synthesia kills sight reading?

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savash
Posts: 3

Post by savash »

My girl is trying to learn piano,

Last year we used classical methods by reading from note sheet.

For 2 months we are practicing with synthesia.

First try with synthesia, default song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXHSUSDZ9y8

Second try with midi import, burgmullers arabesque:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm_JZk9ONFc&t=2s

She learns fast, and enjoys playing with synthesia .

What I want to ask is, shall we continue with synthesia, or disable dropping bars and keyboard tip?

People dont know synthesia say it kills sight reading? Any suggestions?
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

I think it looks like she's doing a fine job. :D

For what it's worth, Synthesia 11 will be dramatically improving the quality of the sheet music display. So, if you wanted to lean more heavily on traditional notation while still using the other features (like melody practice and progress tracking), that will be possible.

In the meantime, you can bind the Settings -> Shortcuts -> "Toggle All Notes Hidden" shortcut to something like a piano key temporarily, start a song, hide the falling notes, and then unbind that shortcut. That will leave only the sheet music and keyboard. (Synthesia 11 will be promoting this option right to the play screen where you'll be able to independently toggle the falling notes the same way you can the sheet music today.)
savash
Posts: 3

Post by savash »

Thank you nicholas, I look forward to see more quality of the note sheet. Especially if we can type the notes with an editor, for example online website noteflight, and import into syhthesia that would be great.

I want to see the expressions p, f mf values and < > signs that would be awesome.

I am not a piano teacher, just a dad who helps her kid to play better with everyday work, synthesia is amazingly helping to us alot. When she scores better point, she jumps and gets very happy. Thank you for this awesome app, keep up the good work ....
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

I'm not sure about Noteflight but a few of the free editors out there (at least MuseScore and Finale Notepad) can export as MusicXML. If you create pieces there, Synthesia 11 will be able to load them with most/all of the musical details (including p, f, mf, and < > signs) intact.
savash
Posts: 3

Post by savash »

Thank you Nicholas, I look forward to see Synthesia 11. :D :) ;)
cembry25
Posts: 5

Post by cembry25 »

Hey Savash,

I started sight reading just a year ago since I played mainly by ear. I would like to say it depends on how you use it. I always had an issue at looking at my hands while sight reading then causing me to just memorize the piece than sight reading.

I just got into Synthesia and I'm glad this program worked out for me. It keeps me occupied at not looking at my hands while sight reading but although I noticed something in the way I learn.

At first I was relying on the falling notes and not actually reading the notation but then I realize it was hard for me to get used to doing that since I always I had to think about where my hands were at. So then I practiced still using the falling notes method until I can feel comfortable with it. After that I disabled the falling notes then relied on the sheet and it's safe to say it REALLY improved what I'm translating from what I was reading to my hands.

Now that when I put a sheet music at the studio I teach at, I would say it was like going from 0 to 100 on sight reading.

The only issue is reading ahead although I actually read ahead better using the falling notes (since I used to play a game called DDR, dance dance revolution and its a very similar concept). It could be confusing but if you can make it work, then more power to you.

It's a matter of how you use this tool but I wouldn't use the falling notes as the main tool. Although, sure as hell, it made sight reading soooooooooooooo much more enjoyable and the kids I teach love it.
Nicholas
Posts: 13135

Post by Nicholas »

cembry25 wrote:... sure as hell, it made sight reading soooooooooooooo much more enjoyable and the kids I teach love it.
This is my favorite way to think of Synthesia: as a tool to get beginners excited about the instrument and about music. Having the kind of instant accessibility you get from a DDR-style interface, there really isn't any faster way to get someone in front of a piano for the first time and having fun right away. Over the years we've added (and especially in the immediate roadmap are planning to add) features for more advanced players, but in my heart Synthesia will always be the piece of flint that causes the first spark.
cembry25
Posts: 5

Post by cembry25 »

Growing up in sort of an arcade era was the way I learned music.

Back then I didn't know I was learning rhythm and intervals while playing games such as DDR, Beatmania, Pump it up, etc.

Then I ran into this program and my keyboard had midi capabilities, I was immediately sold. Now I spend a lot of my time making sheet music.
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