What is your thought process during sight-reading? Advanced sight-readers’ strategies across different tonal environments

Abstract

Sight-reading strategies used for reading music in different tonal environments are critical for musicians to perform accurately. We investigated the strategies advanced sight-readers utilize when they encounter different tonal environments. After a brief study period, six advanced sight-readers performed a through-composed piece that included tonal, non-tonal, and ambiguously tonal music. Immediately following the performance, participants went back through the music and described their thought process and strategies. Participants reported different strategies from one another to play accurately, but there were also common strategies used for different tonal environments. We found verbal reports of critical and relevant strategies of advanced sight-readers were categorized as attention, static analysis, informed intuition, and performer’s analysis. The sight-readers executed their performance interacting with static analysis, informed intuition, and performer’ s analysis. Most importantly, participants relied heavily on performer’s analysis for the expressive performance in the tonal section, followed by the non-tonal and ambiguously tonal sections. Findings imply that advanced sight-readers’ strategies moved back and forth between attention, intuition, and analytical strategies based on the demands in each tonal environment.