sight read

See also: sightread

English

Alternative forms

• sightread

Etymology

From sight + read, in reference to not being able to rely on muscle memory developed through practice.

Pronunciation

• (infinitive and present tense): IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪt ˌɹiːd/
• (past tense): IPA^(key): /ˈsaɪt ˌɹɛd/

Verb

sight read (third-person singular simple present sight reads, present participle sight reading, simple past and past participle sight read)

1. (music) To perform a musical piece while reading it for the first time, without rehearsal.

   I can sight read really simple music, but hard pieces need a lot of practice so I don't have to stop and figure out what I'm doing.

2. (figuratively, video games) To complete a video game level (particularly an autoscroller) while playing it for the first time, without practice.

Derived terms

• sightreadable

Translations

to perform a musical piece while reading it for the first time

Finnish: lukea nuoteista, soittaa prima vista French: jouer à vue, déchiffrer (fr) German: vom Blatt spielen Hungarian: blattol (hu), lapról olvas (hu) Italian: suonare a prima vista Polish: grać a vista impf Swedish: a vista-läsa

See also

• sight sing
• sight-translate