5 Tips for Easier Sight Reading

By Kody Myhra January 1st, 2022

I think I speak for all of us musicians when I say sight reading is NOT our forte (haha, music pun!). It takes a lot of time and effort to build up this skill, and sometimes, we get too wrapped up in our repertoire to actually practice this skill in depth. In my time at college, I decided that I wanted to become better at sight reading. With some practice, I finally created a list of 5 main concepts for sight reading that had helped me during my ensemble rehearsals, exams, and in my own practice:

Tip #1: Practice playing without a recording 🚫

It is very easy to fall into the trap of listening to a piece before playing it. We all want to know how it sounds and how we can portray the music as best as we can. But one thing we can do to improve our sight reading skills is ditch the recording (to start). By playing your music without listening to it beforehand, it puts you into the headspace to properly sight read with no prior knowledge of the music. So if you’re looking to become a better sight-reader, do not listen to recordings of your music until after you play it in the practice room for the very first time. You may even surprise yourself and how quickly those musical puzzle pieces come together!

Tip #2: Time yourself ⏱

In a sight reading test or exam, you are usually asked to look at a piece of music for a set amount of time and play when that time is over. One thing you can do to make this feel less stressful is incorporating it into your everyday practice. Pull out a random etude or piece you haven’t looked at before, set a timer for 30 seconds, and analyze the music. When the timer is up, play it! The more you practice like it is a performance, then the performance gets easier!

Tip #3: Note the important things 📝

There are 5 very important things to look for when those 30 seconds prior to your first read begin: time signature, key signature, accidentals, dynamics and articulation styles. These five things must be accounted for in everyday music, but talking through each one can help you to remember it easier. Verbally saying “this piece is in 4/4 with three flats: Bb, Eb and Ab” shows comprehension and helps your brain to develop your memory for the first read. Also, glancing over given accidentals can help show if a piece is in minor. If there are “random naturals or sharps”, then the piece may be in minor! Lastly, dynamics and articulations should not be simply glanced over, but the detection of the highest and lowest dynamics and where they lie, as well as different articulation patterns be identified, can significantly improve your final performance of the music. These 5 things are not the only things we should look at, of course, but are very major concepts when playing any music in general.

Tip #4: Look for difficult rhythms 🎵

The most difficult part about sight reading in my experience is encountering difficult rhythms. By looking for these difficulties before you play, you know when and where to expect them. This will give you more of a chance to prepare for the rhythm and for what comes after, even if you mess it up. I will often tap my hand on my leg during an exam if I see any awkward rhythms to try and iron them out mentally before applying them to my playing. If you find a hard rhythm after you start playing, no worries! Mistakes will 100% happen, and they are 100% human! Pick back up in the measure after, and get through the rhythm to the best of your ability.

Tip #5: Take it SLOW 🛑

When the time comes, you will have to actually play the music you are sight reading (ironic, isn’t it?). Taking things slow give your brain a chance to catch up with the music you are reading. In my honest opinion, looking at the tempo during a sight reading exam should not be a concern. If the music is played too fast, your fingers and reading abilities will not align, causing some musical casualties (maybe mores to your grade than your playing). Taking it slow is INTEGRAL, and when these skills are more developed, speed will follow.

In good time and practice, your sight reading skills will get better. Always remember that nobody’s perfect, and mistakes may happen, but figuring out how to practice avoiding those mistakes is what makes the skill easier later. Happy practicing, and have a great 2022!

Have a question? Email me at kmyhra@millikin.edu.