Not all guitar teachers know how to teach sight reading properly. If you apply these techniques, your sight-reading will improve. You can develop an understanding of the fretboard in couple of months. More importantly, this understanding is self-nuturing. What it means is that it makes it easier to learn more music, which reinforces your understanding of the instrument, which makes it easier to learn more music.

The best way to learn the fretboard away from the guitar. Learning the fretboard away from the guitar opens up tons of other opportunities to practice (like in the shower....) and helps you visualize the guitar.

The basic strategy behind all these ideas is the break the problem down into small, managable chunks.

Learn your fretboard vertically and horizontally.

1. Take some 3x5 index cards and make some flash cards. You will need 12 cards, one for each fret. Put a fret number on 1 side of the card and names of the notes at the fret on the other side. When you're through you should have the following:

bottom (string 6)

   F   F#  G   G#  A   B~  B   C   C#   D   D#  E~    E
   B~  B   C   C#  D   E~  E   F   F#   G   G#  A~    A
   E~  E   F   F#  G   A~  A   B~  B    C   C#  D~    D
   A~  A   B~  B   C   D~  D   E~  E    F   F#  G~    G
   C   C#  D   D#  E   F   F#  G   G#   A   A#  B~    B
   F   F#  G   G#  A   B~  B   C   C#   D   D#  E~    E

top (string 1)

Learn the notes on the frets in this order.

   1. Frets 12, 5, 10  (frets with no sharps or flats)
   2. When you have those memorized add frets 7, 3 (1 sharp, 1 flat)
   3. When you have that memorized add frets 8, 2 (2 sharps, 2 flats)
   4. When you have that memorized add frets 9, 1 (3 sharps, 3 flats)
   5. When you have that memorized add frets 4, 6 (4 sharps, 4 flats)
   6. When you have that memorized add fret 11    (5 sharps, 5 flats)

Take your time in doing this (you'll spend a lifetime learning the guitar). Add the next set of frets when you have the others down cold. If it takes two weeks or more, that's fine. You'll find many opportunities throughout the day to practice this. As you do this exercise, you may find that the first frets you tackled will be much stronger than the frets you add later. You can prevent this problem by reciting the notes in the reverse order you them. That is, name the notes on the newest frets first, the oldest frets last.

When you're able to recite all 12 frets in 30 seconds, starting at fret 1 and working to 12 AND starting at fret 12 and working to 1, then move on to the next exercise.

2. Make another set of 12 flash cards. Number each card 1 through 12 as above. On the other side put one of the notes C, C#, D, D#(E~), E, F, F#, G, G#, A, B~, B. There is no correlation between the number on one side and the note on the other. They are used for two different exercises.

Do this exercise at least once a day.Shuffle the cards and flip them number side up. Name the notes at the fret indicated for each card.

3. Start learning the notes horizontally. Meaning, where the notes are on each string. Learn the notes in this order: C G D A E B F# C# G# D#(E~) B~ F. For example, you can find C at frets 8,3,10,5,1, and 8. Learn them a note at a time, only adding a new note when you've got the last one cold. Remember, this is an additive process, recite positions for C, then G and C, then D,G, and C.... Here's a tip: Given the starting position, the next position can be found by subtracting 5 for all strings other than 3. If the position is on string 3 subtract 4. If the position is less than 5, then the next position will be the current position +7, unless you're on string 3 then it's +8. For example

   string: 6      5      4       3      2      1
   C =     8 (-5) 3 (+7) 10 (-5) 5 (-4) 1 (+7) 8
 

4. Reading: do this in parallel with your other exercises.

Read all the material you can. Read simple stuff. Start with the simplest material you can find. Tunes like Mary Had A Little Lamb and Twinkle Twinkle are not too simple. You want to practice sight reading on material that is well below your ability to play. Play them at different fret positions eg. 3,5,7,9, dont' stick to the first position. In fact, if you are already familiar with the first position, try and avoid using it to some extent to avoid memorizing the tunes. Method books for other instruments (clarinet, flute...) are good sources, song books of folk music from the library are good sources too.

When you read, do not stop when you make a mistake. Keep going and try to keep the rhythm. Play as slowly as necessary to play and keep a steady rythm. When you finish a tune, go on to the next. Go through all the tunes you have, until you run out time or until you utterly fail, then start over. The importance of keeping going when you make a mistake can't be overemphasized. You don't want to memorize the piece. Also, keeping the beat is critical. Drop the odd note if you have to , but keep going in time with the rhythm. The ear will quickly forget a flubbed note if you're able to keep the beat.

5. Rhythm Studies: do this in parallel with your other exercises.

Many people have trouble site reading not because they don't recognize the notes, but because they don't recognize the rhythm.

Using your simple songs, clap the rythms. Meaning, put your guitar down, and instead of plucking the notes, clap the notes. An execellent book to do this with is Leavit's "Melodic Rythms For Guitar". It systematically breaks rythms down and presents exercises. Don't play the exercises, clap the notes. You can read the exercises later when your sight reading skills become stronger.

6. For this excersize you will need someones help. Prepare to play whilst reading some music. Then get someone with a piece of card to cover up the note(s) you are about to play by moving the card along the score. As you get better, they should be able to cover up notes further and further ahead of the ones you are playing. If you can read more than two bars ahead of what you are playing, I reckon you're pretty much there! But this excercise is not easy, either for you or the person with the card. The person with the card must be able to read music to some extent, so it may well end up being your tutor.

7. Tip: Don't burn yourself out on studying reading. Do some everday, by structuring your practice to include sight reading. This is something you'll always do in different ways and with different material as you advance, so don't wear yourself out on it. Do a litle every day, and the benefits will accumulate over time.

(Acknowledgement: Classical Guitar FAQ, John Rice)