Learning to Sightread

By Dana Wondercheck



















Table of Contents iii
Table of Contents

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... v
The Basics ....................................................................................................................................... 3
Key Signatures ............................................................................................................................ 3
Intervals....................................................................................................................................... 5
Exercises ......................................................................................................................................... 9
Beginning .................................................................................................................................... 9
Advanced .................................................................................................................................. 11
Index ............................................................................................................................................. 13

Introduction v
Introduction

Sight reading, or sight singing as it is sometimes called, is a staple
for anyone who wishes to excel at music. Reading this manual should
give you some tools and tricks for tackling the monster that can be sight
reading. I remember how hard I worked at learning my intervals and key
signatures, and just how menial and obnoxious it can all seem. But,
when you enter the sight reading room for that portion of the All State
Audition with total confidence, then youll know that it was all worth it.




You might look at this and have no idea where to start. It might be
a bit overwhelming but in time it will come with ease. In the instructions
to follow I assume that you are familiar with the use of solfege syllables
(Do, Re, Mi). I find it the simplest method and the use of hand signals
will be useful if you learn by movement. Also, the terms for certain
rhythm will be used (quarter note, eighth notes). It would be ideal that
anyone reading this will be fluent in these terms.


Chapter 1

The Basics

Chapter 1 3
The Basics

Key Signatures
Alright, the very first thing that you as the sight reader should do when
you receive a copy of a piece of music is determine what key you are
singing in. Using key signatures is a simple way to determine where the
dominant note of the scale (Do), and reading the piece. Figuring out the
key signature isnt difficult once you learn the trick to figuring it out.

1. Look to the right of the bass or treble clef and notice if there are
any sharps or flats before the time signature. If there is nothing,
that means that you are in the key of C, which has no sharps or
flats. Just remember, C no sharps, C no flats.

2. If there are any sharps, look to the furthest sharp on the right. That
sharp will always be Ti. So if you go up one half step, you will
find the line that Do is located, and therefore, know which key you
are in. Time for some practice! look to the first musical example.
There is one sharp located on the F line. Go up one line and youll
be on G. Therefore, youre in the key of G!

3. If there are any flats, look to the second to last flat to the right is
always Do. Look to the second musical example. The second to
last flat is on the B line, and since there is a flat on the line, the key
is B flat.

Now lets do one a little more tricky. If you look at the third and last
musical example, youll see the key has 6 sharps! Lets figure it out. The
furthest sharp to the right is on the E line. Go up one step, and F
sharp, thats right! Now, you wont see complex keys like this very often
so finding the key signature will become second nature in no time.
4 Learning to Sightread
Example 1


Example 2


Example 3





Chapter 1 5
Intervals

In music you wont simply be asked to sing a scale with notes just one
step away from each other. The key is to identify through solfege the
space between each note and have an idea of what that sounds like. Ive
outlined the most occurring intervals below.

Major Thirds



Perfect Fourths




6 Learning to Sightread

Perfect Fifths

Sing through these exercises to get the sound of a perfect fifth in your
head, so that when you see it in sight reading practice, you wont have to
worry about



Chapter 2

Exercises


Chapter 2 9
Exercises
Beginning
Now that weve gone over the tools we need, we can finally start making
some music! Here are a couple of practice lines that are very similar to
those you will sing in competitions.

Heres my plan of attack when I see a piece for the first time running
through the piece.
1. Find the key signature. Finding Do and every other pitch name
will become much easier.

2. Determine the starting pitch. Traditionally, you arent given a
whole lot of time to analyze the piece so its best to jump right in
and get that note in your head to be able to finish in the allotted
time.

3. Sing through the piece on solfege. Dont even worry about the
words this time, if applicable. If you hit a strange interval, sing it
through step by step to find the jump musically. For example, if
you have a Do to La, and you are unsure of it, sing Do-Re-Mi-Fa-
So-La. Keep La in your mind, and since you have been
familiarized with Do, sing Do up to La. This works every time for
myself.

4. Be Confident. Know that youve worked hard on this skill and that
youre going to sound awesome.

Now that weve gone through the laundry list of how to sight read, lets
look at some actual examples. These are very similar to those you might
see in competitions or in popular/contemporary pieces today. If you can
sing through these with about a minutes worth of practice, you know
that youre on your way to becoming a sight reading master.
10 Learning to Sightread
Example 1



Example 2



Example 3



Okay, that last one might have been a little easy because weve all heard
it. Its the opening line to Can You Feel the Love Tonight? by Elton
John, from the Lion King. I just wanted to show that sight reading has
real life applications and can be fun, too.
Chapter 2 11
Advanced

Now that we have a basic understanding of what is expected, lets try
this a few that I would consider a little bit more difficult. Just use the
same tricks and tools that showed you in prior sections and dont freak
out if you see something that throws you for a loop just take a breath
and relax and think back to what you know.


Example 1



Example 2


Example 3 BONUS. Okay, so this book isnt on the points system, but
if you can read this line, then you know youve got some serious skill.
This is the actual exercise that you had to sing for credit on
CollegeBoards AP Music Theory Exam in 2011.
12 Learning to Sightread






Index 13
Index
Fourths 5
Thirds 5
Fifths 6
Key 3,9


















14 Learning to Sightread



Citations

Ericwhitacre.com
Collegeboard.net
Cas.unt.edu
Rights for the music used on the title page belong to Lady Gaga, Adele Adkins, and Walt Disney
Records
All ownership of Can You Feel the Love Tonight belongs to Sir Elton John.