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At various points in time, I have posted here about sightreading versus what I want to call "read-playing" but no one else seemed interested in taking up that term....

Because sight reading means the first time and reading means the first time or any time after that. If someone wants to make it very clear the playing a piece for the first time they should say sight reading.

And the too commonly used prima vista sight reading is redundant and used by those who don't understand what sight reading means. One last misconception:sight reading does not mean one cannot stop or one has to play most of the notes/rhythms correctly or one cannot play the piece very slowly. If one does any of those things one is just doing a poor job sight reading that piece.

Hey Moo,

I'm not sure if you were responding to my post - but it might be that you are.

What I'd say is, if you want to play Chopin but the pieces are too difficult, then just read a couple of bars, maybe one hand at a time. That way you can still be sight reading (read playing...), whilst learning the music you want to learn.

But that to me is just normal practice and that helps reading music. You hardly play four bars and never play again.

Sight reading skills where you look at an extract and play for an exam a skill I learnt for an exam but maybe American don't have these exams so the terms can be confusing.

How useful this skill is - I don't know. You never really need only one play of a piece in real life. I never practice it but never had problems reading music so I think was useful for general reading practice.

Definitely I used to learn from sight reading books with short extracts when I was a child for exams. Sight reading is not a skill I ever practice now. So I think how to learn relates to experience.

But it's clear there are many ways to learn. For example, I've heard a blind person play advanced music and he can't see any score.

I've always thought it's much more rewarding to play the correct notes than the wrong notes under pressure.

Most sight-reading threads in PW are very similar: people looking for tricks and secrets that would quickly (I was going to say 'magically') improve their abilities. Or seeking online stuff that promises the earth (but delivers zilch). Or books that promise to tell you secrets your teacher never taught you (because obviously, he/she was ignorant).......

Yet the simplest methods are the best, and used by wise teachers ever since piano was invented: Read from the music when you play, and read (and sight-read) lots and lots.

Bach, Scarlatti, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Chopin never ever played or performed without sheet music in front of them, even when they were playing their own music and had most of it in their memory (unless they were improvising, of course). Beethoven once performed his new concerto from his scribbled score which - according to his hapless page-turner - consisted of not much more than hieroglypics.....

I had no idea they used sheets even when performing... Just wondering why do today's performers seem to perform concerts with no sheet music? I feel like today's culture almost act like using a sheet is frowned upon.

I had no idea they used sheets even when performing... Just wondering why do today's performers seem to perform concerts with no sheet music? I feel like today's culture almost act like using a sheet is frowned upon.

... Just wondering why do today's performers seem to perform concerts with no sheet music?

Of course it's more rewarding, but it how well you sight read a piece has nothing to do with if you are sight reading a piece.

Because sight reading means the first time and reading means the first time or any time after that. If someone wants to make it very clear the playing a piece for the first time they should say sight reading

Liszt and Clara Schumann started the practice of performances with memorized music somewhere around 1820. Interestingly, this practice is gradually changing again with some concert musicians now performing with the score.

An anecdote of a disagreement between Liszt and Chopin. Liszt performed one of Chopin’s works by memory; Chopin was supposedly livid as he felt it showed a lack of respect for the composer to not use the printed score.

Performing from memory only applies to soloists, which became the custom in the 19th century, started by Liszt and Clara S. as dogperson mentioned. But it has remained customary to use sheet music when playing contemporary music.

Musicians playing chamber music or in ensembles of any sort (including, of course, orchestras) have always played from music:


However, more and more solo concert pianists these days are using iPads, as 'turning pages' on them has become more reliable and easier. It's also interesting to note that Stephen Hough makes it a point to always play his own music from the score, so that audiences would know that he isn't improvising and that the music has been carefully through-composed and worked out, just like the music by other composers in his program that he plays from memory.

It will be interesting to see if the advent of using Ipads with touch or foot pedal page turning will increase the playing with the score. Since this method does not require a page turner and the Ipad is visually less distracting for the audience then a paper score, my guess is playing with the score will increase. It would also be interesting to know how many professionals would prefer to frequently use an Ipad. I think some would certainly prefer this approach because they worry a lot about memory slips but others are such confident memorizers they would continue to play without the score.

Pianoloverus, I agree, I think the use of iPads will definitely lead to an increase in using the score on stage.

If I didn't have an iPad, I certainly would do more memorizing to avoid page-turning, and I'm not playing professionally (obvs).

Fatar, whoa, good point about the lighting issue!!!

WBLynch, I don't think that would be an issue with iPads, esp. if you put them into airplane mode while performing. I've been using an iPad for my sheet music needs for .... well, probably at least 8 years now, and I have never had a problem using it for score reading, let alone in the middle of a performance. Granted, I'm not a professional, but I think it's consistent enough, esp. these days, that reliability isn't an issue.

Other logistical considerations are, like Fatar's comment, but technologically, they are incredibly reliable.