Want To Master Sightreading? Use This Simple Strategy - Josh Wright Piano TV 

Lvl1 Being able to sight right with few mistakes Lvl2 Being able to sight read perfectly Lvl3 sight reading with mistakes on purpose

There are some songs that i make my self memorize, just because i like them so much and want to be able to play them anywhere

This is the single best piece of advice I've ever heard - thanks Josh. I've been trying this and, although frustrating at first because there are lots of mistakes, my accuracy has started to improve dramatically. I hadn't realised how poor my spatial awareness of the piano keyboard was until I watched this video and tried never looking at my hands. Even pieces I memorised have improved from looking at the score since there are no lapses - they feel even more secure. One thing I would add is to try practising chords/arpeggios with eyes closed, or get someone to shout out notes at random for you to pick out.

One of my teachers taught sight reading this way. She always said “1 hour of sight reading a day, and never.....look down at your hands when doing so.”

Those 27 'dislikes' need to keep their eyes up and feel around for the 'like' button. Shouldn't be hard it's only a semitone away

I've been taking piano lessons for years and I'm still slow on sight reading which discourages me to play. This video is exactly what I need. Thanks so much Josh!!!

I usually don't look at the music after memorizing. By usually I mean never.

Hey everyone - sorry for the reupload! I was tweaking some things on my channel and accidentally deleted this one. Hope you enjoy it for a second time :)

I can read sheet music but my brain just doesn’t compute it automatically, I have to study the notes and match it with my hands which makes sight reading very frustrating.

After spending my entire childhood taking piano lessons, getting nowhere and being totally frustrated, I'm relieved to know that my teacher was failing me. I have returned to piano as an adult and am finally making progress with advice like this!

Aw man I wish you could be my teacher! Whoever gets private lessons with you must be so lucky..I am feel desperate to find a good piano teacher

Ironic that the basis of his SIGHT reading tips stem from the performance of a blind guy.

From 9:50 Sometimes students transfer teachers and the new teacher thinks the students have had bad teaching until the new teacher realizes said students aren't following their instructions either.

You have been so helpful! I am a pianist but I've never really had a classically trained teacher. These videos are so helpful!

Thank you Josh for the best sight reading video on youtube. You and your videos are awesome!

Thank you so much for this explanation! I've always wondered how to balance sight-reading and memorization. This was great!

I am so glad I opened this video. Had so much insights in it and all were very relevant thank you

Thank you Josh for the tips. I'm practicing this way now and it's really helping. So glad you mentioned the flaw in the 'don't memorise yet' instruction with regard to repertoire!

It is great learning all this simple little techniques. Thank you Josh!

Thanks Josh for Sharing! I like how you express music in the form of teaching! It inspires me to want to learn how to to spend my time wise in learning an instrument!

Wow thank you so very much Mr.Wright! I always had difficulty with sight reading despite all the practice, but your video made me realize that I was practicing the wrong way. Thank you a ton!

Thanks so much Josh! I appreciate you so much for making these videos for free, so I could have the opportunity to learn what you already know.

These words make total sense. I am going to give it a try as I feel sure it will help me greatly. Cheers.

Great idea! I'm really going to do this. Thanks!

This makes so much sense, I’ll definitely be trying this.

I love the tempo you're playing this at. I'm hearing new things

Thanks Josh for this video, I just found it and am going to give it a try.

Hey josh! I'm 23 and i've been learning piano for almost a year now....this video has been a great help for me and i just wanna thank you for such an awesome lesson....please keep them up...

You are a GREAT teacher! Thank you so much! This is so helpful! You ve got a huge heart!

Excellent tips. It is so hard to resist looking down at the keys. It even feels like you are taking longer to read and learn the song or exercise but in the end, it is totally worth it. After some time I was impressed to jump to a far key precisely without even thinking, it is so rewarding

Very nice man! Great tips! Learned a lot of this vid!

My problem seems to be decoding complex rhythm. (along with spelling the word rhythm),

You are an amazing man and your students are so lucky to have you!

Excellent vídeo! Thank you so much Josh!!!

I didn’t know that not looking at your hands while playing made you better st sight reading, just tried it and truly it has helped!! Loved this video, very thankful.

This totally helped me! I’ve been brushing up on sight reading, I can play. By ear and memory, and read music, but not at the same time.

