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Can anyone recommend books, exercises, or offer hints and tips to improve and speed up sight reading.

Paul Harris's various books for Faber, such as Improve your Sight-Reading are about the best. If you're working towards Associated Board exams, hang on for a while, because they are changing their requirements for sight reading and Paul is re-writing his books to fit in with the new syllabus.
Otherwise, the main hint is to trying playing any music which takes your fancy; it might sound awful at first, but that's how the ability develops!

I've use Paul Harris' material too - very good and progressive as you work through his series. Even out of the context of ABRSM exams, his current books are still really worth getting hold of.

Yes, I agree with markymark, sight-reading is invaluable outside an exam context. It's the basis of all playing really. When a pupil can sight-read the teacher can move on to the real business of teaching: interpretation and the more musical aspects of performing, rather than just note-reading. It's like learning any language (including our own): learning to read it is just the beginning. After that the interesting stuff starts!

Afternoon all.


anyone any idea's how the syllabus is changing?

I'm currently doing my grade 3, which will result in the exam just b4 xmas. I'll then look to my grade 4 next year.

Totally agree re the Harris' books - I've brought all applicable to grades 1,2 and 3 - they are very good indeed.

The new ABRSM syllabus is due to be released to the general public some time around July or early August at the latest. Guidelines state that the new syllabus from 2009 is more of a "refinement" than a total new approach.

There are changes to how broken chords and arpeggios will be played and there are extensions to the number of octaves to be played for scales. As far as I can gather, the most drastic alterations seem to occur within Grades 1-3. The others are remaining more or less as they are, save for the fore-mentioned stuff about scales and arpeggios.

Sight reading is supposed to be written in more recognizable styles thougn not more difficult than what has been before. At Grades 1 and 2, for example, all the tests will be only four to six bars long. I remember receiving a sample from ABRSM regarding the sight-reading. Grade 8 for example is to be one page long, which is mostly unchanged. To me, the tests are better (if not easier in some ways) for allowing you to take in the piece and think about the music rather than trawl your way through the music.

If you're really interested, you can download the syllabus guidelines for the changes by clicking on this link:

http://www.abrsm.org/resources/pianoGuide.pdf

Cheers for that.

I'll just trust my teacher, who has been spot on so far, assisting me to pass the 1 and 2 well.

But I'll have a look at the 4 at the beginning of 2009, although I'm already doing arpeggio's similar two octaves etc - which may be a current grade 4 req?

Under current guidelines for the old syllabus I would say yes. I think they move up to three octaves for Grade 5.