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Technique & Performance

Sight-Reading

Definition

Sight-reading is playing or singing a piece of music from the score the first time you see it, keeping a steady beat and carrying on through mistakes rather than stopping to fix them.

What sight-reading asks of you

When you sight-read there is no time to work anything out note by note. You read ahead, recognize patterns and keep going. The aim is not a perfect performance but a steady, musical first reading: the right rhythm, most of the notes, and no stops. Accompanists, church musicians, ensemble players and studio musicians rely on the skill, and many music exams include a sight-reading test.

Before you play: a 30-second scan

  1. Key signature. Which sharps or flats? Find them on the keyboard and say them aloud.
  2. Time signature. How many beats in a bar, and what is the first rhythm?
  3. Tempo and character. Choose a speed slow enough for the hardest bar.
  4. Hand position. Find the first note of each hand and the range each hand covers.
  5. Patterns. Look for scales, repeated bars, chord shapes and sequences. Each pattern is a group of notes you can read as one.
A grand staff in G major and 3/4, four bars, marked mp. The right hand plays D B G, A B C, C B A, and a dotted half note G. The left hand plays dotted half notes G, D, D, G.
A four-bar piece to read at sight: G major (one sharp, F♯), 3/4, mp, both hands in G position. Scan it first, count one bar, then play it through without stopping.

While you play

  • Keep the beat above everything. A wrong note in time sounds better than a right note late. If you slip, jump to the next beat and carry on.
  • Look ahead. Let your eyes run a beat or two ahead of your hands.
  • Keep your eyes on the music. Find the keys by feel and quick glances, so you don't lose your place.
  • Read intervals as well as notes. "Up a third, down a step" is faster than naming every letter.

How to get better

Sight-reading improves with quantity: many short, easy pieces, each read once. Choose music clearly easier than what you are learning to perform, so you can keep going without stopping. Five minutes a day does more than an hour once a month. Tissimo's graded sets give you fresh pieces to read once each, starting with Sight-Reading: Set 1 and Set 2, then hands together in Set 3. Fast note recognition helps too: the Name the notes: grand staff worksheet drills it.

A teacher can choose material at exactly the right level for you; book a lesson if you want a reading plan.

Common questions

How can I improve my sight-reading quickly?

Read something new every day, at a level that feels easy, and never stop to correct a mistake. Short daily sessions with lots of different music build the skill faster than long, occasional ones.

Should I look at my hands when sight-reading?

As little as possible. Keep your eyes on the music and find the keys by feel and quick glances; looking down every few notes makes you lose your place.

Practice it: free worksheets