What to Look for in Sight Reading

Master sight reading music! Learn to identify key, time signature, accidentals, tempo, and dynamics quickly.

Read this first! When we sight read, we play through music we have never looked at before. Before you sight read a piece of music, it is very important to identify a few things:1) Key2) Time Signature3) Accidentals4) Tempo5) Starting Dynamic Example Look at this example. Try and identify those 5 important things in this piece of music.1) The Key? F (because the Key of F only has 1 flat!)2) The Time Signature? 3 Any Accidentals? I see Eb accidentals in the music4) Tempo? Allegro, meaning "fast"5) Starting Dynamic?ForteDid you notice that almost all of that information is at the beginning of your music? Now you try! Use this music to answer the questions below: What is the key? Bb F A D What is the time signature? 2 3 4 6 Are there any accidentals? Yes No What is the tempo indication? Largo Forte Presto Andante What is your starting dynamic? Mezzo Forte Forte Largo Piano