Getting Started With Sight Reading On Guitar

Let's face it... sight reading is one of the hardest skills to develop on the guitar.

Most of us have too much fun learning music by ear or just use guitar tabs. But learning how to sight read on guitar can lead to getting gigs and open up your ability to expand your repertoire.

So... how do you get started?

Most guitar methods start you off by learning the notes in the open/first position. This is all well and good, but you should also practice reading up and down strings as well as diagonally across the fretboard.

Before you even try to sight read a piece of music on guitar, here's what you need to understand first:

• The note names on the staff. You need to have these down cold. Just practice naming the notes in order until it's effortless.


• The rhythm. Are there any challenging rhythms, or are you already familiar with all of them? Practice "tah-ing" the rhythm with a metronome. This means to vocalize just the rhythm of the music.


• Where the notes are on the fretboard. Go through the notes in order, name them, and play them on the guitar in the position you're working on.

Only after you've mastered the fundamentals (the note names, the rhythm, and where the notes are on the guitar) should you attempt to sight read the music live.

Always practice slow enough that it's easy, and then speed it up.

Once you've got the hang of a piece of music in a give position, try playing it in another position.

Sight reading on guitar takes a lot of time to get used to, but it's worth it.

Scott Anderson likes to write about music and the guitar.

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