Sight-Reading
Read ahead and keep going.
The Ten-Second Scan
- Goal
- Spot the hazards before you play.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Take an unseen eight-bar excerpt.
- Spend ten seconds finding the key, meter and rhythmic traps.
- How to check it
- Do not start until you can point to the opening beat and the likely hardest bar.
- Next
- Repeat with a new excerpt.
Rhythm Before Pitch
- Goal
- Secure the rhythm of new music first.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Take a new four-bar passage.
- Clap its rhythm while counting the meter.
- How to check it
- Rests, ties and bar totals are right.
- Next
- Play the pitches at the same tempo.
Landmark Notes
- Goal
- Read from known reference pitches.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Take an unseen treble- or bass-clef passage.
- Find five landmark pitches before playing.
- How to check it
- You read from the landmarks rather than decoding each note alone.
- Next
- Cut the preparation to five seconds.
Keep Going
- Goal
- Keep the pulse alive through mistakes.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Take an unfamiliar sixteen-bar passage.
- Read it through without stopping for errors.
- How to check it
- The pulse survives the mistakes.
- Next
- Repeat with a different excerpt, not the same one.
Reading Ahead
- Goal
- Keep your eyes ahead of your hands.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Read simple eighth-note patterns.
- Keep your eyes one beat ahead of the sound.
- How to check it
- Late reactions become fewer.
- Next
- Look two beats ahead.
Accidental Alert
- Goal
- Track where each accidental applies.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Read a passage with three altered notes.
- Mark where each accidental applies within its bar.
- How to check it
- Accidentals do not carry into the next bar unless the note is tied over or the sign is repeated.
- Next
- Try a passage with courtesy accidentals.
Clef Switch
- Goal
- Change clefs without losing your place.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Read four bars in treble clef.
- Continue with four bars in bass clef at a comfortable tempo.
- How to check it
- You notice the clef change before you reach it.
- Next
- Use a passage with a mid-line clef change.
Interval-First Reading
- Goal
- Read by shape and distance.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Take an unfamiliar melody.
- Find repeated notes, steps and leaps before identifying pitches.
- How to check it
- The contour and the larger leaps are right.
- Next
- Read a transposed version.
Sight-Reading Against the Clock
- Goal
- Prepare quickly and perform once.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Take 30 seconds to study an unseen twelve-bar excerpt.
- Perform it once.
- How to check it
- Judge continuity, pitch and rhythm separately.
- Next
- Try a new excerpt with 15 seconds of preparation.
After the Read
- Goal
- Find out why the mistakes happened.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Sight-read a passage once.
- Mark the two bars with the most errors.
- How to check it
- Decide whether each problem came from reading, pulse or technique.
- Next
- Practice those bars and then test yourself on a fresh excerpt.
Other chapters: Pulse and Rhythm · Pitch and Intonation · Ear Training and Listening · Technique and Coordination · Phrasing and Expression · Harmony and Improvisation · Ensemble and Accompaniment · Composition and Creativity · Performance and Feedback
Sing in a comfortable octave, rest between repetitions, and stop if anything hurts.
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