Sight-read piano music with less panic
Sight-reading is a skill you build in small daily doses, not a talent you either have or don't. The trick is to read a lot of easy music, keep going when you make mistakes, and train the sub-skills separately.
4-week practice planTen to fifteen minutes a day, with a clear goal for each week.
Daily exercisesGraded drills you can do with any beginner book.
Read notes fasterLandmark notes and intervals instead of counting lines.
Rhythm readingCounting, subdivision and keeping the pulse.
Key signaturesRecognise them at a glance and know what they mean for your hands.
Ledger linesReading notes above and below the staff.
The 30-second scanWhat to check before you play the first note.
Choosing reading materialHow easy is easy enough, and where to find it.
The three rules that matter most
- Read below your playing level. Pieces for sight-reading should be two or three grades easier than what you are learning.
- Keep the pulse. A wrong note played in time is better than a right note played late. Set a slow tempo and do not stop.
- Read something new every day. Ten minutes of fresh music beats an hour once a week. Re-reading the same piece trains memory, not reading.