sight reading

Playing without practice

Sight reading is performing music from a written score without prior practice or rehearsal.

Musicians who sight-read well can play unfamiliar pieces accurately on first encounter: The audition required sight-reading a difficult passage.

The skill is essential for session musicians, accompanists, and orchestra members who must prepare material quickly.

Related

musicians · line · fluency · bar · beat · decoding · technique · key signature · performers · accompanist · page turner · auditions · first take · rest · measure · hand-eye coordination · comping · pattern recognition

Categories
Opposites
preparation level

sight readinglearned by heart

committed to memory · from memory

source of performance

sight readingplaying by ear

Performing without written music

improvisation · extemporization · spontaneous creation

Family

sight, read, reading, sights, sighted, sighting, unsighted, sightless, sightly

Familiarity
Top 500,000
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Used worldwide · Timeless · Rated G