Sight Reading

[jadebunny9]

I can't sight read if my life depends on it (but fortunately, it doesn't). I know we have a few musicians in here. How do you guys do it? Does it come naturally? Or do you just have to practice a lot?

[pandamao]

I can't sight read if my life depends on it (but fortunately, it doesn't). I know we have a few musicians in here. How do you guys do it? Does it come naturally? Or do you just have to practice a lot?

Lots and lots of practice.

You know what I can't do, that is ... look at a piece of music and be able to hum out the melody.

[sunnydayz3]

Practice... I'm a pretty average sight-reader.

From what I've heard, it's also hard to become a good sight-reader if you learned a lot of your music from playing by ear... b/c you're not used to reading notes.

[expression]

I can't sight read if my life depends on it (but fortunately, it doesn't).

You know what I can't do, that is ... look at a piece of music and be able to hum out the melody.

I am poor at BOTH...

[sunnydayz3]

Lots and lots of practice.

You know what I can't do, that is ... look at a piece of music and be able to hum out the melody.

Hmm, it might help if you know intervals b/c then you would know the relationships between notes and how they sound and therefore be able to hum out the melody?

[jadebunny9]

I'm more of the person who plays by ear. I hate reading notes. =\

[Azn Dude]

I have no problem sight reading the treble and bass clef. Only one that has potential to slow me down is the alto clef since I rarely ever play the Viola to have to read it and maybe really really big chords, I"m talking anything with #13 b5 sus2 9 type chords.

Besides practicing I can't really think of anything else but it is a bonus if you started it when you were young. When you first started you had the mnemonics to help you remember, like Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge but after a while it becomes like reading words, instead of sounding them you out, just recognize them.

I use to practice sight reading by humming out the notes and reading notoriously hard sheet music like extended jazz solo's or piano classical pieces by John Cage. Just start trying to read one note at time, then move on to two, then three and so forth.
At this point in my life, after like 20 years of reading sheet music I can read a few bars at a time without thinking of it and unless the chords are huge I can sight them pretty good.


Bach and Mozart is said to be able to read up to 6 bars at once.

[Guo Xiang ( :]

Once a year my piano teacher gives me (and the rest of her students) a series of music tests including sight reading. To get good at sight reading you need to get used to studying music quickly and looking at the whole thing at once to look for all the details like what key it's in and if there's any dynamics or repeat signs. Hope this helps!

These tips are for sight reading tests. I don't no if this is what you are talking about.