Tips for improving sight reading

→ As soon as you see the music, first check: 

• What’s the time signature? (organize rhythm & counting)

• What’s the key signature?

• Recognize intervals & repeated musical patterns     

• Fingering, phrasing, & dynamics if applicable 

→ When playing, always try to look ahead a bit. This is a learned skill, like reading words & books, so do this regularly until it comes naturally.  

→ Keep a steady beat if possible. Decrease the Tempo or mute the clicks if it’s not going too smoothly. 

→ If you miss any notes, ignore them and keep tempo as much as possible. (This is different from how you probably normally practice)  

 Pro Tip: Pretend you’re playing with a band, so know that they’ll keep going if you stop! Or just play consistently with the Listen button. Stopping & starting frequently actually prevents you from gaining fluid reading skills. 

→ Lastly, try to play musically, with dynamics and phrasing. We are music-makers first, not robots who only care about accuracy.

→ Practice sight reading a little bit daily, take it easy, and have fun!