Hi
I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to sight read both bass and treble cleff at the same time...I mean what should I actually be doing eg: (looking ahead etc) I can play pieces around grade 8 standard but only by memory and when it comes to sight reading I have problems even playing the grade 1 pieces. I can sight read each hand seperately quite competently but both hands together is just too much info at once....and ive got a grade 5 exam soon...what standard is the sight reading like for that....can anyone help?
Thanks
Chris

hey, sight reading is really simple, actually. don't worry about what notes you're gonna play. don't concentrate on either the bass or treble, concentrate on both. most importantly, concentrate on the notes you are not sure of (eg: notes that are an octave higher, etc.) most importantly, play with passion, look out for dynamics and go slow if you feel you can't handle. i think what examiners look out for is are simply whether or not you play the right notes with the right dynamics. good luck! i hope this helps.

in the 30 secs you get to prepare for your sight reading, can you actually play around on the piano to get used to the piece first, or are you just supposed to stare at it, do nothing and get all nervous?

You can have a go during that time... it is a good idea to do so

I don't think it's neccessarily important to get all the notes right in sightreading, more important that you realise the spirit of the piece. For example, if a piece was marked 'allegro con brio' and you played all the right notes, but at a leisurely andante tempo without a hint of liveliness, you would get less marks than if you understood and communicated the character of a piece but with a few mistakes. dynamics are just something that add to the character, the effect created by the music, so these are almost as important as the notes themselves.

The most important thing is sight-reading is to keep going - the biggest mistake you can make is to repeat something to get the notes right, or to stop for ages to figure out something. Hitting the wrong note isn't as bad as stalling or repeating. Keeping going and just going for it is what got me a pass in my grade 6 exam (after failing 12/21 in grade 5).

If you want to be able to read two staves at once... its just practice I suppose. I think that grade 5 sight-reading is about grade 3 music, but I'm not sure.

What examiners are looking for is that you ignore your mistakes, and they'll pass you on your sightreading if you ignore the mistakes. Any good music shop will sell books which have sightreading tests in them. I just did my piano grade 2 last week, it went all good apart from my sightreading, I messed up the rythems (sp?), but I've probably passed that bit of my exam cause I didn't stop. If you stop the examiner has to fail you cause you can't start again otherwise your not exactly sight reading it. In your 30 secs look for any bit that you feel you will have trouble with, and pratice that. If you know you're going to get into trouble with the piece, play it slowly, cause I don't think they are looking for how fast you can play it. And before you start let the examiner know you are starting by counting out alound, and continue counting throughout your sightreading test.

Thank you all for your help and replies.
But still even at a very slow tempo I can't sight read both hands at once it really is too much info all at once. If I attempt to play without stopping, all of the notes go wrong not just a few and this is when I sight read pieces of around grade 2 standard.
Ive tried sightreading books but they are expensive and after Ive played through them for a while I get to know the pieces and that isnt sightreading anymore.
All of the pieces I know are from memory and looking at the music for them only makes me play worse I think the only thing that I can sight read properly and up to scratch are chord symbols.
My grade 5 is in February should I abandon all hope with the sight reading part?
Is there anyway I can miraculously get better in 2months? please dont say practice because I practise for about 1 to 2 hours each day.

May I know how many years have you been playing piano?

you seem very streesed out with all the sight reading!! well don't be... the more presure u put on urself. the harder it'll be, i know how you feel, sight reading was hard for me too but i managed to overcome it, why don't you try this ..... first start with sight reading 1 bar... just try doing 1 bar.... don't sight read using separate hands, use both hands and just sight read 1 bar, once ur able to sight read 1 bar try 2 upon being able to do so try 3 slowlly increasing your ability but don't sight read a piece bar by bar, start out with sight reading 1 bar then turn to another page and sight 2 bars, then turn to the following page and do 3 bars, so on and so forth... remember to keep a steady pulse, check time signature, key signature and always go for a suitable tempo, don't play it fast just because the performance directions tell you to, remember that ur sight reading therefore examiners don't ussually expect elaborate expresions, extensive show of articulation and so on, keep to your abilities, although attention to expresive details can give you more marks, you should not look at this to be so important as it isn't a basic requirement to pass. mistakes are very common in a sight reading exam, examiners rarely hear perfect attempts at such a test. such things as recognition of time and notes, lack of continuity and disregard for key can lead to a fail mark in your sight reading test. therefore, before u start, you should identify every note with an accidental, chose a suitable tempo and try out parts that seem 'tricky' to you, always remember to keep moving, don't look back and keep to your abilities. pratice should be gradual and regular but don't push your self too hard, calm down take it slowlly step by step, you can do it!! you'll soon find that sight reading is not that hard after all!!

I started about 4 years ago. I had lessons for 3 years then stopped for a while. I started lessons again about 7 months ago and Ive never been any good at sight reading.

Here is a different suggestion which I find helps with my pupils. To start with, just play the first chord of every bar. Get someone to count out loud, very slowly, so you don't have to think about keeping the timing. then everytime they say "1" play the chord on the first beat of the bar. As soon as you've played it get your hands ready for the next one. start with a piece in 4/4 so you have the longest time to prepare! When you can play the first beats, then do the piece again putting in 3rd beats as well. Force yourself to keep going and to look ahead. Finally put in as many nots in between as you can. It doesn't matter that it's not really sight-reading by this time - it really will help. The important thing to to be consciously looking ahead all the time, so start off as slowly as you need to - one beat every three seconds can be good! Although sightreading is about music you haven't seen before, it really does help to have second attenpts (or tenth or twentieth attempts) in your practice - and on different days, too. Good luck! Let us know if this method works for you.