Traits that make a great sight reader?

BigDub

I claim no expertise in this subject, but maybe a lot of experience and observation. Let’s get that out of the way first.
First, let me say I am not a particularly good sight reader. I have gotten better through osmosis, maybe because I sit next to people who are, so it elevates me to some degree. It seems to me that some of the great sight readers might have a strong aptitude for math. See the opening remark: it is my observation and experience over the years, not fact or scientific study. They have the numbers and fractions right there in their heads, constantly ticking off like a computer. Easy stuff for them.

My problem with sight reading, I think, stemmed from my relying too much on my ear. I’d hear it the first time through and know how it went, rhythmically and the tune was in the vault already, so, once again I escaped really having to figure it out on my own.
So am I way off base or is there some validity to this?

Mike Ansberry

I believe that sight reading is somewhat connected to the ability to sight sing. If you can't hear it in your head, you are likely to miss the interval.

That, of course, doesn't take into consideration rhythmic reading.

Dale Proctor

I’ve found that lots of experience reading unfamiliar music, the ability to look ahead a few bars while playing, familiarity with common rhythms, having scales under your fingers as second nature, and tunnel vision levels of concentration are very helpful traits for sight reading. As far as left brain vs right brain attributes, I have no idea.

Rapier232

@mike-ansberry
I can see the note, hear the note, play the note. But only on the trumpet, I can not sing the part. ‍️

GeorgeB

@bigdub
My sight reading skills were not so great at the beginning of my comeback at age 79. Those skills were sharper when I was a younger player. I never had trouble reading those songs I was familiar with, just those that were not.
So I spend a lot of time learning to play new songs. I figure them out by hearing the notes and then singing them if the piece has lyrics.
The band I play with is always adding new material and that has helped me in sharpening my sight reading ability.

Dr GO

Two Main Rules:

Sight Read Often
Sing it before you play it, and if you're Rapier, sing it to yourself and all will be fine.

BigDub

@dr-go said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

Two Main Rules:

Sight Read Often

Sing it before you play it, and if you're Rapier, sing it to yourself and all will be fine.

The point of being able to sight read, in my mind, that you can pick up the piece of music and play it. No preparation, no study, no premeditation. Like picking up a book or newspaper and reading it without ever having seen it before. That’s what I consider a good sight reader. I marvel at a pianist who can read a piece for the first time- and there are many more notes, two staffs, and two clefs to consider as well!
I do think my sight reading has come a very long way, mind you. Up until about 8 years ago when I started playing with the community band and basically had all new music all the time, I was not being challenged much. It was in a church setting playing stuff I more or less knew and could play first time without any trouble. It was also not as difficult or intricate.

GeorgeB

@bigdub
I know what you are saying, Wayne. Back in the days of the big bands you went to an audition and had to play a piece of music you had never seen before, yet play it as if you played it every day of your life. If you couldn't do that back then, you wouldn't last long in the business. So the pros have to be able to sight read flawlessly. I am certainly no pro...

Richard III

I think it also relates to math ability. Rhythms seem to be a problem for people. It's not the notes, it's the rhythm. People get lost. Also having the beat in the back of your head that allows you to know where in the measure you are is huge. I've been in so many groups where a difficult passage means the player slows down and is immediately lost.

And then there is the reading text issue related thing. When you read text, do you look at all the letters? Of course not. You read the sentence. Same thing in music. You read the phrases. You see the whole line. No?

Or are you thinking of how to produce the sound and playing and can't spare attention to the music?

I think there's something like that going on?

ROWUK

There are various traits that make for good site reading.

large collection of memorized patterns
ability to negotiate the diagonal (end of one line to the beginning of the next)
ability to “hear” intervals (different than #1)
well taken care of chops
an organised approach before playing a note - key signatures and accidentals, natural feel for phrasing/breathing
a lot of experience site reading

J. Jericho

Music is a language. How long did it take for you to become fluent in speaking and reading your native tongue? How long does it take to learn a foreign language? How much concentration, dedication, repetition, and construction does it take to learn any language? These are the keys to learning to effectively and naturally sight read and play/sing music.

administrator

@rowuk said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

There are various traits that make for good site reading.

large collection of memorized patterns

ability to negotiate the diagonal (end of one line to the beginning of the next)

ability to “hear” intervals (different than #1)

well taken care of chops

an organised approach before playing a note - key signatures and accidentals, natural feel for phrasing/breathing

a lot of experience site reading

Hearing the intervals is the easy part. Making that instant connection to which note it is is much harder. Hearing harmonic changes is even harder than that.

ROWUK

@administrator said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

Hearing the intervals is the easy part. Making that instant connection to which note it is is much harder. Hearing harmonic changes is even harder than that.

I know too many players that site read very well but miss the musical message - even with more time. It is a question of the talent mix.

Dr GO

I believe the hardest part of sight reading is being able to count. What really trips me up the most is reading where NOT to play (the rests) more so than were TO play (the notes). It all comes down to the rhythm, the feel of the song. That is what I find most challenging regarding sight reading.

BigDub

@dr-go said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

I believe the hardest part of sight reading is being able to count. What really trips me up the most is reading where NOT to play (the rests) more so than were TO play (the notes). It all comes down to the rhythm, the feel of the song. That is what I find most challenging regarding sight reading.

I was thinking the same thing the other day. The rests. Long rests. If only there was some kind of an app for waiting out long rests. A little count down.....one measure to go, 1,2,ready, play, right?
I think for me, it’s laziness. I try my best to find sections of the music, like road signs to get around having to actually count 28 measures.
I celebrate the little “helps” like key changes and time signature changes during the rests. Those are dead giveaways. That’s my goal. I think I work harder at that than I would to just count.

Dr GO

Add to the challenge of sight reading that most the parts I get are for C instruments, so in addition to sight reading I am also transposing the notes as I go, and trying to remember to add two sharps to the written key signature.

BigDub

@dr-go said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

Add to the challenge of sight reading that most the parts I get are for C instruments, so in addition to sight reading I am also transposing the notes as I go, and trying to remember to add two sharps to the written key signature.

Man up. It’s good for your brain.

Dale Proctor

@dr-go said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

Add to the challenge of sight reading that most the parts I get are for C instruments, so in addition to sight reading I am also transposing the notes as I go, and trying to remember to add two sharps to the written key signature.

That’s what C trumpets are for...lol

GeorgeB

@dr-go said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

I believe the hardest part of sight reading is being able to count. What really trips me up the most is reading where NOT to play (the rests) more so than were TO play (the notes). It all comes down to the rhythm, the feel of the song. That is what I find most challenging regarding sight reading.

I would have to agree with Doc on this part of sight reading, especially the rhythm. I don't realize how wrong I sometime get this in new pieces until I am playing with others. Then it all falls into place.

Richard III

@georgeb said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

@dr-go said in Traits that make a great sight reader?:

I believe the hardest part of sight reading is being able to count. What really trips me up the most is reading where NOT to play (the rests) more so than were TO play (the notes). It all comes down to the rhythm, the feel of the song. That is what I find most challenging regarding sight reading.

I would have to agree with Doc on this part of sight reading, especially the rhythm. I don't realize how wrong I sometime get this in new pieces until I am playing with others. Then it all falls into place.

I've always found sight reading easy. But with difficult rhythms, I still use a pencil to mark downbeats in a measure. I've had band mates try this and they were amazed at how much it helped. I'm surprised at how little people mark their music to help themselves.