Anyone who reads sheet music already knows how to sight-read. What most people think when they hear the term is the ability to sing or play sheet music at first sight. While it may seem a miraculous gift that only a lucky few possess, I can assure you that it is a learned skill.

Talent is a genetic trait that some have more in abundance than others but it’s also very misunderstood to be a sudden apparition of ability without any exposure to any art. Even child geniuses like Mozart heard music played by musicians before he ever composed a single note.

The difference talent makes is how much effort is required to reach a certain level of skill. Some can surpass their more gifted peers by an applied effort. But what is talent and how does this relate to musical abilities like sight reading or playing by ear?

I see talent as possessing at least two distinct aspects:

1. An innate knack or ease of learning

2. An interest or passion

I believe more people could develop what little talent they have (some might have more than they realize) if only they had the interest or passion for it. But, certainly, having the talent is part and parcel of that interest or passion. Sounds a lot like a self-fulfilling prediction doesn’t it? It’s quite a conundrum, much like “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Did the interest spawn some talent or did talent spark an interest?

Perhaps a more practical question would be “How does one learn to sight-read?” The answer is best understood by identifying and studying its two components:

1. Hearing what you see

2. Playing what you hear

Let me unequivocally state that this is my approach to sight reading and may not be everyone’s experience or approach to the practice.

Our brains are divided into two halves: the left and the right. We already know that the left half controls the right side of our body and the right half controls the left. When someone has a stroke in the right hemisphere of their cerebral cortex, for example, it manifests as paralysis of the left side of the body. We have further learned that the left side of our brain handles logic and reason whereas the right side is where we feel emotion. We use the left side to analyze music theory and the rules concerning notation, harmony, and melody. When we simply listen to music for the feeling we stay in our right brain.

So what does any of this have to do with sight reading? Well, the textbook approach to learning how to read music involves the left brain. The staves consist of 5 lines and 4 spaces. The clef determines what each line and space represents in terms of letter names. Note values represent different rhythmic values by whether they are hollow or filled in, the number of flags or beams whether they are dotted, etc. This is what we all learn but not where we need to be to sight-read well. Instead, we need to learn to hear a pitch and feel a rhythm instantly without having to take the time to figure it out for every note.

At the same time, being able to hear the music and feel the rhythm only helps if we can match those pitches and rhythms in what we sing or play.

So, that’s your clue on how to master the art of sight reading. Learn to hear what you see and play/sing what you hear. Easier said than done but, actually, quite easy to learn if you have the right approach.

More on this topic to follow.