Piano Questions

“Touch sensitivity levels”

Hello Graham & co.

I am going to buy a new digital piano and connect it to my computer and use
some virtual instruments I have bought. I will connect the piano via MIDI to
the computer’s USB port.

I know there different digital pianos have different levels of touch
sensitivity, for example Yamaha ydp-141 has three levels (soft, medium and
hard). Does touch sensitivity matter also when I connect via MIDI? Or maybe
MIDI is the same no matter which digital piano it is played on, meaning that
the computer software determines how many levels of touch sensitivity I get?

I hope you know the answer to my question.

Thank you for some great guides on the site.

Best regards
Philip Dam, Denmark

Reply/ Hi Philip

Touch sensitivity relates to the number of volume
levels you can get from each note. For example:
p, mf, f is 3 levels.

5 levels is a good number to aim for, but 4 is
enough for most levels of playing.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

Graham Howard, Piano Adviser

Send me an email if you have any questions or need advice: grahamhoward@ukpianos.co.uk
Or call 020 8367 5107

 

“How many touch sensitivity levels on the Yamaha CLP340?”

Hi Graham,

I’ve actually already finished your book and thank you I found it very informative.

There is one thing I wasn’t clear on and that’s around the levels of touch sensitivity. For example a piano that looks ideal for me us the Yamaha CLP340PE – I know it has three levels of sampled volumes from their concert grand, but have no idea how many levels of actual touch sensitivity the keys have. The Yamaha website casts no light on the subject. Six levels would make sense, do you know how many levels the keys of a CLP340 has? …and how many levels do you think is enough?

Many Thanks,
Guy

Reply/ Hi Guy

The Yamaha CLP340 has 5 levels of touch sensitivity.
This is enough for up to grade 8.

4 levels would be enough for up to grade 6 or 7.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

“What does “brilliance” refer to? What is “scale tuning”?”

Also, there are a few terms that I cannot find reference for in your article. I’d really appreciate
it if you would help define them:

What does “brilliance” refer to? What is “scale tuning”?

Finally, do you see any disadvantages of having a display screen (i.e. more likely to break, more
difficult to deal with, etc.)?

Thanks SO much!

Fritz

Reply/ Hi Fritz

The ‘brilliance’ feature can alter the piano’s sound…

It can make it more, or less brilliant.

A brilliant sound is one of extreme clarity. It’s
very rich, bright, piercing and full of vibrance –
like the sound of a trumpet fanfare.

Scale tuning could mean a number of things. Commonly
it refers to the type of tuning. The piano is tuned
to an ‘equal temperament’ scale.

Other scales that were once common but rarely used
today are the ‘meantone’ scale, ‘pythagorean’ and
‘just intonation’.

It’s unlikely you’d make use of the ‘scale tuning’
feature.

A display screen – like the one on the Roland HPi
series pianos – might be useful if you’ve got
young children learning to play…

This type of display screen has many musical games
that teach children the names of notes, pitch,
rhythm, and how it all relates to the piano’s keys.
(But you can get these online for free anyway).

Other types of display screen can be found on
pianos that have hundreds of functions. Pianos
like the Yamaha CVP range.

A display screen is necessary here because there
just isn’t enough space on the piano to put all
the buttons… And it’s supposed to make
navigation simpler (well, simpler for those born
into a world of mobile phones, Nintendo Wii,
iPods, iPads, iTouch, and i-everything else).

But, on the other hand, it’s really one extra
thing that can go wrong, or suffer accidental
damage.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

“What does it mean 4-6 levels of touch sensitivity?”

Hi Graham.

We have Yamaha CVP-3 Clavinova, which my son is busy learning piano on; it has 76 keys, so not quite full size. As he is learning grade 4, we are wondering whether to buy a better piano for further grades.

A friend has lent us your book, so I am busy studying it. I have one question so far, about touch sensitive keys. In your book you say that good digital pianos have between 4 and 6 levels of loudness. Do you mean:
a) The volume that comes out the speaker can only be at 4 to 6 different levels (if you keep the volume control fixed).
or
b) Depending on how hard/fast you play a key, the volume is much more varied, but the sampled sound will come from one of 4 to 6 different samples? I know that the more expensive pianos don’t record one sample of sound per key and just change the volume. They take several different recordings of each key, played at different loudnesses and choose which sample to use based on how hard you play a key. Is this what you mean by the
4 to 6 levels? I would have expected lots of different volumes as the MIDI standard specifies velocities from 0 to 127.

