Quarter, Half and Whole: Identify Rhythm on Sight

Sight reading is an important musical skill. A person who can sight read, has the ability to look at music and instantly be able to play it. Sight reading is made up of two major skills. They are, the ability to identify and play notes on the staff and the ability to recognize and interpret rhythm. Trying to put these two skills together from the beginning can be frustrating and confusing, which is why this method book deals exclusively with the ability to identify rhythm. How to Practice Set the metronome to a comfortable speed. Clap the exercises first and then play them on your instrument. Notes written in the rhythm clef can be assigned to any pitch or percussive sound. Therefore, it does not matter on which note the exercises are played. Look at the music at all times. This will help eliminate getting lost, since the eyes will be focused on the page and not shifting back and forth. It is important to concentrate on counting the beats out loud or by thinking them silently. Once the book is completed, review the exercises and increase the tempo until all passages can be executed rapidly without any mistakes.