Excel In Music Sight Reading Through Following Tips

By Author: Andrer Enaud
Total Articles: 18
Comment this article

If you are a music buff, you must be familiar with term- sight reading. This mainly refers to your ability to read and create instrumental and vocal music when it is completely new for you i.e. at first sight. Or we can say one has to convert musical information from sight to sound form in music sight reading. This can also be known as sight playing or sight singing. Well, most of the people feel it difficult to sight read the music. For them, I would say that they can work as audition accompanist in which they are supposed to do sight reading for long hours.

Sight reading practice is the only way to get excellence in this particular field. Here, I am discussing few sight reading tips which can help you in the process-

Take a deep breath- common errors during sight reading are cracked notes, tempo mistakes, overkill of vibrato. These occur due to your nervousness which can be mitigated through a deep breath before the start. So, relax first and then look at the music notes.

Reading Title is must- often considered unimportant but title helps you to get into the mood of the whole music piece. With this, you ...
... are able to induce feel the groove in the sound.

Understand the tempo- this is generally defined in the piece like slow, jazzy or moderate slow, fast etc. Try to follow it as much as possible to get into the mood of the piece.

Key signature and time signature- it is essential to take note of these two as without these, people will doubt your knowledge and your music will sound cacophonous. Also note any changes in the key signature in the middle of the piece.

Lay proper stress in the beginning- during music sight reading, especial attention to the first few lines is important as it will help you to get the right sound and maybe it will be repeated throughout the piece. Practice it silently in your mind first. Also remember, after looking at the whole piece, you should again read the beginning.

Small tips are important- a simple but most important of the sight reading tips. At times, it happens that you see two rhythms as same but they do have some difference in one or two notes. So, be careful while reading.

Go through the last line- even a normal individual know that music ends in a different form as compared to its other notes. So, read the last line properly, practice it in your mind. A spectacular end will leave an unforgettable impression in the listener’s mind.

Now start playing- check your instrument for any errors and accordingly adjust it. Even if you screw something in the mid, don’t get disheartened, just move on and try to correct the same when repeated in the piece.

With the
sight reading practice, you will be able to see the notations as shapes. You will not feel like reading each note of a chord as it will automatically come into your mind. This is because you will become familiar with the patterns. Besides all above, the knowledge of music theory will help you a lot in getting the right track. Professional sight readers use their music theory understanding to take the notes. They do not see every next note in the chord.

So, just follow these golden rules of practicing and reading and keep on producing work of art.

Andrer Enaud is a journalist, Billboard and VH1 award winning musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and music teacher to thousands, through school boards and privately. TheMusicAssociate.com connects its visitors to every sight reading practice and unlimited musical accessories for your Musical Needs, dream or desire!