Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
After they can sight-read what’s left for musicians to learn? Lots of things, such as:
- Repertoire
- Memorization
- Interpretation
- Performance Practice
- Improvisation
- Composition
- Music Theory
- Music History
Read more to find out about what’s left for musicians to learn after they can sight-read.
This article uses music terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
What’s Left? Lots of Stuff!
Again, after you’ve learned to sight-read, there’ll be lots left for a musician like you to learn and work on. Let’s dive in.
After They Can Sight-Read What’s Left for Musicians to Learn #1: Repertoire and Memorization
After they can sight-read what’s left for musicians to learn? You can work to build up your repertoire and memorized repertoire.
- Repertoire: select pieces of music that you or your audience will really enjoy. Once you’ve mastered them, try memorizing them.
- Memorize a specific piece every day for a week, every week for a month, then every month for a year. This way you can have a few pieces of music at different stages of memorization at any given time.
After They Can Sight-Read What’s Left for Musicians to Learn #2: Interpretation and Performance Practice
After they can sight-read what’s left for musicians to learn? You can work on interpretation and performance practice skills.
A score is to music as a blueprint is to a house. In other words, the blueprint represents the idea of what the house will become, but you don’t have a house yet. Likewise, the score doesn’t become music until someone imagines or performs it.
- Interpretation uses imagination exercises to help you shape the mood of the piece. When interpreting a score, consider the tempo, dynamics, articulations, etc.
- Performance practice deals with the unwritten musical elements that you add to a performance. For example, in historical performance practice you might include ornaments to decorate a melody in a baroque composition.
After They Can Sight-Read What’s Left for Musicians to Learn #3: Improvisation and Composition
After they can sight-read what’s left for musicians to learn? You can try your hand at improvisation or composition.
You can think of improvisation and composition as two distinct but related skills.
- With improvisation you make the music up on the spot.
- Composition usually has some improvisation in the early stages of the process. However, with composition you take the things you’ve made up and set them into a final version. Learning music theory and composition techniques can help you write better music.
After They Can Sight-Read What’s Left for Musicians to Learn #4: Music Theory and Music History
After they can-sight read what’s left for musicians to learn? You can study music theory and music history.
- You can think of music theory as the study of how composers in a particular place and time wrote their music. Theory distills musical concepts into general traits.
- Conversely, music history examines how composers wrote their music in ways that differed from their peers. However, music history still keeps track of overall historical trends.
Conclusion
After they can sight-read what’s left for musicians to learn? Answer: many more things than we’ve covered in this post.
I know some of you will be thinking, “…what about this…” or “…he left out that…” And you’d be perfectly correct. Why? Because you can find tons of things to study in music.
You can learn a new (to you) genre of music. Also, you can look at ethnomusicology, music education, music psychology, music production, musical theatre, or music business. Or you can learn another instrument and/or learn how to sing.
The sky’s the limit! Do your research. Find out your options. Then, pursue the things that interest you the most.
Whatever makes you excited about music, those should be the things you include in your musical journey. Have fun playing and singing!
Related Content:
- Shape Note Sight Singing Success
- Playing the Piano with Color Coded Notes
- How to Color Code Guitar Tab
- How Does Your Brain Learn to Play the Piano with Two Hands?
- Ways Around the Difficulty of Playing the Piano Due to Short Fingers and Small Hands
- How to Overcome the Fear of Performing in Front of an Audience
- Why It’s So Hard for Someone with a Good Ear to Learn Sheet Music
- Why Do Minor Keys Sound Sad to Me?
- Do I Really Have to Learn Music Theory to Learn How to Play Piano?
- Why Do Pianists Occasionally Play Their Hands at Different Times as They Perform
- What Are the Small “>” Signs Above or Below the Notes?
© 2023 Geoffrey Keith
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Glossary
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