Very short blog post today. Does sight reading have to have so many rules? Do we have to play something right off the bat without seeing it for the first time? What’s it all about?
What most people do when approaching sight reading is they just plow through it. That’s not the best way to go about it. Try some of these other methods.
- See where the road map takes you.
When you’re confronted with a piece of music, take a few minutes to look it over to see where you are going. Ask yourself what your road map is. This will take any initial anxiety away and put you more at ease. When all is said and done, the focus to play it simple and well. Don’t try to be a hero and nail everything. It takes a tremendous amount of confidence to play a simple groove.
2. What hits do you have to make?
Sometimes there will be unison hits that is part of the music that may or may not be crucial to the piece. Most of the time it’s crucial, but you’ll be able to judge by hearing the what the music tells you.
3. Preparing yourself.
This not only goes for playing the gig, but also applies to how many styles you study and are knowledgeable of. Listen to music and practice are so crucial when it comes to any kind of sight reading. The more you expose your listening ear to, the better. You can get a head start and therefore have more confidence in your playing, which can only help matters.
Check out this video where I cover sight reading.