There is always method in the madness I have these very crazy very ideas and my pupils look at me like 😳 but then they work and their smiles are the best! Thank you

Thanks so much for sharing ,Jos! I reallyf%

This makes sense! I learned to type in school by using blank, color coded keyboards. We looked at a poster with the labeled keys and used free typing websites to practice coordination. Now I can type stuff without looking. Will be trying this soon!!

Thanks Josh. This is really helpful. I lose my place on the score when I look down. This answers my question. Great video !

Thank you, Josh! Thank you for emphasizing that to demand a student not to memorize is asking them to shut off their brain! I've always struggled with this. I felt like I was "failing" at sight reading because I end up memorizing the piece as I learn it. You shared some very valuable tips here about developing spatial recognition to master sight-reading. I doubted it, but as I was watching this video, I opened up a notepad on my laptop and started typing without looking at my fingers! I spent a lot of time in front of the computer but often look at my hands. So I challenged myself to type without looking and I typed them PERFECTLY! Over time, I've developed spatial recognition on my keyboard. If I can do that here, I'm sure I can do that on the organ/piano. I just need to spend more time with it too. THANK YOU.

Great video, like your style thanks for the help!

been playing piano for 10 years and im so bad at sight reading but your video made me want to play more. Thankssss!

This was eye opening. I will definitely try this moving forward.

Thank you soooooooooooooooooo much. Your a magnificent piano player don't let anyone to you otherwise!

Wow. Really wish you were my teacher. You are evidently passionate and devoted in what you do, I notice in the way you talk and get all engaged when talking about your subject. Keep up the good work. You have a gift for teaching!

I love how I keep watching these videos, knowing exactly what I need to do to improve sight reading, and knowing full well Im not going to do anything. But hoping these magically help

Omg this is a life saver!! Thanks so much!!

This was helpful advice! I've been working on my spatial awareness and not looking at my hands and I can notice improvement in my sight reading.

This is the lesson I needed! Thank you!

Great video! I have two brothers studying music with me. I watched your video with the older brother and he immediately accepted your suggestion to stop looking at his hands while sight reading (actually we have been talking about this principle for the last couple of lessons), and he experienced success during his lesson today. With his younger brother, I didn't take the time to view your video with him, and went straight into teaching the concept. Brother number two is more hesitant about letting go of looking at his hands, but at least thinking about the concept made him think about how someone blind is able to play. I emailed a link of this video to their father (also striving to become a better pianist), he wants to watch the video with both sons, as well as validating the principle being taught in their home. Thank you for an awesome piece of your life experience with the piano.

Super Helpful! You and I teach so much alike. Your students are lucky to have you!

This is very helpful advice... I'm incorporating it from now on...hello from Durban, South Africa

Fantastic video! I've never learned how to sight read efficiently, but now I think I'll be able to get it :)

I have a question for you! I'm a piano teacher and I planned to give your trick to my students. But I'm wondering how not to check the keyboard if for example the student don't know the song or if it's a very dissonant piece? How can the student be sure he's playing the right note if he doesn't check and can't trust his ear? Hope you answer that! :) Thank you!!!

Very good, practical advice. Totally works!

This is amazing video. I love it. I've learnt a lot.

Thank you for this lesson!

Great! I am learning so much!

Thank you for showing your students how to sight read.I always sight read . I know where I am on the piano mostly all the time . If I look down I make mistakes and as you say get a little disoriented not that I dont make mistakes when I dont look down 🙃😞 . So thank you 😁

Josh, Thank you so much for your excelent vídeos. After watching this, in special, I changed radically my method of studiyng, locking the keyboard piano cover half way between opened and closed. In such a way it fits my hands perfectly positioned inside the the space between the cover and the keyboard but a the same time keeps my eyes totally "cleared" from the vision of the keys. I could notice improvement at the very first hour studying this way while keeping my eyes only at the music score. Much thanks and, please, keep posting new great stuff. Kind regards.

Very good advice. All of it. I could benefit from this. My students as well.

Crazy how the senses I was focusing on was sound and sight when really I needed to focus on my touch! This helped me so much. I feel like a switch was flipped in my brain. The clarity I feel rn lol 😅

Thanks, I’ve thought of doing this once, but just thought it was t practical... well now I have your confirmation, thank you

Great video. Short and to the point.

Amazing tips 👌🏻 Thankkkk you

Thank you Josh! Amazing!

I’m going to try this and see if it works for me. Thx Josh.

Very insightful and interesting comments on sight reading piano music.

Just like that, I have a new practice technique. Thanks!

