Read at Sight

Read at Sight

Volume 1: First Steps

Hundreds of short, new exercises at exactly your level, with tips, checkpoints and real pieces along the way.

Download the book (PDF)

Contents

Each unit adds exactly one new idea to everything before it.

  1. Unit 1 The Right Hand Finds Its HomeTreble clef, right hand C position, whole / half / quarter notes, 4/4
  2. Unit 2 The Left Hand and the Bass ClefBass clef, left hand C position (C3-G3)
  3. Unit 3 Hands Take TurnsMelody passes between hands; 3/4 time and the dotted half note
  4. Unit 4 SkipsThirds: line-to-line and space-to-space
  5. Unit 5 Hands TogetherLeft hand holds C or G while the right hand moves
  6. Unit 6 Middle C PositionBoth thumbs on middle C; notes near the middle of the grand staff
  7. Unit 7 Rests and TiesQuarter, half and whole rests; ties across the bar line
  8. Unit 8 G PositionMoving the hands to G; fourths and fifths
  9. Unit 9 Eighth NotesTwo eighths per beat; counting 1-and-2-and
  10. Unit 10 Sharps, Flats and ReviewSharps, flats and key signatures (D and F positions); review of Units 1-9

How to use this book

Why this book is built this way

You get better at sight-reading by reading a lot of new music that is easy for you, not by struggling through hard pieces. So every unit gives you many short exercises that use only what you have learned so far, plus a few real pieces.

The five rules

1. Never stop: keep the beat going, even after a wrong note. 2. Count out loud and use a metronome at the speed shown. 3. Keep your eyes on the music, not your hands. 4. Read the shape: up, down, or the same, and by how much. 5. Play each exercise once, tick its box, and move on. Come back only after a few weeks.

Before every exercise: 10 seconds

Check the clef and time signature. Find the first note and its finger number. Scan for the highest and lowest note, and for any bar that repeats an earlier one. Then count one bar in and play.

How each unit is laid out

A unit opens with what is new, a keyboard picture of the hand position, and reading tips. Then come Parts A, B and C, which grow slightly harder. Pieces come next, and the unit ends with a checkpoint that tells you when to move on.

A daily routine (15-20 minutes)

Warm up by playing the five notes of the hand position up and down, saying their names (2 minutes). Read 6-10 new exercises, one pass each (10 minutes). Play one piece, aiming for steady and musical (5 minutes).