# SightReader: Read Piano Music — Notes and rhythm, every grade

> Notes and rhythm, every grade (iPhone/iPad app by Bret Cameron.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sightreader-read-piano-music/id6777734489 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Bret Cameron](https://appshunter.io/developer/6777734491)
- Category: Education, Music
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 18 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-07-03
- Data updated: 2026-08-26
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sightreader-read-piano-music/id6777734489/reviews.md

## What is SightReader?

A fun, effective way to learn piano sight reading - tested by piano teachers.

Stop memorising every piece note by note. SightReader teaches you to play new music straight from the page, in just five minutes a day. From your first middle C to Grade 8.

Most apps check which notes you play. SightReader also checks when. Switch on the metronome and Pitch & Rhythm mode grades your timing beat by beat - the part of sight reading that usually goes unmeasured.

ON IPHONE AND IPAD, THE APP IS THE ONLY WAY
No browser on iOS can reach a MIDI keyboard - not Safari, and not Chrome, Edge or Firefox, because Apple requires them all to use Safari's engine. The app connects to your keyboard directly, over USB or Bluetooth.

HOW IT WORKS
Plug in a MIDI keyboard, or use the on-screen one. A note appears on the staff. You play it. SightReader listens in real time and shows you what you nailed and what you missed: notes turn green when you're right, red when you're not - and with the metronome on, blue when you're early, yellow when you're late. No vague "good job" - you see what you played, and how you timed it.

PITCH & RHYTHM MODE
The metronome is the switch. Off, you're in Pitch Only and the score waits while you find each note. On, Pitch & Rhythm takes over: a one-bar count-in, then the music moves at the beat with or without you, and every note is judged on when it lands as well as whether it's right. Early shades blue, late shades yellow, missed goes red. Each attempt ends with a timing breakdown - how much you played on time, how much early, how much late, and your average tendency in milliseconds, so "94ms early" names the habit you can work on. Play a piece start to finish in Pitch & Rhythm and you earn bonus XP. It works on every piece, free tier included.

WHAT'S INSIDE
 • Pitch & Rhythm mode: turn on the metronome and every note is also scored against the beat, with a timing breakdown after each attempt
 • A library spanning four centuries of piano: Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern, from Bach and Mozart to Debussy and Bartók
 • ABRSM-aligned exercises, grade by grade, from Initial to Grade 8
 • Note and chord drills, plus every type of scale
 • Levels for every stage, from first-time readers to late-grade repertoire
 • A practice journal logging every session, so you can see which keys, clefs and intervals trip you up, down to the individual note

PRACTICE THAT STICKS
Every piece scores up to three stars, and every star earns XP towards your next level. Practise each day and your streak grows. Finish a grade and earn a certificate to keep or share with your teacher.

FOR LEARNERS
Build real reading confidence instead of leaning on memory. Short sessions, feedback on every note, and music worth coming back to.

FOR PARENTS
Daily piano time as a five-minute game your child looks forward to. Progress you can read at a glance, and certificates worth putting on the fridge.

FOR TEACHERS
Assign the right exercises, track progress, and see where each student is stuck - all from one dashboard. Free for verified educators.

FREE TIER
Start free, forever: unlimited note and chord drills, all scales, the first grades, and 50 pieces. Go Pro for the full 4,000+ piece library, all ABRSM grades, curated daily practice, grade achievements, your own uploads, and offline practice.

No MIDI keyboard? Use the virtual piano, or play any instrument and report your results.

Five minutes a day is enough to notice the difference within a few weeks.

PRO TIER
Full access to 4,000+ pieces, daily practice, progress tracking, and more.

SightReader Pro is an auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at purchase. It renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel in your Apple Account settings.

 • Privacy Policy: https://sightreader.app/privacy
 • Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SightReader Pro | $5.99 | per month |
| SightReader Pro | $57.99 | per year |



## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.0.9 — 2026-08-22

Drop in your own sheet music and have it marked as you play. Endless new sight-reading exercises, written on the spot - keep the ones you like, and teachers can set them as homework. Name the note without touching a piano, in do-re-mi or A-B-C. A new practice screen lays out every way to practise. Finishing a piece now gets a fanfare, levelling up a moment of its own, and your streak tells you when it’s at risk. Plus small fixes and improvements.

### 1.0.8 — 2026-08-10

Practise hands separately — pick a hand and the app grades just that one, dimming the other. Make the music bigger, scroll it sideways, or go full screen. A proper piano on screen, with the playing controls movable out of the way and a settings panel you can open mid-piece. Teachers can set work for one pupil and write back on it. Plus small fixes and improvements.

### 1.0.7 — 2026-07-31

Practice audio now plays even when your iPhone or iPad’s silent switch is on. Bluetooth pianos pair within the app rather than in your phone’s Bluetooth settings; the metronome gains a tempo line and a count-in; and Listen Mode highlights its place in the score. Plus small fixes and improvements.

### 1.0.5 — 2026-07-28

You can now connect your MIDI keyboard at any time, even after SightReader is already open, and start playing straight away. New Listen mode plays any piece back for you with dynamics and phrasing, so you can hear how it should sound first. The piano now has a warmer, roomier tone, and the metronome keeps the right pulse in compound time signatures. There are also free Schytte studies to practise with and smoother movement between pieces, plus small fixes and improvements.

### 1.0.4 — 2026-07-13

SightReader now speaks Spanish, French and Italian. The app follows your device language on first launch, and you can switch any time from the sign-in screen or Account → Language. Your choice follows your account across devices. Plus small fixes and improvements.

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## Related topics

[piano sight reading trainer](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/piano-sight-reading-trainer)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-26.*