Sheets -note names

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hrubesh
Posts: 13

Post by hrubesh »

Hi,

To begin with, I am very glad with Synthesia,

One thing that immediately went through my mind is :

When the sheet notes are shown, the note names could appear besides the note on the sheet. That would be very easy to learn the note names as they appear on the sheet. This is very similar to the option that exist on the falling note.

I have been printing the sheets and writing down the note names under each note to facilitate my learning.
Thank you.
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swalker133
Posts: 246

Post by swalker133 »

I've heard from music teachers that doing that is counterproductive to sight reading and they you shouldn't do that...
Learning, creating, recording, and performing music on the iPhone and iPad...
http://www.iosmusician.com/
hrubesh
Posts: 13

Post by hrubesh »

There are some teachers who speak for their own benefit.

When I started using synthesia, I didn't know about fingering and wasn't much aware of the options. I wanted to play one song. I went on youtube to see how others do it. Then I met a music teacher and I told him how I am learning through a software. He said people who learn through software are a disgrace to the music world. He said that for his own benefit because if all people started doing so, he wouldn't make a living and he sees only the traditional way as right. There are indeed things a music teacher knows better but he could have said it better and tell me what I am missing. The way he said it, NO, that should be some kind of jealousy, anger or any kind of bad emotion that means a certain negativity in the person.

I can understand how why some would say it is not good. But then why do they write the note names on some keyboard? That's totally equivalent. We start by looking at them and in the long run, try to not look at them.

I also took this course having a syllabus on how the brain stores and retrieves information - My Opinion I remember:

Visual Aids

Learning methods for right brain should use visual aids such as pictures or maps to help with ideas and facts. Use pictures to show the material visually. When using new words, write them in sentences so the right brain can visualize how the words make sentences.

Drawing small pictures on notes is also a way right brain easily remember information. Rather than simply viewing these drawings.
Memory aids should be encouraged.

Whole Picture

Strengthen the right brain by looking at the whole picture for facts you need to learn. Using flash cards, put the answer on a card in a different color. The right brain will incorporate the question and answer into their memory and can remember it.

RIght brain learner

A right-brained person processes information visually, whereas a left-brained person has more ability in texts. For a right-brained learner. Working without visuals makes learning difficult for the right-brain learner.

Now, everything I said is only for : My own benefit :)

To begin with a final word: Synthesia is already a great deal of visual aid. I do not think I would have started playing music without it. I started by looking at the videos on youtube. Then I downloaded synthesia and looked at the visuals. Then I understood there were tracks that could be switched on or off. I had downloaded the midi of a song I liked. I started switching off most tracks and listen to 1 or 2 tracks while watching the Visuals. It was just excellent. 5 months later, I ended buying synthesia,

1. For the great help it has been to me, I am very grateful, I can now do what I wanted!
2. For improving my learning ability.

Thanks :)
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swalker133
Posts: 246

Post by swalker133 »

Okay, you make a very valid point here, and I'd just like to politely continue the conversation because this is something I really enjoy discussing...

if you write note names in (unless you're a beginner, because it'll take you forever to figure out each note; you won't have any fun...) you're just going to look at the note names and not at the notes. You'll only look at the note names to get the rhythm when you're reading any sheet music, there aren't note names written in or above the notes, so why would you put them in? If magically all of the note names would just be written inside the note, that would defeat the purpose of reading music. Music is a language you have to learn to read it... If note names were better, they would be there, but there not, so it's better to just figure it out

Now if you are a beginner, it would be useful to have note names inside the notes when you are sight reading (which is why I really think there should be a new section added to synthesia where random notes are generated and you play them on the keyboard and it times you on how long you take to play the right note) because if you have to site there and calculate every single note, it's going to get boring! why not just have the note names inside so that you can get better at reading and still have fun?

Now I'm not a music teacher, and I play 5 different instruments, and have been through 5 years of music education in school (grades 8-12) and I don't read music at all! I hate it! Because I'm a rock musician and there is way less of a need to read when you're a rock musician because you play riffs over and over, for a large part of your songs why not just look up a guitar tab? or just listen to it and figure it out for drums?!

