

Play each chord, without looking, hands together as follows.......

Eg: C major (ROOT POSITION) = C E G C with fingers (RH) 1 2 3 5 together with the same notes in the LH.

Eg: C major (ROOT POSITION) = C E G C with fingers 5 4 2 1.

Proceed up and back down the keyboard, feeling your way, using the black keys as a guide. Say the name of each chord as you play.

Next try C major FIRST INVERSION

Eg: RH E G C E with fingers 1 2 3 5 together with LH E G C E using fingers 5 4 2 1.

etc..

I hope this helps

oh yes, I get it now. Thanks for your help!

ur welcome.

How you finding the book? I worked through KO and VP 1-6 and am now on No 7 and 7a. I've lost my momentum a bit though and not doing it as often as I should. Some of the drills just take sooooooo long

I'm not quite sure yet. It has improved my ability to read pieces faster and I can find my way on the keyboard without looking to my hand much better now. However, sight-reading also includes thing like dynamics, articulation and phrasing and there it looks to me like it isn't doing much for those aspects. I also find the book very hard to read (English isn’t my first language). But then I only started practicing it in July, so I guess I have to stick to it a little longer.

Have you found some improvement in your sight-reading?

A little. Like you though, I really need to practice more. I found big improvements initially but from VP & KO 6 onwards, not very much, maybe that's why I am losing my motivation with it