Sight-Reading Tips

Before playing
  1. Observe
    • clef signs
    • key signature
    • time signature
    • tempo markings
    • dynamics
    • articulations
    • fingering markings
  2. Look for accidentals
  3. Note the extensions and shifts
  4. Check for chords (both blocked and broken)
  5. Observe the melodic contour (scale passages and intervals).
While playing
  1. Keep your eyes on the music, not on your hands.
  2. Look ahead. Think about what is coming. Never go back. What's done is done. In sight-reading, a mistake can't be repaired by repetition. Always keep moving forward and looking ahead.
  3. Read at a comfortable speed and keep going at a steady tempo.
  4. Remember to think about what you are doing.

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Last Updated: 18 August 2000