to sightread
7.9
Play a piece of music from written notes without practicing first
- verb
- /ˈsaɪtˌriːd/
- Specialized
:
leer a primera vista
- Before the concert, the choir had to sightread several songs they had never practiced.
Examples
-
During the rehearsal, the musician had to sightread the new composition since it was his first time seeing it.
-
He could sightread well enough to get by.
Fiction book (2001) -
She can sightread complex pieces effortlessly, impressing her fellow musicians.
Synonyms
1
7.7
Play music from written notes without practicing it first
has identical meaning but uses a different written form
9.9
Sing from sheet music without having seen it before
involves performing any music not only singing on first reading
8.5
Use your voice to perform a piece of written music the first time without practice
is broader covering performing by any instrument or voice on first reading
How Well
to sightread
- Specialized
to misread
56
3.4
56
3.4
Surface Forms
sightread infinitive
sightreading present participle
sightreads third person singular
sightread past
sightread past participle
Morphology
Etymology
Sightread joins sight ('seeing') and read ('to look at and understand written words or music'). So, to sightread is to play or sing a piece the first time you see it, without practice.