Practice Games
Sight Reading Rush
Play passages from real sheet music under time pressure. The cursor moves at tempo—keep up, and your sight-reading fluency builds fast.
Quick Overview
- ✓ Real sheet music — Play passages from actual MusicXML files, not simplified exercises
- ✓ Timed cursor — The cursor advances at tempo, matching each note's duration
- ✓ Import your own files — Use any MusicXML file as practice material
- ✓ Rests and ties auto-advance — The cursor moves through rests and tied notes automatically
- ✓ Accuracy tracked — See how many notes you hit correctly at speed
1 What Is Sight Reading Rush?
This is the closest you'll get to real sight-reading practice outside of sitting down with a new piece. The game loads actual sheet music, starts the cursor moving at tempo, and you play along. Miss a note and the cursor keeps going—just like a real performance.
Unlike the app's normal practice mode (which waits for you), Sight Reading Rush doesn't wait. The music moves forward at tempo. You either keep up or you don't. That pressure is exactly what builds real fluency.
Different from practice mode: In normal practice mode, the cursor waits for you to play the right notes. In Sight Reading Rush, the cursor moves on a timer. This forces you to read ahead and keep pace—the core skill of sight-reading.
2 How to Play
- Select or import a MusicXML file.
- The sheet music loads and the cursor starts at the beginning.
- The cursor advances automatically, matching each note's written duration at the current tempo.
- Play each note as the cursor reaches it. The game checks your input against the expected notes.
- Rests and tied notes auto-advance—you don't need to do anything during those.
- At the end, you see your accuracy: how many notes you played correctly, how many you missed.
Keeping Up
The cursor is on a quarter note C. You play C before the cursor moves on. It counts as correct.
Falling Behind
The cursor has already moved to the next note and you haven't played the previous one. That note is marked as missed.
3 Importing Your Own Music
Sight Reading Rush works with any MusicXML file. Import pieces from your library or load new ones directly into the game. This means you can practice sight-reading with music at your level—or push yourself with harder material.
Where to find MusicXML files: MuseScore.com has thousands of free scores. Export as MusicXML from MuseScore, Finale, or Dorico. See Where to Find Sheet Music for more sources.
For the best sight-reading practice, use pieces you've never played before. The whole point is reading unfamiliar music in real time.
4 How the Cursor Works
The cursor follows the music's rhythm. It stays on each note for that note's duration at the current tempo:
Notes
The cursor pauses on each note for its written duration. A half note gets twice as long as a quarter note.
Rests
The cursor advances through rests automatically. You don't need to do anything—just use the time to read ahead.
Tied Notes
Tied notes auto-advance too. You play the note at the start of the tie; the cursor moves through the tied portion on its own.
Tips
- Read ahead. The number one sight-reading skill. Your eyes should be 1–2 beats ahead of your fingers.
- Start with easy pieces. If you're struggling to keep up, the music is too hard. Drop down a level.
- Slow the tempo. Adjust the tempo to a speed where you can keep up, then gradually increase it.
- Don't stop for mistakes. In real sight-reading, you keep going. Let missed notes go and stay with the cursor.
- Use unfamiliar music. Sight-reading a piece you already know isn't sight-reading—it's recall. Use new material every session.
Troubleshooting
The cursor moves too fast
Lower the tempo. The cursor speed is tied to the tempo setting. Slow it down until you can comfortably read and play, then work your way up.
My MusicXML file won't load
Make sure the file is a valid MusicXML file (.xml or .musicxml). If you downloaded it from a website, it might be compressed (.mxl)—that format is also supported.
See What if a File Won't Import? for more help.
My MIDI keyboard isn't responding
Connect your MIDI keyboard before opening the game. If you connected it after, refresh the page. See MIDI Not Working? for detailed troubleshooting.
My accuracy is very low
That's normal when starting out. Sight-reading is hard. Try easier pieces, slow the tempo, and practice consistently. Even professional pianists miss notes when sight-reading difficult music. Focus on keeping up with the cursor rather than hitting every note perfectly.
Still Need Help?
If Sight Reading Rush isn't working properly, reach out. Include which file you're trying to use and what's happening.
Response time: 2-3 business days