Conclusion: Synthesia is great for people who just want to learn to play for fun, or don't like reading music, or just like rock, but if you want to be a classical/jazz musician, you need to learn how to read... Music teachers aren't evil, they're right. Reading sheet music is the way to go, if you're learning classical music because of the nature of the genre (mainly because there are less repeating ideas)

I'm not at all trying to be rude/make you feel like you lost this argument It's just that I like discussing this stuff, and that way I emphasize points is commonly taken offensively, when im not at all trying to be offensive!!! So no harm intended! :)
Last edited by swalker133 on 07-09-11 1:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
Learning, creating, recording, and performing music on the iPhone and iPad...
http://www.iosmusician.com/
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swalker133
Posts: 246

Post by swalker133 »

sorry if something doesn't make sense in my last post, just let me know if you don't get something and I'll do my best to clarify!
Learning, creating, recording, and performing music on the iPhone and iPad...
http://www.iosmusician.com/
hrubesh
Posts: 13

Post by hrubesh »

Ok, When I think of C, I know which finger and key map together. When I look at the sheet note, I need a C that appears in my mind so that the mapping is made to the finger. Without that mapping, the sheet note picture would have been prefered on the keyboard. The sheet notes are not the pictures, I learnt through the note names!:)

We all have different opinions :)
Sometimes what makes sense today is viewed differently at another age, it applies for me, I think it applies for others too :)

To me, without the note names, we would have drawn each sheet note on the beginners keyboard ( if am right ) .

Thanks, I also like brainstorming, we learn a lot about each other :)
hrubesh
Posts: 13

Post by hrubesh »

I think since you learnt from a young age, you already have a lot more of instincts and natural skills than some others. My nephews and nieces sometimes come and try play synthesia (Speed 10%) and they like it. I do not think they will be able to look at sheet notes and make a mapping. In the long run, the can map the A,b,c,d and have their mind already grasp what sheet notes look like for each note name :)
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swalker133
Posts: 246

Post by swalker133 »

I don't understand..... :?:
Learning, creating, recording, and performing music on the iPhone and iPad...
http://www.iosmusician.com/
hrubesh
Posts: 13

Post by hrubesh »

I started playing since I am 29 years old and I played for 6 months now, by myself : and synthesia and youtube !
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stephenhazel
Posts: 223

Post by stephenhazel »

Oh I love the ole "teacher versus software" debate :mrgreen:

For me, I've found that you can do alright with only software.
But your progress will be slow and not "well rounded".

If you're serious about playing piano, you will absolutely need
to spend money and time on a teacher
(a good teacher, there are some lame ones).

But software will REALLY help you practice.
It won't put you on the right path, teach you how to compose,
give you encouragement (well, not REAL encouragement)
and make you feel like a loser when you skip practice.

But it will definitely help you drill the tricky parts.
And that's what practice is all about.
Learning the extreme details of a piece.
Carefully getting em into your brain and fingers.

You CAN practice with JUST paper sheet music.
But it's not as fun.

You NEEED a teacher.
And you NEEED the software.
hrubesh
Posts: 13

Post by hrubesh »

Thanks,

To begin with,

I had to develop daily practice habit.

When I started, I would play on Fridays for 2-3 hours and then Sat, Sun same or more. Then I started playing every 2 weeks, for 4-5 hours when I played.

Now I play 15-20 minutes, everyday. Yesterday I did not ( But i listened to the piece for about 5 times )
I think that also makes the difference.

Personally, it is time constraint that keeps me away from the music teacher. I play synthesia between 19:00 and 20:00 nowadays. At that time, I just had or I am going to have dinner, I am not ready to work and take a little rest - This is when I practice. That's my personal situation.

Of course, in another future, everything might just, Change ! And thus,

agree.

Both are here

The teacher
and
The software

:)

In my view, computers indeed replace humans but we have to program them and this is where the knowledge is transferred. If the best is given to the computer, it will do it. Anyway, we have not been to mars, and they did :) I am sure there will be future music pieces that won't be possible without computers.
Lemo
Posts: 313

Post by Lemo »

hrubesh wrote:Anyway, we have not been to mars, and they did
Crazy thing to think about :roll:
Stuff & experiments for Synthesia: Gramp v0.2SkinboxFireSynthVideoWebradio
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