Read at Sight
Volume 4: Patterns and Keys
Chords in both hands, high and low notes, syncopation and sixteenths, keys with three sharps or flats, and music that changes key.
Contents
Each unit adds exactly one new idea to everything before it.
- Unit 1 Block ChordsThe left hand plays I, IV and V7 as three-note chords: held, oom-pah and waltz
- Unit 2 Chords in Both HandsRight-hand three-note chords; 2/4 time
- Unit 3 High NotesLedger lines above the treble staff, up to D6; the hand moves up an octave
- Unit 4 Low Notes and the MiddleLedger lines below the bass staff, down to C2; both hands near middle C
- Unit 5 SyncopationNotes that start between the beats: ties over the beat and the bar line, accents
- Unit 6 Sixteenth NotesFour sixteenths, an eighth and two sixteenths, the dotted eighth and sixteenth
- Unit 7 Three Sharps and Three FlatsA major, E-flat major, F-sharp minor and C minor
- Unit 8 Changing KeyA new key mid-piece, shown by a new key signature or by accidentals; review
How to use this book
What is new in Volume 4
Both hands now play chords, and the accompaniment falls into patterns you learn to read at a glance: held chords, oom-pah and waltz basses, chorales and after-beat chords. You will read ledger lines far above and below the staves, syncopated rhythms and sixteenth notes, the keys of A major, E-flat major, F-sharp minor and C minor, and music that moves into a new key. 2/4 time joins 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8. Start this book when you can read Volume 3 music: broken-chord and Alberti basses, 6/8, keys with two sharps or flats, and two independent voices.
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, keyboard pictures of the hand positions or chord shapes, and reading tips. Then come Parts A to D, 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).