Dear Tomo, thank you so much for creating the sight reading series.
I am currently at page 14,15. I have a question about sight reading.
When I sight reading, I should think the note name as alphabet (C, E, G, Bb....) or I should think it as Solfege(Do, Mi, So, Te....) by the Key signature?
Which one I should do first?
I am not sure what should I do first when I read the staff paper.
Thank you.
Can't speak for sight reading specifically. But a common theme from Tomo videos is: when you practice, you should be thinking about both the degree and note name. Personally, my brain can only do one thing at a time. So when I practice things like triads, I try to identify the degree (R, b3/Δ3, p5, and a nearby b7/Δ7 if your feeling superfluous) and then the note name in sequentially order before moving to the next string. As I think about the degree, I'm also singing the solfege like a gentle siren alluring her victims to their inevitable demise. The idea is: if you're patient and spend enough time on it, it will eventually become second nature and you wont have to think about it when you perform. Or rather, Tomo recommends thinking about "fruit" when performing.
There's not much Tomo could say that I'd disagree with. But I take a hard stance on fruit... As a dilettante, I'm all about old oil paintings from romantic periods, fine cheeses and wines.
-Kellen
The shortest answer that I can think of is to stay with what is in the book; it was written that way for a reason.
I'm still in the early "first position" pages and have never seen any reference to solfege nor could I find any in the index. But the book I have was published in the mid-70s. I don't think it has changed much over the last 50 years though. (has it really been that long? oh my copyright 1966!)
When I put on my imaginary virtual "what would Tomo think" headset, I imagine that he says "start simple" and "simple is good". So "don't overthink" and clutter with too much information too early. Do all the work and it will all come out happy as you gain confidence and skill. You don't get any "extra-credit" by making it harder before you're ready... and you risk the problem of "expecting too fast", getting frustrated and giving up.
Like the fellow above, when I'm doing the side-by-side and up-and-down triad exercises, I will do the solfege. But those triad exercises aren't in the Leavitt Guitar Method Book the way Tomo teaches them. The book sneaks the triads in there without telling you much about them. Because at that point you're learning the notes, frets, and time duration. But you are still getting a healthy dose of hearing triads.
However, once in a while, after I'm "done" practicing a page, I'll go back and try to "read it deeper".
When I see 3 notes stacked, I think to myself, "aha, a triad" and without "reading and thinking" the note names, I try to recognize the pattern of spaces and figure out which note in that giant inkblot is the root. Then I'll see if I can guess from the patterns of intervals if the triad is root, first, or second inversion. Then I'll read the notes, bottom to top, and fret them, and see if I "guessed" right. Once the inversion registers in my head I automatically know what finger is fretting the do-mi-sol. I'm not very good at it and I may be subverting myself and ruining my progress. But overthinking is my game.
And It doesn't always work, because the book uses a "b7" once in a while and leaves off the 5th. And at my current level of training, my brain just says, ok, that is a "funny" pattern, so it isn't a normal triad, therefore, it's probably a 7th chord. Then I dutifully read bottom to top and figure out what it is and hopefully I'll start remembering.