Sight Reading is one of those musical skills where you either love it, or have recurring nightmares about it (aaaaahhhh!!!). That being said,one can argue that sight reading is not an *absolute* necessity for a working musician, and there are many amazing artistes who do not know how to sight read, however being able to read sheet music, or charts is a very useful skill to have, and one that can become easy with the right approach.
We break our sight reading tips down into 2 phases – Prep Work, and Show Time!
Prep Work:
Know Your Rhythmic Values
Brush up on how to read your note lengths on both staves and rhythm charts. Having the ability to spot and accurately count your note lengths will make a huge difference when sight reading. Being able to read note length without thinking means you can look at the note and focus on the pitch or drum voice and not the length.
What’s more, Familiarizing yourself with a variety of time signature rhythms (4/4, 3/4, 6/8, etc.) will help you to be ready in any situation – remember to COUNT!
Whole Note/Semibreve
Half Note/Minim
Quarter Note/Crotchet
Eighth Note/Quaver
Sixteenth Note/Semiquaver
Know Your Scales and Key Signatures… Drummers? Know your Rudiments!
Scales are the building blocks of melodies and chords, and knowing them by heart makes sight reading a new piece easier. For drummers, being able to discern patterns and notated techniques helps you recognise familiar grooves and rudiments and put them together as you see in the notated example you are given.
Not to mention the easier development of muscle memory due to the familiarity with the necessary movement and control!
Know your Navigation Symbols
In a sight-reading scenario, it can be easy to trip up by missing out a repeat mark or other marking. Navigation markings allow you to build a road map of the piece and help to keep you on track and discern repeating patterns/rhythms more easily.
Familiarize Yourself with Different Genres and Styles
In a real-life setting, you could be presented with a piece in any style from baroque to jazz, or pop, blues, rock, and more. Each different style, era, and genre of music has defining characteristics that give them their distinct feel and flavor, and familiarizing yourself with a variety of them gives you a reassuring feeling of “I’ve tried playing this kind of music before!”
RSL’s wide offering of Contemporary and Classical syllabuses feature a wide array of genres for students to learn and enjoy!
Show Time:
Examine the Piece
Before you begin to play or sing, take a moment to mentally digest the music in front of you. Tap out the rhythm, read through the notes, map out the scales, and follow the structure of the song (remember those navigation markings!).
Also, take a moment to identify any spots or page turns that may cause you trouble (this may not be an issue with RSL’s exam Sight Reading and Quick Study Pieces as they’re all one-page, yay!).
Take Note of “Annotations” (dynamics, articulation, tempo markings, time signatures, etc.)
Knowing the difference between a straight or swing feel can strongly affect the overall sound and mood of a piece. Likewise, markings like accents, staccato and other articulations, as well as instrument specific techniques and dynamics further help you to understand how a melodic or rhythmic line should be shaped. Showing that you can follow annotations will demonstrate impressive musicality.
Try to Vocalize or Sound out the Piece in your Head
If you are allowed some time to practice or study a piece before performing it, it helps to be able to “visualise” how the piece is supposed to sound like.
For instance, the groove for the song “Yellow” on the RSL Drums Debut syllabus goes: boom-tah, boom boom-tah, boom-tah, boom boom-tah – so if you see a sight reading example with a similar groove, you know exactly what it should sound like, and that makes it easier to play it on the spot.
Breathe, Relax and Keep Going
As many of our Rockschool Singapore community educators say, whether you’re playing a show, or an exam, the show must go on! Read more on our Blog of what our Rockschool Educators in Singapore have to say HERE.
Keep up to date on the next round of RSL Exams in Singapore by clicking in HERE.
For more tips and insider information on the RSL Exams, check out the articles below:
The Rockschool Method – Performance Pieces