I’m terrible at sight reading, but I am capable of reading sheet music. If I take a minute to decipher it, I can figure out what key it’s in. What I’m looking for is a way to quickly decipher what key it’s in based on how many sharps or flats are there.
I’m vaguely familiar with the circle of fifths; given a second to think about it I can cycle through them starting at any given point, C, G, D, A, blah blah blah. I know that somehow, the key signature is related.
Also, why flats for some and sharps for others? You could get the point across using either one, I suppose there’s something I’m missing.
I’m a guitarist, by the way. I like tabs better, but lately I’ve come to the conclusion that tablature in addition to standard notation helps considerably. Timing is hard to pick up from tabs, but standard notation doesn’t tell me what string to play a note on, only what note to play. Different strings have different sounds, and it makes a difference. I want to be able to fluently use both in my creative endeavors.
Sight Reading Secrets Revealed