10 Tips and Tricks for Sight Reading Music
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Loading... - Marek Pokorny
- 31 Oct 2022
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Sight reading seems to be one of those challenges that either a beginning musician loves or has recurring nightmares about. For those of us in the latter category, we’ve consulted with music educators who specialize in the important skill of sight reading music to make it less scary and (maybe even) a little enjoyable!
The first few tips and tricks we have for you apply to the things you can do on a daily basis to improve your sight-reading skills!
1. Familiarize Yourself with a Variety of Rhythms
Sightreading can look different based on whether you are an instrumentalist or a vocalist, but there is one thing both groups have in common: rhythm. Familiarizing yourself with a variety of rhythms (4/4, 3/4, 6/8, etc.) will help you to be ready in any situation. Here’s a website we found with helpful, free rhythm exercises.
2. Memorize Key Signatures
Memorizing your key signatures is especially helpful for instrumentalists, as you need to be aware of how many sharps or flats are coming up in your upcoming sight-reading exercise. It can also be helpful for vocalists if you’re timbre is more comfortable in certain key signatures. This may take a bit of time initially, but in the long run, it will not only make sight-reading easier but practicing and performing too!
3. Know Your Scales
For instrumentalists, knowing your scales will help you tangibly memorize your key signatures. It will also create muscle memory for fingerings and hand placement for each key signature so that when you begin to sight-read, your hands will do what they are used to doing! Read More...
