Sight Reading Tip #3: Reading Is More Than Lines and Spaces

By Anne Sullivan 

Do you remember when you were first learning to read music? Your teacher had you learn the lines and spaces on the staff. It felt strange for a while, but soon it became second nature to see that note on the staff and know which string to play. And sometime during that process, you stopped practicing naming the lines and spaces because you knew them.

I learned to read music when I was very young and it became effortless for me, too. But when I started my college music studies at The Curtis Institute of Music, I discovered that there was a much deeper level of knowledge that I needed to develop. I learned to not only be able to name and read the notes very quickly, but to hear them accurately in my head as well. I also learned that the more accurately and easily I could hear them in my head, the easier my sight reading became because I could “hear” the music before I played it. I had three years of classes at Curtis dedicated to developing that skill, so I could learn music faster and sight read it nearly flawlessly. 

This is the "reading" part of sight reading. Note reading isn't just about knowing your lines and spaces. It's about your speed and accuracy in translating the written note on the page into music. That dot on the page has a name, a string on your instrument and a pitch. When all of those associations are strong, the music takes shape in your mind before you play it. The most skilled sight readers aren't just reading the music; they are hearing it.

It’s not just about the way the note looks; it’s about how it sounds.

You can begin developing your note reading skills by saying the note names of a passage or two in your practice each day. You will notice immediately how much more aware you become of the notes you are playing and how much faster it is to correct a mistake when you name the correct notes as you play.

Even better, you can sing the notes. This is the best way to develop not only your sight reading, but also your understanding of intervals and chords, to improve your improvising skills and to speed your memorization. It will also help you sight read music that has no pedal or lever changes written in. You will learn to hear the accidentals in your head before you play the note, and react quickly to push the pedal or lever you need.