My Book

[TromboneAl]

One downside is this:

I did this just for fun, not to make any money.

But now, I start thinking things like "How can I promote this?" I should have put "sight-reading" in the title, because that's what people will search for. That's too much like work.

 

[donheff]

I bought it for DW Al. So you get at least some royalties.

 

[W2R]

One downside is this:

I did this just for fun, not to make any money.

But now, I start thinking things like "How can I promote this?" I should have put "sight-reading" in the title, because that's what people will search for. That's too much like work.

If you do a search on "sight reading" on Amazon under Kindle books, a lot of books pop up. But if you do a search on "sight reading, Macy" YOUR book is the first book to pop up.

So, I think that on Amazon, anyway, they already took care of the sight-reader vs sight-reading potential search problem.

It looks beautiful! You should be so proud. I love the cover, and the parts available when you "Look Inside" are very entertaining, too.

 

[TromboneAl]

Good luck and great picture. When are you changing your avatar?

Ohh -- that would make a good avatar, wouldn't it?

 

[ERD50]

One downside is this:

I did this just for fun, not to make any money.

... .

Yes, I don't suppose publishing an e-book on amazon on a niche topic is on anyone's 'get rich quick' list.

But in addition to any fun you got out of it, did you find it also motivated you to take your personal sight-reading goal more seriously? I find that if I do something for myself, it's easy to be lazy about it, and maybe miss out on something. But if I plan on a doing a formal (or even informal) presentation on the subject, it really makes me focus and get my thoughts together.

Just curious, now go and prove me wrong and sell a million copies!

-ERD50

 

[TromboneAl]

But in addition to any fun you got out of it, did you find it also motivated you to take your personal sight-reading goal more seriously?

Yes.

Here's the basic "plot" of the book. In Dec 2007, I decided I wanted to become a better sight-reader. I practiced two hours per day for a year. I improved but nowhere nearly as fast as I had expected.

I kept at it for another five years, took lessons, etc, and continued to improve slowly.

Finally, this last year I decided that it was no longer a good use of my practicing time, and I stopped. I could see it as giving up, or as deciding that I'd improved enough, and it was time to move on. The sight-reading practice time was taking away from my general jazz practice time. I concluded that my brain, probably due to my age, just isn't wired for learning sight-reading.

However, in writing the book, I realized how much I still want to become a really good sight-reader. I also felt that if I applied some of the key tips from the book, such as:

1. Don't practice too much sight-reading per day. A short session in which you focus on key items (such as attending to intervals instead of notes), is better than a longer one which will result in your practicing bad habits.

2. Sight-reading skill is strongly tied to the type of music you sight-read. For example, if you practice only hymns, you'll get good at hymns but not at modern music.
​

that I could (maybe) reach my goal. So, I'm now doing a few short sessions per day of focused sight-reading, and only reading the type of music that I'd be likely to encounter.

Finally, the book reminds me of these kinds of books:

I'm sure some of you remember when you were a kid and you got a parakeet, or a hamster. You'd get a booklet like that with tips and ideas, and it would also serve to stir up your interest. My book does that too, even to me.

 

[W2R]

2. Sight-reading skill is strongly tied to the type of music you sight-read. For example, if you practice only hymns, you'll get good at hymns but not at modern music.

So true! When I was a kid, my piano teacher made me sight read something by Bartok every week. She gave me Bartok, because of the unusual progressions; I was doing a lot of semi-accurate guessing and you just can't guess what notes would be next, with Bartok.

I never got to be any good at it, mostly because I needed glasses badly and couldn't see the music. But I sure tried.

 

[TromboneAl]

So true! When I was a kid, my piano teacher made me sight read something by Bartok every week.

Perhaps from this:

I think Bartok was an evil, twisted person who wrote that to torture students.

 

[MBAustin]

I think Bartok was an evil, twisted person who wrote that to torture students.

I thought I was the only person who found Bartok evil! My last piano teacher was a nun and she tortured me with Bartok.

 

[jon-nyc]

I'll be buying it. I'd love to improve my sight reading ability.

Have you posted about it at Piano World? Not sure how they take to self promotion but it's a good audience.

 

[W2R]

I think Bartok was an evil, twisted person who wrote that to torture students.

You are so right! I have not listened to Bartok since 1964!!

 

[Dreamer]

Congrats on your book! I love your humor!!

 

[TromboneAl]

I'll be buying it. I'd love to improve my sight reading ability.

Have you posted about it at Piano World? Not sure how they take to self promotion but it's a good audience.

Good, thanks! At this rate I'll be able to retire early. Wait -- I've already retired early.

Yes, I started a thread there saying a wrote a book, and it was removed as being advertising. But I have a link in my signature.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I bought it for DW Al. So you get at least some royalties.

I will buy it. I have a piano here in the house, no lessons since 5th grade, so maybe it's time to try again.

That, or give the piano away....

 

[ERD50]

You are so right! I have not listened to Bartok since 1964!!

Remind me to NEVER attempt to play his music then! I LOVE Bartok, and ironically, I was in the process of copying his string quartets (played by the Emerson Quartet) to an old portable music player I had laying around.

The string quartets sometimes remind me of the sound track to some eerie old B&W horror film, in a very good way.

-ERD50

 

[Moemg]

Being extremely frugal I went with the free sample and it was great . Typical Al ! I may go for the $2.99 especially since I Have a .99 cent credit with Amazon.Great book so far !

 

[TromboneAl]

I'm going to make it free for two days, January 29 and January 30, so as much as I'd like to make money off you guys, you may want to wait until then to "buy" it.

Apparently those free promotions have a lot of benefits -- it gets on the radar, and you get more people who will review it.

I've been sending info to the authors of the many piano blogs around the web...

But I have to keep repeating to myself "You're not in it for the money!"