How to practise sight-reading: a 4-week plan
Ten to fifteen minutes a day, with one clear goal for each week. The plan most readers start with.
Key points
- Read something new every day; repeating a piece trains memory.
- Choose music well below your playing level.
- Keep the pulse even when notes go wrong.
This plan is for adult beginners and returning players who can find middle C but still decode notes slowly. Each day takes 10 to 15 minutes and fits before or after your normal practice.
The daily structure
| Block | Time | What |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Notes | 3 min | Flashcard-style note naming for the week's range (see note reading) |
| 2. Rhythm | 2 min | Clap and count one line of rhythm (see rhythm) |
| 3. Scan and read | 5–10 min | 2 to 4 short new pieces: 30-second scan, then play once without stopping |
Week 1: landmarks and the pulse
- Notes: treble G (2nd line) and bass F (4th line), middle C, and the notes one step either side.
- Rhythm: crotchets (quarter notes) and minims (half notes) in 4/4.
- Reading: one-hand melodies in five-finger position. Tempo: slow enough that you never stop.
Week 2: steps and skips
- Notes: all lines and spaces of both staves, read by interval from the landmarks.
- Rhythm: add dotted minims and quavers (eighth notes) in pairs.
- Reading: hands alternating, melodies that move by step and by 3rd.
Week 3: hands together
- Notes: add one ledger line above and below each staff.
- Rhythm: 3/4 time, rests, ties.
- Reading: simple hands-together pieces where the left hand holds long notes or plays a simple bass.
Week 4: keys and patterns
- Notes: G major and F major key signatures (one sharp, one flat), see key signatures.
- Rhythm: dotted crotchet + quaver.
- Reading: hands-together pieces in C, G and F; look for repeated patterns and sequences.
How to judge progress
Once a week, pick a new piece at the same level and note two things: how many times you stopped, and whether you could hold the tempo. Fewer stops at the same tempo is real progress. When a level feels comfortable, move up half a grade, not a whole one.
