Choosing music for sight-reading practice

You need volume: lots of short, easy, unfamiliar pieces. Finding enough of it is the practical problem most people hit.

How easy is easy enough?

A good test: you should be able to play it slowly without stopping, with only a few slips. If you stop more than two or three times per line, choose something easier. Sight-reading material is normally two or three levels below your current repertoire.

Good sources

• Graded sight-reading books from exam boards and method publishers, organised by level.
• Old method books and the early pieces in books you have finished, if you no longer remember them.
• Hymnals and chorale books: four-part harmony, steady rhythm, lots of variety. Start with soprano and bass only.
• Folk-song and children's collections: short, tuneful, simple keys.
• Duet books: the primo or secondo parts are often easier than solo music.
• Public-domain libraries such as IMSLP and Mutopia, which host free scores of older music. Look for easy pieces by teaching composers such as Gurlitt, Türk, Czerny and Bartók's Mikrokosmos early volumes (check copyright where you live).

Keep a reading log

Note what you read and the level. When five pieces in a row go smoothly, move up half a level.