I have looked at the MIDI messages that are produced by our Clavinova when I play middle C at various loudnesses and the velocity value varies from 1 to
92 (with a good hefty thump). It looks to me like the MIDI messages are produced with loads of different velocity values, so potentially the volume of sound produced could vary much more than 4 to 6 steps, if that was the way it was designed.

Cheers
Don.

Reply/ Hi Don

Most digital pianos have between 3 and 5
dynamic levels. This means that you can
only get a maximum of 5 volume levels for
each key. Usually pp, mp, mf, f and ff.

The memory simply isn’t large enough to
allow for more levels…

To increase the size of the memory is
expensive. And this would increase the
prices of the pianos considerably.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

“Escapment feature”

Hi Graham,

Your guide to buying digital piano is great (thank you very much for making it available) but can I just say that I feel what you wrote about the escapement feature is misleading (I think – I’m barely an expert as I’ve just learnt about the escapement yesterday.

I’ve got an 8 year old girl who’s been having piano lessons at the teacher’s upright piano for almost three years now and practices at home on a keyboard that’s touch sensitive but the keys are not weighted. We’ve said we would buy her an upright piano if she remains interested in playing and that time has now come. Alas, we can’t afford a new piano and even a good used one is out of out budget, especially when one thinks of the transport costs and tuning cost, and whether our floor would sustain its weight without us having to reinforce it first, etc. etc.

We then considered a digital piano as her teacher said any digital with weighted keys and pedals will do for her to practice for the piano exams. But when we took her to a high street shop she hated the smooth key action of the Yamaha and said only acoustic piano is good enough. After trying 20 pianos in the shop we finally came across Roland HP 302 with escapement feature and she actually liked it and said she would be happy for us to buy it (there were other Rolands, of course, but this one is more in our budget bracket and probably the only one we could consider). She said she really liked the feel of the escapement and it reminded her of the mechanical action of acoustic piano keys.

I’ve also read in your Guide that Roland sound is preferred by most professional pianists, which made me wonder if this is also because it reminds them of the acoustic piano?
I just felt I should say something as many people out there like me who know nothing about digital pianos would probably find it helpful to know that the escapement (although a flaw) is preferred by some people. I’ve certainly found forums online where some people love and some hate the escapement feature of Rolands.

Nena

Thanks for an interesting digital piano guide book

One area which I thought might benefit from more detail (and please correct me if I’m wrong, I’m new to this) is regarding the description of the difference in feel of a graded hammer action vis a vis a graded non-hammer action, as you refer only to the difference in weighting from the low notes to the high notes, which is also present in a graded non-hammer action.

In a non-hammer action, the underside of the struck key approaches a sensor at some variable velocity which determnes the loudness of the note.

In a hammer action (as I understand it), the struck key imparts momentum to a ballistic hammer, i.e. a hammer which moves on, free of the key, to strike the string or sensor. This means that a sharp short-distance tap on the key may send the hammer all the way to the string or sensor, whereas the non-hammer action requires the key always to move all the way to the sensor.

I imagine that this is what gives the hammer action its different feel, otherwise what is the point of having a hammer action on an electronic keyboard? On a string piano, ballistic hammers are necessary so that a key when held down does not damp the string, the hammer will reach the string only if given sufficient momentum, but this would not be a problem on an electronic keyboard.

John

“Are you able to advise of likely valuation for my Casali piano accordian?”

I have recently inherited from my Father a Casali Piano Accordian (Verona Italia). It has a 20 keys keyboard on one side and 3 rows of 12 buttons on the other side. I have no idea of the age of this instrument but it is in exceptional condition.

Are you able to advise of likely valuation of such an instrument or perhaps the best method of selling?

Regards

Robert Wardley

Answer/ Hi Robert

I have seen the majority of Casale piano accordions selling on eBay for around £30-£60.

I am sorry I cannot offer you any more information.

You can sell your accordion on the ukpianos.co.uk Piano Market. We have recently added a piano accordion section.

Regards,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

“Can you please advise appropriate amplifier to boost Yamaha P70 keyboard.”

Speakers OK at home but I want to take it to a hall once a month, just to play for a group of people, without drums or guitars, etc.  Needn’t be too loud, as a good average acoustic piano would be the right sort of volume.  The Yamaha just isn’t quite enough.  Must also be portable, so not heavier than about 12 kgs.

