Sight reading is an essential skill for all musicians. Sight reading is the ability to read and play a piece of music you have never seen before. Below is a resource list to help you master sight reading and to incorporate the skill into your daily routine.
How do you account for all the musical details when sight reading? RNAD is a method for prioritizing four key elements when practicing sight reading. In order of significance, the four key elements are Rhythm, Notes, Articulation, and Dynamics.
What is the time signature? Are there any time signature changes? Which musical unit (quarter note, eighth note, etc.) is useful for counting? What is the pulse of the composition? Which beats are strong, and which are weak?
What is the key signature? Are there any key signature changes? Are there any accidentals?
Are the notes slurred or tongued? Are there any accents, marcato, sforzando, staccato, or tenuto markings?
Are there any dynamic markings or changes? How long are the phrases? How can each breath be distributed to accommodate the dynamics?
| Interval | Ascending | Descending |
|---|---|---|
| perfect unison | God Save the Queen Jingle Bells |
N/A |
| minor 2nd | Jaws (theme) Pink Panther (theme) |
Für Elise (Beethoven) Jurassic Park (theme) |
| major 2nd | Do-Re-Mi (Sound of Music) Happy Birthday |
Mary Had a Little Lamb Three Blind Mice |
| minor 3rd | Greensleeves O Canada |
Hey Jude Silent Night |
| major 3rd | Oh, When the Saints Spring (Vivaldi) |
Summertime (Gershwin) Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven) |
| perfect 4th | Amazing Grace Wedding March (Wagner) |
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Mozart) O Come, All Ye Faithful |
| tritone (augmented 4th, diminished 5th) | Maria (West Side Story) The Simpsons (theme) |
Even Flow (Pearl Jam) YYZ (Rush) |
| perfect 5th | Can't Help Falling in Love with You Twinkle Twinkle Little Star |
The Flinstones (theme) Minuet in G (Petzold) |
| minor 6th | The Entertainer (Joplin) Waltz in c# minor (Chopin) |
Love Story (theme) |
| major 6th | Dashing Through the Snow My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean |
The Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera) Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen |
| minor 7th | Somewhere (West Side Story) | An American in Paris (Gershwin) |
| major 7th | Take On Me (A-ha) | I Love You (Cole Porter) |
| perfect octave | Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz) | The Lonely Goatherd (Sound of Music) |