How to practise sight-reading without a piano?

To practise sight-reading without a piano, work on:

  • note-reading with flashcards or apps like Note Trainer, Notes Trainer or Tenuto,
  • ear training with apps like Tenuto or Ear Trainer,
  • music theory with Tenuto or its corresponding website,
  • mental practice with physical or digital scores where you visualise yourself playing the notes and imagine the sound, or
  • rhythm and hand coordination with two-handed clapping rhythms (see How to Sight-Read Both Clefs at the Same Time & FREE Exercises).

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General Questions on Sight-Reading

When sight-reading, try to look at least one beat ahead which can mean looking several notes ahead, depending on the piece. To do this effectively, learn how to read groups of notes.

 

FOR MORE INFO >> How to Look Ahead when Sight-Reading

If you’ve been playing piano for a while and you still can’t sight-read music, it could be due to several reasons:

  • you don’t practise sight-reading on a regular basis
  • you memorise the moment you learn a new piece and don’t use the score
  • you always learn pieces hands separately
  • you lack music theory knowledge
  • you lack technical skills

 

FOR MORE INFO >> 10 Habits to Avoid When Reading Music & How to Break Them

Learning to sight-read is a long process. How long it takes you to learn sight-reading will depend on how much time and effort you devote to reading music every day. If you only sight-read once a week, it’s going to take you much longer than if you sight-read every day.

 

FOR MORE INFO >> How Long Does It Take to Learn Sight-Reading

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    Emmanuelle Fonsny

    Emmanuelle Fonsny

    Emmanuelle Fonsny, or Manu, is a piano and violin teacher, composer and accompanist based in Sydney, Australia. She is passionate about sharing her love of music and her sight-reading and practice tips to help other pianists become more confident sight-readers.

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