Thanks for your help.
Sue Hedge

Hi Sue

Answer/
From my experience I recommend the Roland KC60. This is
the most popular amp.
The Roland KC60 weighs around 12.5 KG and gives a 40 watt
output which is ample for a small hall.

You can read more about it here: www.ukpianos.co.uk/roland-kc60

I’m looking for a dustcover to cover my Yamaha P70…

But can’t seem to find one recommended for that particular series, which one would do?

Thanks, Alison Rose

Answer/Hi Alison
The Classenti CKC5 is the dust cover recommended for the Yamaha P70.
You can check it out here: classenti-ckc5

Regards,
Graham Howard

“Will moving a piano put it out of tune?”

Best regards, Darren

Answer/ Hi Darren

Moving a piano will almost certainly put it out of tune. The further the piano is moved, the more it will usually go out of tune.

A lot does depend on how the piano is moved as well. If it has to go on its end, or over a balcony etc. I advise to get it tuned about 1 month after it has been moved. The piano needs to get used to its new environment.

Regards,
Graham Howard

“Will my floorboards take the weight of my piano upstairs?”

Question/  I am thinking of renting a piano and was pleased to find your website.  Can you please advise me whether a piano would need to be situated on the ground floor of my house?  I have limited space downstairs and would prefer to practice in an upstairs bedroom but I’m worried my floorboards will not take the weight.  My house is new build.

Any guidance you can give me would be gratefully appreciated.

Kind regards, Sharon Morris

Reply/

Hi Sharon

If you are worried about your floorboards taking the weight, then
the answer would be to go for a digital piano.

It is always best to have a piano on the ground floor rather than
upstairs because moving pianos upstairs can be quite costly.

If your piano absolutely must go upstairs then you need to find
the smallest piano available. Something around 108-110cm tall
is a lot easier to move upstairs.

We may have some small pianos available for rent at the moment.
If you give our shop a call on 020 8367 2080 someone should be
able to help you.

You can find out more about our piano rental programme here: Piano Rental

Regards,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

“Is the ivory-feel keyboard porous and susceptible to dirt?”

Hi Graham

I’ve just subscribed to your digital piano guide and had a look through your website– fantastic resources which I feel very lucky to have come across.

I’m an experienced pianist, living in a very small studio, and am considering buying the Roland F140R, (largely because it is so compact but also because I quite like the tone).   One thing that pops up in various blogs is some claims that the ivory-feel keyboard is quite porous and susceptible to dirt etc.    Is this a common issue in your experience ? My studio is in central London so we get a fair bit of traffic dust etc.

Thanks so much for your help

Jane

Reply/ Hi Jane

I’m sure there are some isolated cases, but I’ve
not heard any great number of complaints
about the synthetic ivory key tops.

You should be OK with this in your London studio.
Just dust off the keys from time to time, and
keep the lid closed when you’re not using the piano.

Yours pianistically

Graham Howard

 

“My fingers slip off the keys. Do you recommend plastic or sythnetic ivory key tops?”

Many thanks for your note. Your 64-page report is very useful.

The dealers in my area sell Yamaha or Roland, and I am trying to decide
between the Roland 603, CLP 635 and CLP 645. I haven’t seen or played the
340, but my budget might stretch to it. Before I received your report, I
tested a CLP 635. Today I checked out a Roland 603, and ran your report’s
6 tests, which came off all right.

One other thing I tried which wasn’t very successful was to drum 3 or 4
fingers successively and rapidly and on the same note (with fingering
usually written as 5-4-3-2). I remember playing finger exercises on that
‘theme’ on previous pianos I’ve had. This time I couldn’t slide my fingers
off fast enough to make them sound, and (it may be my lack of practice or
finger strength) the action also seemed sluggish. Now I’m no virtuoso,
and what technique I may once have had is pretty well shot, but I expected a
better result. Maybe my fingers were too sweaty to slide quickly off the
key, or maybe the key wasn’t slippery enough. (It wasn’t humid in the shop
— it is autumn in Canada.) I wonder if other pianos would work better.
As mentioned, I tried a CLP 635 the other day, but didn’t run that
test. Piano keys can be made of wood or plastic and your report says that
wood absorbs moisture, but the Roland 603 has plastic keys. Is it just me
and my poor technique and my rusty fingers, or are the keys at fault? If
the latter, are there more slippery keys on comparable pianos?

