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.
About the Author: Steve Tirpak is a fourth generation musician who began teaching private lessons at his parents music studio. After graduating from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a degree in music composition, Steve began writing tailor made exercises for his students that addressed common problems they encountered while using traditional method books. By separating musical concepts such as rhythm and pitch, Steve's students made rapid progress. Steve taught at The Kimmel Center's Creative Music Program (Philadelphia, PA) and provided instruction to talented youth, accepted by audition only. Many of Steve's students have received full scholarships at prestigious universities including The Manhattan School of Music, NYU, Berklee College of Music, The New School, The University of the Arts and Temple University. At the time of this printing, two of his students were accepted and performed with The National Grammy Jazz Band. Steve has also written music for many major label recording artists including Jay-Z, John Legend, Lana Del Rey, Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Will Smith, LL Cool J, Estelle, George Michael, The Roots, India Arie, Whitney Houston as well as music for The MTV Movie Awards, The Oscars, The BET Honors Awards and VH1's Dear Mama Awards.