Thankyou for this great advice, and congratulations to your family on the birth of Lola. :-)

Thanks. Very helpful! I'm a crappy sight reader and was looking for a pathway to improvement. It takes me at least two months to learn e.g. a Bill Evans transcription and want to speed that up.

Brilliant video thank you!

I have the problem that I start off okay, then my mind goes blank at one point and I can't find the note xD

Amazing, thank you!

Awesome video ! My ultimate goal is to sight read hymns at our church . Great tips !

You are admirable! Thanks for all

One of my favorite videos on RU-vid

Amazing tips

Thank you for sharing your great strategies. Definitely agree with you that piano students should not be prohibited from memorizing music.

Thanks for the video. I’ve forwarded to my 10 year old grandson who has been playing piano for 5 years and still struggles with sight reading or lack thereof.

This truly is an incredible lesson, but am I the only one who watched this video and wondered how the hell he got this piano through that little door??

Thank you Josh-I will master this. What an amazing story about the blind pianist ! I sight read everything. The more challenging pieces I will sight read hands separately. I noticed that you stopped to corrector self and I was surprised because you are the only teacher that I know of who allows that. I have even been told that if you stop while Sightreading you fail the sightread exercise. What level is the Rachmaninoff Prelude and what text are you using?

Trying this technique for sightreading on my bass. Doesn't work quite the same bc my sharps and flats don't stick out, but the idea of playing by a feel is a pretty big one, thank you!

Seriously, if you read these, THANK YOU. I am a 14 year old boy, and I dream of becoming a pianist later in life, and I have seriously had a lot of problems with sight-reading. But this video... THANKS MAN, you made my day, maybe even my life 😍😍😍

you deserve an award for this

Not sure if this is the right analogy, but I think I can connect the special relations to how one is taught when typing on a keyboard for the first time. You learn the spacial relations between certain keys, get an idea of where the letters are, the whole familiarization of groups of keys, qwerty and asdf alike, soon it comes to the point where you can type anything you want without having to stop and delay yourself and your pace because you have to fumble by looking at the keys. I'm glad I came across this video, sight reading is still a very new concept to me, I didn't even think it was possible at first.

really amazing josh

thx for the video :-)...very helpful

Great little tidbits of information. Darn I guess once memorized I shouldn't be putting away the music and only focusing on my hands. I feel like I've definitely become dependent on my eyes when playing. Time to break some bad habits. Working on Chopin's Grand polonaise op.53 and it is slooow going. Thanks for the vid!

Many many years ago when I was a kid my teacher would hold a piece of cardboard under the music across the keys so I couldn't cheat and look at the keys or my hands. Once you have something memorized try playing it in a completely dark auditorium or with your eyes closed. It's really good for not just helping your sightreading

basically pretend you're blind

I will take your advice I just had my first lesson on piano I am looking forward to be a better player

Thank you!

lot of thanks !!!

Touch typing for piano. Brilliant.

Wow thank you. Wish I was one of your students

I tell you this: I've started playing the piano a few years ago (I think like 4 years) at age 23 and always practiced apx 2h/d. I made great progress, confidently played stuff like Beethoven Pathetique Mvt 2 and 3, Chopin Waltzes (Minute Waltz, Cis #), Nocturnes.... now, for the last 5 months due to moving houses and work I did not touch my piano ONCE sadly. Now I've set it back up in the new home but only got like 30mins, maybe 60mins a day which is not enaugh for me for working on big pieces. BUT I always sucked at sightreading, now I started it again, mainly (almost exclusively) with this tip, only watched one Tiffany Poon and one Bach Scholar vid for motivations, and I would only sight read by now bc I think, if I am able to sight read good I can get back on learning those more complex pieces within less time, bc I dont have to memorize everything. And so far, it works, mainly due to this tip! So glad to put the hobby back up... Thanks Josh!

Hello Josh. I enjoy your Channel very much and being a musician and a teacher for many years myself, I could, not agre more about your statement about memorising music/ sightreading. It is the same thing basicly because you have to handle the information ahead of preformance , because you NEVER want to be on the edge - remembering everything at the last moment before executing. Thats just artistic suicide. If you read or memorize - You need to be in control and suitable ahead in your mind of what you are doing unless off course you are improvising, but that is a totalt different ballgame. 😃

I'm so bad at sight reading I have to try this! Also I wish I had a real piano or at least an electric piano I only have a keyboard and even that's not available for me every day... Really getting into piano again.