Settings and appearance

Make SightReader easy on your eyes and ears: a dark theme for evening practice, the sounds at the level you like, and a score that shows only what helps you read. Every setting is free, and changes save as you make them.

Two places, the same settings

• Preferences, on the Me tab, holds every setting.
• In a piece, the cog on the controls at the bottom opens Settings, with the settings worth changing while you play. In a drill it starts with that drill’s own set-up.

Both are arranged the same way, under the same names, so a switch you find in one is under the same heading in the other:

1. Appearance
2. Sound levels
3. Metronome and count-in
4. Practice flow
5. What the score shows
6. Feedback
7. Keyboard and input

The Preferences page adds Notifications and Goals and classes. Settings you rarely need sit under More options at the foot of a section.

When you’re signed in, your settings follow your account to every device. The theme and the score in the dark are the exception: they belong to each device, so your phone can be dark while your laptop stays light.

Search your settings

Both places have a search box at the top. Type what you’re after, such as “louder”, “lag” or “bluetooth”, and only the matching settings stay on screen. Typos are fine. Under the search, a row of section buttons jumps straight to a section.

Appearance

• Theme: Light, Dark · Nocturne or System, which follows your device’s own light or dark setting.
• Score in dark mode: in the dark theme the music goes dark too. Choose Light paper if you’d rather read black notes on a light page.
• Paper behind the score: Plain, or Paper for a faint grain behind the music. It works with a dark score as well.
• Reduce animations: turns off the bounces, sparkles and celebrations, and keeps the sounds. Your device’s own reduced motion setting does the same.

Note names

• Note notation: Letters (C, D, E) or Solfège (do, re, mi), for the note names in scales and exercises. SightReader starts with the one used in your language.
• Note value names, in English: the British or the American names for note lengths, as lessons, Review mistakes and the quizzes use them. SightReader starts with the names used where you are, and this Handbook follows your choice.

Sound levels

Three sliders set how loud things are: Piano volume, Metronome volume and Sound effects.

• Tap the icon beside a slider to mute that sound, and tap again to bring it back at the level you had.
• Double-click a slider to put it back to the normal level, which sits in the middle so there is room to go louder.
• Sound switches off the piano sound for the notes you play, handy if your keyboard makes its own.

If you hear nothing at all, No sound? Run a sound check is in this section too. The sound delay setting, for Bluetooth speakers and headphones, is under More options, and How you’re marked explains it.

Metronome and count-in

• Metronome: with the click on, your playing is marked for rhythm as well as pitch (How you’re marked).
• Default tempo: the speed for graded levels, lessons, drills and scales, wherever the music has no tempo of its own.
• Longer count-in: at least four clicks before the music starts, whatever the time signature. Off gives you one bar.
• Count-in bars: the fewest bars the metronome counts in, for longer to settle into the beat.

What the score shows

• Following the beat: with the metronome on, how the score shows where you are. Moving line sweeps through the music, Bar highlight shades the bar you’re in, and None leaves the page as it would be in print.
• Fingering numbers: switch off the finger numbers to read the notes alone.

The same section holds the score layout, full screen, Show note lengths, Disappearing notes and how the page scrolls as you play.

Feedback

• Hide feedback while playing: nothing turns green or red while you play. Every mark arrives with your score at the end.
• Note feedback text: the colour with a word such as “Early” above the controls, or Colour only.
• Note effects: the small burst of colour on a right or wrong note.

Notifications

When you’re signed in, Preferences has a Notifications section for everything SightReader sends you.

• Streak reminders, in the iPhone and Android apps: a reminder on days you haven’t practised yet, around the time you usually play. Set your own Reminder time if you prefer.
• Home-screen widget, in the apps: your streak, your week and the next piece to play.
• Weekly class summary, for teachers: the Monday email about your classes.
• Email preferences: choose which optional emails you receive.

Streaks, XP and badges explains what the reminders are for.