Sight-reading exercises with broken chords

What level 25 adds

Each bar of the left hand outlines one chord (I, IV or V) in its nearest inversion, ending on a held chord in the last bar. The right hand plays a melody in whole, half and quarter notes over it.

What to watch for

• Seeing the chord in the pattern: the four quarter notes of a bar are one chord. Read them as a shape, not four notes.
• The pattern repeats: low, middle, high, middle every bar. Only the chord changes.
• Keeping both hands steady: the left hand’s quarter notes are the beat.

How to practise it

• Before playing a bar, find its chord: the left hand only needs the three notes of it.
• Keep your left hand over the chord and let the fingers walk; don’t lift between notes.
• Let the left hand keep time and fit the melody to it.

Each exercise is new music, written for this level by the same generator the app uses, so you can’t have learned it by ear. Read it once before you play, keep a steady beat, and play on through mistakes. Play it yourself checks your notes from a MIDI keyboard, the mouse or your computer keys, and Print gives you the music alone, to read at the piano.