Sight reading seems to be one of those challenges that either a beginning musician loves or has recurring nightmares about. Now isn't it time you stopped leaving this vital skill to chance and actually did something to improve your sight reading.10 Tips and Tricks for Sight Reading Music You can’t erase the first mistake, and the examiner is not interested if you can improve on your wrong note, he wants to hear a performance of the music as a whole, which conveys as best you can, the character of the piece. If you do miss a note, DON’T go back and correct it, you’ll only upset the flow and rhythm of the music and this effectively then counts as a 2nd mistake. A sight reading test is an assessment on how well you can convey the music as a whole performance, NOT if you can recognise the pitches A, B, C etc - that is a theory exam!!įinally - a word on mistakes. The last thing mentioned in the marking criteria for a distinction is “ Confident presentation”. Below each test in this course, there will be hints of details to look out for, before you even play a note. Getting the right pitch is only a small part of what the examiner is looking for.

This will also include other stylistic markings such as dynamics and articulation. Then, concentrating on the rhythm, try and visualize in your head how the music should sound, again before you even play a note. Throughout this course you will also find some “ Instant Hand Position or Key Signature Recognition” tests. Rather, the first thing you should do is get a sense of the key you are in and if you are taking an early Grade (1-2), simply find the hand position for each hand before playing a note. DON'T just start playing from the beginning.

Sight reading trainer