Reading music · Practice
Sight reading practice
A new eight-note melody every time. Play each note as it lights up, on the keys below, your computer keyboard or a digital piano, and see how many you get right first time.
Computer keyboard: A S D F G H J K are the white keys from the lowest C shown; W E T Y U the black keys; Enter for the next melody.
How to get better at sight reading
- Little and often. Five minutes a day of music you haven't seen beats an hour once a week.
- Read the shape, not every note. Is the next note a step up, a step down, a skip? Most melodies move by step.
- Find landmarks: middle C, the treble G line and the bass F line. Read other notes from the nearest landmark. Our treble and bass clef pages have quizzes for these.
- Keep going. In real sight reading you don't stop for a wrong note. Here the melody waits, so you can learn; once you're getting all eight, try to keep a steady beat as you play.
- Read real music, slowly: the easy piano songs have sheet music that lights up as it plays.
Reading it, but your hands lag behind? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a note you always hesitate on. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
How can I get better at sight reading piano music?
A little every day: five minutes of new, easy music you've never seen, read without stopping. Read ahead of where you're playing, keep a steady beat, and don't go back for mistakes. Easy material read often beats hard material read rarely.
What is sight reading?
Playing a piece of music you haven't seen before, straight from the page. It's a skill of its own, separate from learning a piece, and it gets better with regular practice.
Should I look at my hands when sight reading?
As little as you can. Learn where the keys are by feel, starting in one hand position, so your eyes can stay on the music.
Is it OK to use letter names on the keys?
As a start, yes. Turn the letters off as soon as you can: the goal is to go straight from the note on the staff to the key, without thinking of the letter.