I don’t know whether the above is just a problem with the way I currently
play or whether it is a real problem with the keys. I’d like to know your
reaction. I might consider going to a higher level Roland or Yamaha to
overcome this issue (if real).

I also see you recommend avoiding pianos with the ‘escapement’ and ‘key
off’ features. Of the three pianos mentioned, which avoids this feature?

Thanks again for your report, and I hope you have time to respond to this.

Cheers, Norman Treloar

Reply/ Hi Norman

I’m not sure what the problem is with your fingers
slipping off the keys…

To test this you should find a shop that has the
Roland HP-603 and the Yamaha CLP635.
(We have both pianos on display in our shop).

If your hands sweat a lot then fingers can slip on
plastic keys. Synthetic ivory keys ‘may’ reduce this
because they do absorb the sweat, to some extent.

The piano I recommend for you is the Roland HP603.
This has the sythnetic ivory key tops. The sound
and touch is also superb.

You can read more about it here: www.ukpianos.co.uk/roland-hp603

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

“How to remove permanent marker from piano keys?”

Hi – I’m a music teacher and one of my students has just written on the keys
my yamaha digital piano! She used a whiteboard marker and the mark won’t
come off. I’m heartbroken! PLEASE do you have any ideas?
regards,
Sue

Reply/ Hi Sue

You can try windowlene.

If that fails then you can try baking soda
mixed with toothpaste (sounds radical, but I’ve
heard this can work on permanent markers).

Other things you can try are alcohol or hairspray.

Try not to let any liquid run down between the keys.

Good luck!

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

“Please explain why some digital pianos have 88 keys and some less”

Hi Graham

Please could you explain why some digital pianos have 88 keys and some less.
I’m a beginner and don’t know what I should buy? I have read your 7 Things
you Must know and have found it very helpful.

Thanks
Bryan

Reply/ Hi Bryan

Most digital pianos have 88 keys. This is the same
number of keys that an upright piano has. Although
some older upright pianos have 85 keys.

There some digital pianos that have 76 keys. But
these are really more like keyboards than digital
pianos… their key touch is much lighter than
a typical digital piano.

I recommend going for a digital piano with 88,
fully-weighted keys.

The piano you get should also have touch sensitive
keys (minimum 4 levels). This allows you to play
4 different volume levels on each key.

A progressive hammer action is also worth getting.
Although not essential.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

“Touch sensitivity question”

Graham

Quick question – i know you refer to touch sensitivity being the most important thing and want to make sure that I’m understanding the product descriptions correctly.  A lot of the descriptions talk about : Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed – I’m assuming that this equates to a 4 level as detailed in your book?  Stupid question I know it just seems that fixed touch sensitivity seems to defeat the object really

thanks for your help

Jane

Reply/ Hi Jane

Hard/Medium/Soft/Fixed refer to the response
of the key touch. I would always leave this on
the default (usually medium).

Touch sensitivity levels on the piano refer to
the different volume levels you can get when
pressing individual keys down at different
strengths.

Most digital pianos have 3 or 4 sensitivity levels.
The high end Roland, Yamaha and Classenti pianos
have 5 levels.

Yours pianistically,

Graham Howard

 

“My fingers slide off the keys of my Yamaha Clavinova”

Dear Sir,

please can you explain why when I have my piano lesson on a modern Yamaha upright piano with plastic keys I have great difficulty getting my fingers to slide on the keys however when I play my own piano with ivory keys I have no problem at all.

I have just purchased another piano with ivory keys and again my fingers can slide smoothly. My teacher says that no other pupils complain of her keys being sticky, can you offer an explanation?

Yours sincerely

Duncan Rye

Reply/ Hi Duncan

This is the first time I’ve heard of this problem.

I don’ t know the exact answer, but It could be
a number of reasons.

Maybe your piano teacher’s keys are dirty?

Maybe a sticky drink had been spilt on them
and they haven’t been cleaned properly?

Maybe the sweat from hands is causing the
problem?

These are only suggestions.

If this becomes a real problem for you,
maybe you will have to get a teacher
to visit your home?

Personally, I do prefer playing on a piano
with ivory keys. The feel is much nicer than plastic.

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

Further comments/

Hello Graham,

thank you for your reply, I have tried washing my hands thoroughly and hand
creams but nothing seems to help. I have suggested to Elizabeth, my teacher,
that it could be fear of her that is perhaps making my hands sweat!

