[The Dark Wolf]

Roman numerals are usually used for harmonic analysis (to denote which chord, where it falls on the scale of that key, etc.), but I've never seen anything like that, exactly. 1/2 CVIII? It seems like it denotes some kind of inversion, as the first note starts on the E (which is a 1st inversion C major chord). Maybe because it's a partial, and the third tone is arpeggiated?

[Jongpil Yun]

I've never seen that before either. Weird.

[Durero]

Originally Posted by josh821

What on earth do all these CVIII and other roman numeral markings on the top of this piece mean??

Those are barring indications which are very common in classical guitar pieces where fingering indications are present.

C stands for "Capo" which means to barre several strings with one finger in this context.
The Roman numerals indicate which position (fret) to barre.
The 1/2 indicates a 1/2 barre (3 strings) or just a partial barre (< 6 strings) or some publishers use it to indicate which string to start the barre from (eg 3/4 means barre 3 strings starting from the 4th string). (It can be annoyingly inconsistent from publisher to publisher.)




I'd be very cautious about marking letter-names on any scores. It's very difficult not to just read the letters instead of the notes themselves and it can easily become a crutch. I've had many students take it upon themselves to try this (or come to me from another teacher or class) over the years, and every time they come in to play a piece which they've marked letters on they are helpless as soon as the letters are gone.

Instead I'd recommend reading the notes without the guitar in your hands and just concentrating on the letters.


Aaron Shearer's book Learning the Classic Guitar (Mel Bay pub.) outlines a very effective learning process which basically goes like this:

(without the guitar in your hands)
1. read & vocalize the rhythm
2. read & vocalize the pitches while visualizing exact finger movements of both hands.

(then with the guitar)
3. read & play on the guitar while still saying the notes to yourself in your head.


This approach takes way more concentration than the usual "go until you crash" method most of us use, but it's far more effective.

[Shooter]

Thanks for the advice guys. I can't really mark up my scores, cuz I'm playing off my school's music. All the scores stay in the classroom. I've been practicing out of The Real Book, basically just flipping to a page and trying to read it so I don't wind up re-doing songs over and over. For those who don't know The Real Book, it's like a giant fake book full of Jazz standards, and I gotta say it's pretty cool. But yea, the just do it idea has been working, but I think trying to recognize certain patterns, like thirds or fifths, is a really good idea too. I really wish my violin teacher hadn't written in all the fingerings when I was a kid... I'd be great at sight reading!

[The Dark Wolf]

^ Photocopies.



I respectfully disagree with Durero, as I've been told this is a helpful technique by Amy Bruksch, Dr. Lee Heritage, and Paul Galbraith himself. And I will tell you, when you begin classical instruction on the college level, it's sink or swim, so what really works quickly becomes your best friend. My playing skills were above average, but my sight reading skills were sub-par. I was reading as well as all the other students after only 2 months or so (although I'm horrible anymore. Lack of practice )

Thanks for the heads up on the Roman numerals, though. I was thinking it looked like fretboard positions (something fairly common with classical guitar transcriptions), but the "C" and the 1/2 really threw me, as I'd never seen than before.

[ElRay]

Originally Posted by josh821

Actually, before I started trying to sight read on guitar I spent a couple weeks using this fretboard trainer which has helped tremendously.

I'm sorry, but the intrusive, no cancel/close button, oblivious to any OS other than Windows and any browser than IE security FUD advertising crap (What brain-dead shylock thinks falsely detecting a Windows virus on a Mac and then tries to install Windows-only, IE-only ActiveX crap on a Mac running Safari will sell a product?) zaps any desire to test it out or return.

Ray

[Stitch]

[Jongpil Yun]

Huh. Never noticed any of that. I use Firefox and there's a close button.

[josh821]

Originally Posted by ElRay

I'm sorry, but the intrusive, no cancel/close button, oblivious to any OS other than Windows and any browser than IE security FUD advertising crap (What brain-dead shylock thinks falsely detecting a Windows virus on a Mac and then tries to install Windows-only, IE-only ActiveX crap on a Mac running Safari will sell a product?) zaps any desire to test it out or return.

Hah, sorry, buy a PC, we all know they're better.

[Stitch]

Originally Posted by josh821

Hah, sorry, buy a PC, we all know they're better.

Yeah man!

Cos the ability to catch just about any virus for computers going around is a great plus point. And the constant freezing, the frankly shameful process-handling Windows provides, the fact that you need an obscene amount of RAM to just RUN the newest OS without any sparkly plugins either, and the fact that most software doesn't work with the new OS, yet no software will be written for the old ones now...

PC's suck.