Frequently asked questions

Free vs Pro

What’s free?

• All scales and notes practice, unlimited
• All of Foundation and Initial in Lessons, plus the first unit of Grade 1
• The first 5 levels of every grade from Initial through Grade 5
• A 54-piece library taster (Schäfer & Schytte)
• Virtual piano (no MIDI keyboard needed)
• Ten freshly generated sight-reading exercises a day, three of them to play

What does Pro add?

• All 9 grades fully unlocked (Initial + Grades 1–8)
• The full 3,700+ piece library
• Daily Practice: a curated 5-piece session each day
• A downloadable certificate for every grade you finish
• Upload your own MusicXML pieces
• Unlimited generated exercises, and keep as many as you like

Pricing?

See /upgrade for details. Pro is one monthly or annual subscription, billed through Stripe.

Grade coverage

Which exam board?

The grade ladder follows ABRSM’s sight-reading requirements: key signatures, time signatures, hand position and length all match the published syllabus parameters. Initial through Grade 8 are all available.

Are these the real exam pieces?

No. Sight-reading exams use unseen, single-use material on the day. SightReader’s grade pieces are a combination of newly composed pieces and original, procedurally-generated exercises aligned to the same parameters as the syllabus: keys, time signatures, length, hand position and articulation. Practising them builds the same reading skills.

How many pieces per grade?

Initial Grade ships 20 pieces (4 sections of 5). Grades 1–8 ship 40 pieces each (4 sections of 10). Total: ~340 graded exercises.

Will you add other exam boards?

The engine is parameter-driven, so adding Trinity, RCM, or AMEB tracks is feasible. If you’re a teacher and want to nominate a syllabus, email [email protected].

How do I prepare for a grade exam?

We publish a grade-by-grade guide to piano sight reading covering Initial through Grade 8, with what examiners expect at each level (across ABRSM, Trinity, LCM, RCM, MTAC and AMEB) and concrete practice strategies for each grade. Read the grade-by-grade sight-reading guide →

Levelling and XP

How does the levelling system work?

Every piece you play earns XP, and harder pieces and better star ratings earn more. As your XP builds you climb 8 tiers, from Novice to Legend. It makes practice feel a bit more like a game, which makes it easier to keep coming back.

Tiers

Practice and results

Will I actually get better?

Yes. Research shows sight reading improves with practice, and five minutes a day is enough for steady progress. What matters is reading music you haven’t seen before, little and often. That’s what the daily session gives you.

Where can I use SightReader?

Anywhere you can use a web browser: Mac, Windows, laptop or tablet, with nothing to install. There are iOS and Android apps too, with the same library, grades and uploads. On iPhone and iPad the app is the only way to use a MIDI keyboard, because no iOS browser supports Web MIDI.

Rhythm and timing

Does SightReader check if I’m playing in time?

Yes. Turn on the metronome and every note is scored against the beat as well as the pitch: early notes shade blue, late notes shade yellow, and your results card shows how much of the piece you played on time. It works on every piece, free tier included.

What’s the difference between Pitch Only and Pitch & Rhythm mode?

Pitch Only checks which notes you play and waits for you, so you can take your time over each one. Pitch & Rhythm also checks when you play them: the music moves at the beat, with or without you. The metronome is what switches you between the two.

How do I turn on rhythm scoring?

Turn on the metronome. That’s the whole switch. You get a count-in of at least four clicks, then the piece moves at the beat and each note is scored for timing. The mode tag above the score shows which mode you’re in, and you can tap it to switch back whenever you like.

What does the rhythm score mean?

It breaks your attempt into on time, early and late, with your average tendency in milliseconds (“94ms early”, say). The lean is the useful part. Early usually means you’re rushing the click, and late usually means you’re stopping to read before each note. We’re still adjusting how forgiving the windows are.

Can I practise without the metronome?

Of course. That’s Pitch Only mode, and it’s the right place to start. The score waits while you find each note, and plenty of players stay there for good reasons: new clefs, tricky keys, unfamiliar territory. The metronome is there when you want it, not a requirement.

Cancellation

How do I cancel?

Open your account page, click Manage subscription. You’ll land in the Stripe customer portal. Click “Cancel plan” and confirm. Cancelling takes effect at the end of the current billing period: you keep Pro until then, and you won’t be charged again.

Can I pause instead of cancelling?

Not at the moment. Cancelling stops future charges, and you can resubscribe whenever you’re ready. Your progress, sessions and grade certificates are kept either way.

What happens to my data after cancelling?

Your account, progress, and history stay intact. You move to the free tier, which locks Lessons after the first unit of Grade 1, grade levels after the first five in Initial to Grade 5, and all of Grades 6–8. Email [email protected] if you’d like full account deletion (your rights are detailed in the privacy policy).

Refunds

Refund policy

If you’re within 14 days of a Pro purchase and feel SightReader isn’t working for you, email [email protected] from the address on your account and we’ll refund you in full. No forms, and no questions about why.

Outside the 14-day window?

We don’t offer routine refunds after 14 days, but if something has gone wrong (a billing error, say, or a long outage), write in anyway and we’ll work it out.

UK / EU statutory rights

Nothing in our refund practice limits your statutory rights under UK or EU consumer protection law. The “right to change your mind” period for digital content begins when the subscription starts. By completing checkout you’re consenting to immediate access.

Why does the app cost more than the website?

Buying Pro inside the iOS or Android app costs a little more than buying it on the website. Apple and Google take a cut of every in-app purchase, and the app store price covers it. If you’d rather pay the lower price, subscribe on the website and sign in to the app with the same account. You get the same Pro either way.

Whichever way you buy, you manage and cancel the subscription where you bought it: in your App Store or Google Play settings for an in-app purchase, or from your account page for a website subscription.

MIDI

Do I need a MIDI keyboard?

No. You can practise through your device’s microphone , which listens to whatever piano you have, or with the on-screen virtual piano. A real MIDI keyboard is still recommended: it marks every note exactly, it is what Pitch & Rhythm mode needs, and the gesture you’re training is “see the note, find the key without looking”, which is hard to build with mouse clicks.

Which keyboards work?

Anything with a USB-MIDI output (almost every digital piano sold since ~2008). We’ve personally tested Yamaha, Roland, Casio, Kawai, Korg, and Nord models. See the MIDI setup guide for cable + browser specifics.

Your data

Do you share my practice data?

No. Practice sessions, accuracy, and progress are private to your account. Aggregate usage informs product decisions, but individual data isn’t shared or sold. Full processor list in the privacy policy.

Can I export everything?

Yes. Email [email protected] and we’ll send a JSON dump of your account within 30 days (UK GDPR right of access).

Getting in touch

Response times

Email [email protected]. I aim to reply within three working days (UK time), often sooner. If something’s urgent (payment, account access, lost progress), put “urgent” in the subject line and I’ll prioritise it.