The Problem with “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” and other memory tools to learn notes:
So the first problem with mnemonics is that kids have a really hard time remembering the silly sentence used to remember just 5 letters of the alphabet in the correct order. They mix up lines with spaces, and they mix up the sentence used for the treble clef with the bass clef.
The second problem is that no matter how well kids can name the notes using flashcards, this is not going to help them find the note on the keyboard. There is a huge disconnect. Take it from me… after teaching for 40 years, I am super well aware of this disconnect. Here’s a question… when you play the piano, do you name the notes as you play? Of course not. It is not feasible to play a ton of notes quickly and easily and name all those notes in your head as you go. You instead, make a direct connection of note placement on the staff with the keyboard. So, how do we do this with our students.
First step is to give up the idea that the ability to name notes is in any way connected to the ability to find the note on the keyboard. A student may identify a note as an F but there are seven F’s on the keyboard… which one?
Second step is to realize that naming notes is an important tool in musical communication, but not in reading music quickly. We need to name notes to communicate theoretical concepts, to write music and to be clear about which key is which. But we do not need to name notes in order to play the piano.
How to develop fluent note readers:
FIRST STEP:
For students just starting piano at any age, I begin by teaching the five notes from middle C up the piano and the five notes down the piano. Many May disagree with this approach, but I think there are great benefits to it. First, there are only ten notes to figure out. Second, young students and yes, often adults, just do not “see” or take in any more than one or two lines of the staff. Asking them to read high C or low C can create confusion for them. Reading notes around middle C allows them to learn these really well. It allows them to learn skips and steps if you focus on that which would be the best course of action for developing the ability to read more by interval. It allows you as the teacher to refer to the first line of the staff and the second line of the staff… rather than E and G. Or the top line of the staff and the second line down rather than A and F. This prepares them to look at the staff as five lines… the first line, second line, or top line, and bottom line. As you teach these beginning notes, refer to the lines of the staff in this way instead of referring to the as E, G, A or F. Once these concepts and notes are solid in the students mind using flashcards and you can see their ability to quickly identify those on the keyboard, then you can take the next step toward fluent reading. Depending on the age, this may take anywhere from 4 -6 weeks (for older beginners) or a full year for slow or young beginners.
Emphasize reading by skip and step, right from the beginning of reading. Talk about stepping up the staff and stepping up the keyboard. Talk about skips when they first show up. Talk about how from line to a line is a skip and space to space is a skip. Talk about how we skip a key, and we skip a finger when we skip. This takes a lot of patient reinforcement, especially for young beginners. This means you will be repeating yourself for many many lessons! Once they see this and “get” the concept, reading improves and success increases! Some students get it right away and this can be so rewarding.
SECOND STEP:
EGBDF - People can easily memorize a seven digit phone number. And kids are not stupid. They are capable. They can memorize EGBDF easily. Even in one lesson. I ask the students every week to say the names of the lines of the treble clef. I write it in their notebook… every week. We make a silly word and say it quickly … EGBDF… saying it like a word. Say it five times every night before you go to sleep. Use it instead of “pickles” when something goes wrong! Make it fun. They will remember it.
Find the lines of the treble clef on your keyboard every day. So forget having them say EGBDF as they find the lines. Instead have them say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. All the way up the piano. Start with middle C. They can find that easily. The first skip gives them the first line of the staff. Continue skipping up the keyboard. Have them do this at home. Do it at the lesson a number of times. Repeat lesson after lesson.
Then begin to change the dialogue. Have them find the first line. Then the top line, then the bottom line, then the middle line, then the second from the top, and second from the bottom. As they get more confident with this, begin to use flashcards for them to find the top line, bottom line etc. Just do this for the lines of the staff.
THIRD STEP:
LINES OF THE BASS STAFF:
Have you noticed that the lines of the Bass staff are the same as the treble staff minus the E? They already know the order of the letters from learning the treble staff names. You can use that as you teach the five letters of the bass clef. Whisper E, then loudly say GBDF A … A should be said like an opera singer… have some fun with it to make it memorable.
Find the lines of the Bass staff on the piano every day. Do this every lesson with your student. I have them start at middle C and skip down the piano. Make sure they concentrate on finding the lines and not trying to name them as it won’t work. Focus on terms like top line, bottom line, middle line, second from the top, and second from the bottom. Once they seem to securely know this, you can add flashcards for the bass clef into the mix, having them find the top, bottom middle etc. Don’t let them name the notes. Focus on location.
** REMEMBER THAT NAMING THE LINES AND FINDING THE LINES ARE TWO SEPARATE THINGS. BE SURE TO TREAT THEM AS SUCH
*** IN ADDITION..as you are teaching them their pieces remember to use the same language and avoid using letter names. For space notes, teach them to go up the lines and step up or down to the space note. Many will quickly grasp this idea. Others will take more time. Be patient, one day it will click and they will be finding their notes and realize they have the tools to find anything.
FOURTH STEP:
Naming notes. You can use any form of note naming sheets for this job making sure they cover just the lines first, and then add space notes in later. When the students concentrate on using EGBDF, and GBDFA… you will find this learning process is super quick. I use the Vandendool theory books and the Gold Medal theory books and they have some note naming in them. But separate sheets are really good for this purpose. It is a good old fashioned way of reinforcing note names. Some people use note rush or other apps and this could be good as well. But I find, looking at it along with a number of other notes on the staff reinforces it much stronger. Usually it takes about 5-6 lessons and the students have mastered it.
FIFTH STEP:
Mad Minute Challenge. Using flashcards, have them find all the notes on the keyboard in one minute. Once they can do this once, make sure to repeat it again over the next few lessons before setting this aside. Always good to come back to this one once in a while too, just to see if the learning has stuck or not.
This should get your students well on their way to note reading more fluently.
