Better Sightreading on the Guitar

by Dr. Jeffrey L. George

When you combine the number of possible locations for the majority of notes playable on
the guitar with the variety of possible fingerings this makes the instrument vastly
complex! The process of understanding the instrument will take a great deal of time so
patience is the rule. With this in mind one can imagine the difficulties inherent in sight
reading. There are, however, techniques whereby the player can be better prepared for
having to read a piece on the spot.
Understanding the Guitar: Multiplicity of Note Locations
Assuming that you own a standard electric guitar, the five lowest notes (E, F, F#, and G#
on the 6th string) and five highest notes (A#, B, C, C#, and D on the 1st string) have only
have one place where they can be played.1 Every other note has at least two and many up
to five locations (not factoring in harmonics or bending strings) where they can be played
on the fretboard.
The Multiplicity Facts
The number of locations for a given note increase as we progress up in fourths. The
number of locations includes all chromatic pitches found in between the intervals set out
in the chart below.
One location:
Two locations:
Three locations:
Four locations:
Five locations:

The lowest five pitches on the hth and highest five on the cst string.
A h - A g: and all chromatic pitches up to a D
D h - D g - D f: and all chromatic pitches up to a G
G h - G g - G f - G e: and all chromatic pitches up to a B
B h - B g - B f - B e - B d: and all chromatic pitches up to a D

For one note [D#] the locations decrease to four, but increase to five once again at the
arrival of an E. They begin to reduce themselves at a major third above E [G#].
Five locations:
Four locations:
Three locations:
Two locations:

E g - E f - E e - E d - E c: and all chromatic pitches up to a G

G# f - G# e - G d - G# c: and all chromatic pitches up to a C
C# e - C# d - C# c: and all chromatic pitches up to an F
F# d - F# c: and all chromatic pitches up to an A

The upper range is may be lessened up to a minor third on a classical guitar, but possibly increased on
some electric guitars [giving the instrument a four octave range].

Sightreading Skills for the Guitar: Single notes

1. Remember that the guitar is a transposing instrument. We sound one octave lower
than we are written for. This may not be a concern when reading something
written for the guitar, but if you are reading a Real Book melody you may
consider transposing it up an octave higher. This may take some time to get used
to, but it is an application worth including in your sight reading practice.
2. Identify the meter of the piece and the key. In jazz you may shift through a
number of key centers, but you should still know the home key. If there are
instances with an inordinate amount of chromatic pitches, then it may be a good
idea to identify that area as a new key and find a nearby new scale fingering for
that moment. Look for repeats, first and second endings, da capos, other formal
aspects, tricky rhythms, etc
3. Scan over the piece for the lowest and highest note (including accidentals that
may be outside of the key)
4. Use this information of KEY and RANGE to determine a comfortable position
chosen from one of the basic 6 playing positions for scales, i.e. root note on 6th
string played off of 1st, 2nd or 4th fingers or root note on 5th string played off of 1st,
2nd or 4th fingers. Your goal is to remain in a single playing position if possible depending on the tessitura of the piece.
5. Understand that chromaticism can occur in position [with each finger assigned its
own fret] or you may have to extend the first or fourth finger outside of the fourfret stretch to accommodate a note. Whether first or fourth finger should play a
given chromatic pitch is a personal choice
6. After executing chromatic pitches that occur outside of the set scale fingering
return as quickly as possible to the normal scale fingering position. There are
certainly many variations possible. One should not be slavish to the original
fingering of the scale.
7. An indispensible tool for the sight reader is the regular alternation of your picking
hand la William Leavitts book on Melodic Rhythms2 at the eighth-note level
this approach teaches downstrokes on downbeats and upstrokes on upbeats. Use
your hand as a reference for keeping time at an eighth-note level. Do not stop the
down and up motion of your hand. Leavitts book offers great information on how
to reconcile balanced hand movement with more complex rhythms.

Leavitt, William. Melodic Rhythms, Berklee Press, 1970. This book begins with the assumption that the
player can read in first position. Leavitt introduces syncopation by moving various rests backward through
the rhythmic continuum of a measure in 4/4 time [beginning with an eighth note rest occurring on the and
of 4, to beat 4, then the and of 3, etc.]. Another outstanding book on reading techniques is For Guitar
Players Only by Tommy Tedesco [Alfred Publishing].

8. When you are reading you will want to become less cognizant of every note name
you play and become more aware of the intervals whether stepwise or
intervallic. Some people refer to this as reading ahead. This involves seeing the
contour of the line rather than individual notes. You should practice saying
interval numbers at sight.3 You should recognize arpeggios, inverted triads, and
scales at sight so that you can play through them without thinking about it.

Practical Advice
1. When you practice sight reading always use a metronome. Do not read any faster
than your skills will allow without making mistakes or at least very few
mistakes.
2. Certain tone sequences tend to become standardized. This applies to scales as
well. At first glance, a string of 16th notes with a lot of sharps and flats can scare
you to death, but on a closer analysis, may turn out to be a simple
3. When actually performing the piece for the first time, DO NOT break tempo or
meter when you miss a note. Learn to recover quickly and come in strong on the
next entrance. DO NOT LOSE THE TIME (i.e. count!) no matter what. Be
aware of the meter and know where you are within that meter at all times. This
awareness happens with continued experience. Your intuitive sense of musical
phrases and the amount of measures phrases cover will also become more
intuitive with experience.
4. When you are on the spot it is better to miss one bar than to miss one hundred.
Cultivate the ability to look at the music and not having to look at your fingers.
Have the music stand on your left and in the line of sight of the fingerboard just in
case you do have to glance at your hand. You might also practice glancing at your
hand and back at the score once you have read a piece a few times. Although,
reading a piece for the third time does not constitute sight reading.
5. Learn to hear what you see, or be able to sing the part without playing it first. This
does not necessarily mean solfege - do, re, me, fa, sol, la, ti. do, but it does mean
to visualize the fingerings, the string numbers and picking. From this, try to
audiate4 the passage. After these conscious analyses have been made, play the
arrangement or composition like a REAL song, as though played by ear. You may
wish to ease into this type of practice with four to eight measure phrases to begin
with.

This is among the reasons it is so important to play all of the natural intervals through a given scale i.e.
2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths (ascending and descending) when you are first learning. Running a scale up and
down is not evidence that the player has truly learned the scale.
4
The ability to hear music in our minds ear or the ability to hear music that is not physically present.

6. Practice, practice, practice, in all positions! You may find favorite position for
certain keys and ranges, but challenge yourself to try others.
In the next installment of this article we will look at the challenge of sight reading chords.
The realization of harmonic structures on the guitar while possessing different
challenges to that of reading single notes can also be simplified with a few idiomatic
techniques. Until then, happy reading!
Dr. Jeffrey George, teaches both classical and jazz guitar as an Associate Professor of Music at the
University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Dr. George has been the recipient of numerous awards and
scholarships including support for academic programs at Indiana University, Arizona State University,
Berklee College of Music, Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California and the National Guitar Summer
Workshop.
Along with a number of classical teachers and masterclass experiences, Dr. Georges has studied with Ted
Greene, Joe Pass, Jack Wilkins, Joe Diorio, and Jon Herington. His performance credentials include
appearances with Joe Henderson, Billy Childs, Richard Groove Holmes, Ritchie Havens, Taj Mahal and
David Baker. He has appeared in festivals in Indianapolis, New Orleans, Monterey and Tallahassee. Prior
to his appointment at UL Lafayette, Dr. George directed the guitar program at Phoenix College in Arizona.