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I think most of your questions were answered in a previous post you did about this where if I remember correctly most disagreed with your recommendation of using a computer program.

I think your list is very arbitrary and strangely phrased. If one has not "mastered" 1-6 on your list(which you feel are some kind of prerequisite), then one should choose to sight read pieces where those skills are at a level that one can have some success.

Your idea that one should keep one eyes totally fixed on the score while sight reading is simply not correct and not the way even the greatest pianists do it. If the passage is difficult enough everyone has to look at the keys if only briefly.

Why would one arbitrarily choose chords with more than five notes as in your #6?

ETC.

All of these can be accomplished through just reading off scores.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised but I didn't know there were computer programs for developing sight-reading skills.

Could you please name some? How do they work? Does the keyboard have to be connected to a computer?

Personally, I'd prefer to spend the money of tons of music (at the correct grade) from the local library rather than on software.

You're right. And practised correctly if you have a teacher beside you watching carefully and spotting your mistakes, or if you are already a good-sightreader. But all of the above is assuming you are practising alone, which will be the majority of the time, and are not quite there yet.

I am not putting down the traditional method of sight-reading with music scores, but I present here my argument supporting exercises through use of computer programs.

The following are what I believe to be the most important skills in sight-reading, listed in order of importance. They are under the premise that to sight-read at a decent tempo, one should keep his eyes on the score while sight-reading.

1. Instant recognition of notes on the grand staff for any key signature, including all the ledger lines that would typically be seen.
2. Knowing where the keys are for single notes and chords during sight-reading, while keeping your eyes on the score. This therefore includes getting the precise hand placement to play any note or chord, while keeping your eyes on the score.
3. Getting instantly the correct hand shape/formation to play any chord in any key signature, so as to be able to play any chord as quickly as though it were a single note.
4. Playing at the correct rhythm with (non-tuplet) notes as small as 16th notes.
5. Playing the rhythm of triplets and other tuplets and 32nd notes correctly, including the case when they are combined with regular notes in both staves.
6. Playing quickly two-handed chords with more than, say, 5 notes in total.
7. Seeing ahead enough so as to play notes with proper fingering.
8. Playing properly overlaying layers.
9. Playing articulations properly like proper loudness/softness, slurs, staccatos, change in tempo, etc…
10. Playing with artistic quality and emotion.
11. Anything else?

I've tried both regular music sheets and computer programs, and have found that skills 1-6 are best practised using computer programs because they tell you with pinpoint accuracy what your mistakes are. Only skills 7,8,9 are best practised with regular music sheets.

So what about all the pianists who say that the best way to practice sight-reading is to simply read off music sheets? Well, I believe those pianists have already mastered, or become very good at, skills #1-6. But most piano students have not, and would take years to do so. In which case computer programs (like PrestoKeys, KeyPiano, Home Concert, etc...) is better for them. Now I'm sure JeffreyJones became such a good sightreader without those programs and believes that random music sheets is the best way to go, but I think he had some natural gifts to begin with, and he has already mastered skills #1-6 pretty much. But even he I think would have improved even faster than he did when he was younger if he used those computer programs.

So in summary, random music sheets only if you are already a fluent sightreader, otherwise computer programs (on top of regular music sheets) is even better.

You are correct, one needs to be good with point 1 to 6. In order for a person to be able to just play music, they need to be able to do 1 to 6 without thinking. By the way, why are you so obsessed with sight reading topic?

I used to be only a repertoire player when I was a teenager. Now I've gotten tired of that and don't want to play the same thing twice anymore, and now want to be able to play thousands of pieces on the fly.

Has the quality of your playing improve? I'd rather play limited numbers of pieces, but with high quality. What for just playing thousands of pieces on the fly with low quality.

My sightreading has improved greatly. Recital pieces, I don't know because I don't practice a piece anymore. I just get bored playing the same piece over and over. So I'd rather play it only once and then move on, even if it means playing with mistakes. At least I enjoy the excitement of a new piece each time this way.