Sightreading quick tips

Sight-readings skills make all aspects of piano study and performance easier.

• Capable sight-readers take less time to learn new pieces.
• Capable sight-readers play music for fun with other musicians with more ease.
  
  
  

I offered the following regimen to a student this week.
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• I suggested that she does daily work with the Four-Star sight reading and ear test books. The book is organized, five days to a piano week. She must read the questions carefully, before starting each exercise, as they combine sightreading and theory with basic piano skills.
• When clapping rhythm, she needs to count aloud. Counting in her head is not as effective as she thinks it is. (My drum teacher has me do this frequently, yet I’m a professional musician. Why is this? It really helps.)
• Practice the scales applicable to the exercise beforehand. I suggested she spends more time on technique. She needs to work on her outlook regarding technique. Playing the scales, chords, arpeggios with joy and diligence is possible. Think of this work as an act of devotion.
• She needs to dig in on theory. Skilled sight-readers recognize the scale and chord patterns at sight. In the beginning, she could mark those patterns in the score before playing. The Four-Star books contain questions that will guide her with this.
• Slow and steady should be her first goal when sight-reading. She needs to imagine playing in an ensemble: No stopping, no correcting. The band will continue without her. If things fall apart, she should just keep counting and come back later in the piece. This will take practice to do. A metronome can help here.

 
If I can help you, call me.
 
David
Revised August 2022