Sight-reading is HARD. I wish I could tell you that there was ONE TRICK you could learn in minutes to make you instantly better -- but I can’t. There is no quick fix. There is no magic trick.

Learning to sight-read is a lifelong pursuit that even I am still developing after decades of playing the piano. But - while there is no quick fix, there are things you can do to make sight-reading EASIER.

Most of them happen before you even play a note.

These are some of MY tips, there are certainly others out there. If you have any of your own, please comment!

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Tip #1 - The Pre-Trip - 0:43
Before you even put your fingers on the keys, get to know your music.

Look it over, figure out what key signature it’s in, then get a pen and circle all the notes that will have sharps or flats that you might forget.

Tip #2 - Look For Patterns - 1:39
This has been the most helpful tip for my sight-reading. Once you’ve marked up your page, start looking for patterns in the music.

When you find patterns in notes or phrases, you can read one note in that pattern and kind of guess the rest.

If you see notes moving up from a line to a space to a line, you know they are just stepping up one note at a time. You don’t have to read every single note -- just the first and last.

Tip #3 - Use Proper Fingering - 2:22
Many pieces of music will write suggested fingering patterns. But if it doesn’t, take a moment to look at the starting note, and then the note that comes immediately after it.

If the next note is higher, you’ll know not to start with your pinky finger. If it’s lower, you’ll know not to start with your thumb. Figure out where you should start -- and again make sure to write it on your page!

Tip #4 - Find Anchor Notes - 3:08
Very often, pieces of music will have notes that repeat themselves throughout the measures. These are great to use as anchor notes.

That means as soon as you see them you’ll instantly know what they are. You don’t need to read each note every time - because you know it’s the same note.

Tip #5 - Turn Your Sheet Music Into A Chord Chart - 4:06
This one is optional and is more for those of you who play better by ear than by reading.

That's me for sure. I can read chord charts much easier than I can read music scores. By going through each measure and identifying the underlying chord, it helps me to figure out what notes I can expect to be in the melody.

You might be surprised to find that even classical composers used chords in their music!

If you want to learn more about chords, check out our FREE series:
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If you haven’t figured it out by now, I do a LOT of writing on my music, and you shouldn’t be afraid to write on yours either. My sheet music is often filled with written notes to myself and different colors, but that’s what helps me play better.

Good luck with all of these tips, and if you have any questions please comment. I read them all.

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ABOUT LISA:
Lisa Witt has been teaching piano for +20 years and in that time has helped hundreds of thousands of students learn to play the songs they love. Lisa received classical piano training through the Royal Conservatory of Music, but she has since embraced popular music and playing by ear in order to accompany herself and others. She is a songwriter and recording artist. Lisa’s contagious enthusiasm will have you excited to practice and return to the keys for your next lesson. Her teaching style focuses on you, making lessons encouraging and fun.