As a beginner, aim to play the notes and the rhythm accurately. Play the whole piece at the same tempo by starting at a tempo that will enable you to play the notes and the rhythm accurately without having to slow down. Go as slowly as you need to and keep your eyes on the music so that you can always read ahead.
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As a more advanced sight-reader, aim to also play musically by following all the dynamics and expressive markings.
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.
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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:
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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.
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FOR MORE INFO >> How Long Does It Take to Learn Sight-Reading
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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