SIGHT-READING

Magic..? Mystery..? Miracle..? -- Sight-reading is none of those. It is a skill like any other - a simple craft - invaluable to any serious musician.

Because life is short, this narrative will move as quickly as possible. But first - in the French manner - it is worth explaining what "Sight-Reading" is NOT.

THREE MYTHS:

-- 1. The ability to "Sight-Read" is something a player enjoys from birth. Nonsense. It is like the myth that one must be born with a "good ear for music". In fact no one is "born with a good ear" - rather a "good ear" is a manifestation of 'intuitive concentration' - an extract of experience and training. Just like an infant learns to speak. Just like learning to sight-read.

-- 2. In ensembles, great "sight-readers" are never "great players" - because nothing ever gets better after the first rehearsal. Nonsense. This little myth is sometimes perpetuated by players who are weak sight-readers. Mozart was a great "sight-reader " - so was Leonard Bernstein. So are legions of fine musicians who are nameless. There are also legions of fine musicians who are not good sight-readers - they must do a lot more 'wood-shedding' to get ready for rehearsals. But life is too short. Music is too big. And good sight-reading can save a great deal of time.

-- 3. "Sight-Reading" - apart from convenience - offers no real artistic value to a performer. Nonsense. A great advantage to a good sight-reader is that - beyond assimilating notes on a page - the rhythms, the phrases, the musical nuance, etc. are all quickly apparent. It is very much like the experience of a fine photographer who can spot a worthy image at once: POOF..! All of the balance, highlights, contrasts and symbolic meanings make sense immediately - all in the great dark room of the mind. To a good sight-reader a page of music is like that. And virtually anyone can learn how to do it. But just as a photographer must process film and manipulate the image in a real dark room or on a digital screen, so must a musician then take his/her quick insights into the practice room for processing. By the end of the day the arts of photography and music are not only well-served but best-served. Remember: the day began with good sight-reading.

What good sight-readers know:

1) sight-reading is easy
2) they never leave home without it
3) everyone should do it
4) good sight-readers are ALWAYS sight-reading - even music which is well rehearsed - or often performed - somehow sight-reading every time helps even old war-horses remain fresh

We are not trying to be clever or glib. That is the way good sight-reading feels to someone who can. Ergo, this effort fairly concerns a compressed list - What everyone should know:

1) how sight reading skills improve
2) what it "feels like" to be a good sight-reader

To be sure, both of these items are closely linked. In the experience of the author, those who need help are always interested in the first - "how to improve" - ? But most everyone seems to derive best advantage from the second - "what does good sight-reading feel like" - ?

The observations noted here are subjective. They are based upon decades of experience with professionals who are excellent or extraordinary sight-readers, and upon careful observation of many students.

Sight-Reading Techniques

Teaching Sight Reading

Sight Reading Tips