avalanche1856 asked: I have taken piano and guitar lessons at various times in my life. I want to get better at either or both the guitar and piano. A lot of the books I have discuss how the fretboard is layed out, how to form chords, how scales are set up, how chord progressions work together and so on. I can read this theory and understand it all, but how does this help me when I play? It seems like I understand it, but don’t internalize it.
So now that I know how a dominant seventh chord is formed, do I just monotonously play a dominant seventh in all 12 key signatures, over and over and over again until I can play such a chord on the spot? I just can’t see that being the best way to familiarize myself with the chords. How can I possibly remember so many chords? The same goes for playing scales considering how many there are.
Then there is putting chords together. My jazz book says the II-V-I progression is important. Do I do a II-V-I progression in every key signature with every type of chord? I guess I’m asking what kind of exercises should I be doing to make this theory stick?
My first piano teacher was such a great musician. He wasn’t just good at playing pieces – he could sight read very well, but also change the music while playing and improvise, putting a jazz twist on it. He could also play by ear with accuracy and speed. That’s the kind of musician I want to become, but I just don’t know how to get there.
How to Sight Read Music