Best regards

Duncan Rye

 

“I do not know how to get the ink off the keys without damage”

To the answer person,
I found you on line and am hoping you can help me. I have a Acrosonic built by Baldwin and it is quite old.
My daughter unbeknown to me decided to learn to play the piano from a beginners book she found. To help her, in her opinion, she marked the keys by number and note with a permanent marker pen. Needless to say I was/am quite upset but do not know how to get the ink off the keys without damage.

On a couple of other sights it said to use nothing but white toothpaste,which I tried on one key and it did take most of the ink off. I do not want to use it on the other 14 keys if I will ruin them. I have called several piano stores and no one so far can tell me what to do. So here I am on line again looking for HELP.

I would be deeply greatful for a professionals advice,

Sincere Thanks,

Mrs. Hale

Reply/ Hi Mrs Hale

This is a common problem I have come across.

It really depends if the keys are ivory or plastic.

You should read an article I wrote earlier this year.
It explains in detail how to clean your keys:
www.ukpianos.co.uk/piano-keys-learn-how-to-clean-them

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

 

Hi Graham
Is a piano with reduced key width available in the Uk? They seem to be available in the USA.
See this you tube link re Hailun pianos.

Thanks
Bernard Lawson

Reply/ Hi Bernard

No, they are not.

I don’t think this is a good idea, because if you
get used to playing these narrow keys then
you will find it very difficult to play any other piano.

Kind regards
Graham
UK Pianos

Please can you share your thoughts about the various piano exam boards?…

(ABRSM, Trinity Guildhall, London college of music, Royal college of music, northern college of music) so that i can make an informed choice as to which syllabus to follow in my attempt to teach myself piano through the grades.Eg Do the various boards have stylistic leanings etc? technical discipline preferences etc. I’m a lover of the romantic warm mellow singing piano tone.

Thanks for your help, Cat

Answer/ Hi Cat

That is a great question! The ABRSM is the most recognized board and definitely the best choice for classical music graded exams.
The well known ALL Talents Music School in Enfield, North London teaches the ABRSM syllabus, as do most music schools in the London area. I wouldn’t consider any other exam boards.
Regards,
Graham Howard

I have a problem with left and right hand co-ordination and legato

Question/

Hello graham,
Thank you for your email, yes your tutorial was helpful although in my case I am more intermediate(@ grade three level) than beginner/novice, although I do have a problem with left and right hand co-ordination and legato. I am particulary interested in stride piano style the type used in boogie woogie black/afro american piano music such as painists like Pete Johnson, Thomas”Fats” Waller, Albert Ammons and Sammy Price any help examples/exercises in that the style and also help with co-ordination/legato exercises would be o great help.
thank you for taking the time to email me, yours Liahos.

Answer/Hi Liahos

Boogie Woogie is not something I have experience in. There is a teacher I can recommend to you, maybe he can answer some of your questions. Here are the details:

Mr Martyn
Boogie-woogie, jazz and blues practitioner with over twenty-five years experience in performing and piano teaching. Your popular piano teacher is based right here in Enfield, North London.

If you’re learning piano for the first time, or you’ve already trained as a ‘straight’ pianist and you want a piano teacher who knows how to break some of those classical shackles –  l can show you how to play music bursting with invention, excitement and joy.

You can have a free consultation at my Enfield studios. We will discuss your path, your musical experience and goals,  and then we will put together a learning plan. email martyn@fourhillsltd.com

“I am having trouble playing with the left hand”

Hi Graham

Thank you very much for all the information, I had already started piano
lessons with a local teacher in April this year, then shortly afterwards my
husband found your site and your information has helped me tremendously, I
practise every day, I am learning on a grand piano at my teachers and then
was coming home to practise on a keyboard but recently my husband has helped
me to buy a digital piano the model is a Winchester WDP-60 and its so much
different to a keyboard as the keyboard I was practising on is my sons when
he was having lessons at primary school but he is grown up now. (So it is a
very old instrument).

The piano sound is so much better and I can record myself playing on it.

I am having trouble playing with the left hand, I can do it a bit but I am
having trouble reading the music on paper and trying to remember what notes
to play with that hand, I can play with my right hand very well. I wish I
could play the piano by ear but I still have a long way to go yet.

I have enjoyed your piano course very much.

