Why I think sight-reading is important (Patreon)

I think most guitarists don't really read music. Reading music is important if we want to understand the theory behind it. Of course you can be creative and a good musician without being able to read but still, it will limit you in some ways.

I want to point out some of the benefits of practicing sight-reading

• for Flexibility - I think it is an amazing skill being able to pick up any sheet of music and just play it.
• Reading is also about understanding the language of music
• Sight-reading accelerates my learning process in general
• As you become better at reading, interpreting music on the fly will become easier
• Scientific studies have shown that learning to sight-read stimulates cognitive functions, enhancing memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills
• It helps you staying focused on one topic for a longer period of time because sometimes when we learn and sit in front of a video tutorial we tend to go to the next thing way too fast
• It helps you building a good vocabulary for improvising or writing music

Here are some book recommendations:

• Reading Studies for Guitar - Berklee Press
• Advanced Reading Studies for Guitar - Berklee Press
• Books from Barry Galbraith
• Saxophone Etude books (note that you have to transpose) for example Lennie Niehaus books
• Realbook
• Omnibook (Charlie Parker)
• Anything that’s written for recorder, flute or violin