Sorry I have taken so long to reply to you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards

Rose

Reply/
Hi Rosemary

The piano you have bought is a good one.
The Winchester WDP-60 is made in Korea by
the Dynatone Corporation.

In fact, we are using one here in our music school.

Playing well with the left-hand takes a lot practice
and patience.

What I find works best is to spend at least 15 minutes
per day sight reading.

Try not to look at the keys too often and you will see
some improvements in the left hand fairly quickly.

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

Hi Graham,

Thank you for your latest tips.

I have a couple of questions:

I practice in my recording studio at home, where I play on a full size dummy
keyboard triggering midi notes from different software on my PC etc.
This is the same setup as my piano teacher. What is the correct height
setting of the keyboard and chair height etc.

Also I’m just starting to use the sustain pedal…any tips to advance me on
that learning curve?

Best regards,
Jim.

Reply/ Hi Jim Pettigrew

Your arms should be parallel to the floor (at 90 degrees).
So adjust the seat or the keyboard height to achieve this.

The sustain pedal takes a bit of getting used to.
As a rule when you want to sustain notes, you should play
the note or chord before pressing the pedal down…

This should be a quick movement and make sure you don’t
let go of the key until the pedal is pressed down.

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

hi there thanks alot for all the lessons.
at the moment i’m doing my best to memorise the major scales and the minor scales as well as the chords. could you please give me some lessons on chords as that is my area of interest at the moment. thanks alot and God bless
martha

Reply/ Hi Martha

My main expertise is in teaching how to read music.

However, I have a friend that is an expert on chords. His name is Duane.

Duane has written many excellent courses that teach you how to play chords.

This is the one I recommend for you: http://budurl.com/harmonisewithchords

And here is a really useful chord finder chart: http://budurl.com/pianochordfinder

Yours pianistically,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos

Dear Graham

I found your five free lessons interesting, but I have to confess here that, when at school, I did attain Grade 6 piano.  I have two specific problems which I was hoping your course might solve, although I realize that it is aimed at the complete beginner.  I’ll be brief but here is my story.

I learned to play piano by ear when I was 3.  We lived deep in the country and lessons were not available.  However, I have always been very musical.  When I passed my 11-plus (boy, how that dates me!), I went to high school 14 miles away.  It wasn’t until I was 14 when we chose our options for ‘O’ level that my parents thought I ought to take lessons.  By this time, I had taught myself the first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ sonata and things like that, but my sight reading was worse than desperate.  I began lessons in the September.  In November, I passed Grade 1, in March, Grade 3 and in June Grade 5.  I then took another 12 months before I did Grade 6.  You can see where all this is leading, can’t you?  My fingering has always been quite as bad as my sight-reading.  I sing very seriously and can sight-sing most things very well, even complex music, I find it easy to sight sing.  I have spent my life in various choral societies and operatic groups, singing principal roles etc. and my singing teacher Janet Shell thinks I should have turned pro years ago.  But what I would dearly love to do is be able to sight-read on the piano.

The two problems mentioned earlier make that extremely difficult.  I seem to get a kind of panic-ridden dyslexia when I try to read and my eyes simply cannot see what the notes are, which is silly because I know perfectly well what they are when I look at them in isolation.  This is confusing, since I took a secretarial course including touch-typing and shorthand, so my eyes should know to keep going and looking ahead but I can’t work out why this does not happen.  Allied to this is the fact that because I did the grades too quickly, I never had a good basic grounding on fingering.  Indeed, when not looking at the keyboard, I have no idea where my hands are in relation to the notes.  I can see that the next note is down a tone but my fingers seem to just grab at any old note they can reach.

Do you have any suggestions to combat these two problems?

Thanks and regards

Avril Field-Taylor

Answer/ Hi Avril
You appear to be an extremely accomplished musician.
The only thing holding you back is your sight reading –
which actually holds MOST people back — it is not an easy
thing to do!

All you need is practice and more practice.
Pick up as much music as you can that you have never seen
before and just plough your way through it.

It will be slow at first, but if you do this day-by-day you will
definitely see some signs of improvement after a short while.

You will notice that your reading speed will increase.

The reason for this is that you brain will start to recognize
chords and your fingers will automatically find the right notes
on the keyboard. It is all about your brain recognizing these
patterns over and over again.
Have you read my sight reading article yet?

Here it is in case you haven’t:
https://www.ukpianos.co.uk/specialpianoreport.pdf

Regards,
Graham Howard
UK Pianos