Piano Sight-Reading Books Compared: Tests, Workbooks and Daily Reading

Several piano sight-reading books have a large “1” on the cover. Inside, they can offer quite different things: exam-style examples, questions that prepare you to read, or a new variation linked to the lesson you already know. Buying the wrong kind can leave you with plenty of music and little of the support you wanted.

What kind of reading material are you missing?

“More sight-reading” can mean two different requests. You may understand the preparation process and simply need unfamiliar examples. Or you may open a new page and be unsure what to look at before starting. A compact test collection addresses the first request more directly; a workbook with prompts makes the preparation itself visible.

There is also the question of coordination. A student following a particular lesson series may benefit from supplementary material that uses the patterns already introduced there. That is a different purchase from a general collection chosen independently by a teacher.

Use these three routes to describe the missing resource before comparing prices.

1. Assigned exam gradeYou need representative examples.
   →
   Specimen testsCheck the board, instrument and grade.
2. Preparation needs supportYou want questions and small preparatory tasks.
   →
   Guided workbookInspect the instructions as well as the music.
3. Familiar material is running outYou need another short piece to read.
   →
   Reading collectionCheck whether its sequence follows another book.

Keep your main lesson book in view when making this choice. A supplementary reading book is not automatically a replacement for a complete course. If you are still deciding on that larger course, our comparison of Alfred and Faber for adult beginners addresses the broader purchase.

Four books, with their differences made explicit

The buying links below refer to the print editions in the ISBN table later in this post. The quoted supplier prices were checked on 16 October 2026 and are separate from changing Amazon offers. Our comparison draws on publisher descriptions and available interior samples.

Affiliate notice: Some links are paid links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

ABRSM Piano Specimen Sight-Reading Tests, Grade 1

This is the most direct choice here when the assignment is specifically to obtain ABRSM Grade 1 specimen tests. It has a narrow job: provide examples representative of that exam level. That makes it straightforward to buy from a teacher's exact instruction, but less informative for someone who has not yet established which grade or kind of material they need.

Print ISBN 9781860969058 · 12 listed pages · ABRSM Grade 1 · UK book price £8.95, delivery additional.

ABRSM’s current shop listing identifies this as a physical book. The short page count should not be read as a count of tests, and it does not tell you how many weeks the material will last. That depends on what has already been used and how the teacher assigns it.

The purchase makes sense when you already have an explanation of how to approach a new example and need more opportunities to do it. If the missing help is “What should I notice before playing?”, compare the preparation structure in Harris before buying another collection of examples. The two books can serve different roles, but there is no reason to buy both automatically.

Check the complete title carefully: a repertoire book, a scales book and a specimen sight-reading book can all carry the same exam grade. An old-looking cover or publication year alone is not a sufficient reason to reject a title still listed by the board. Match the ISBN and confirm the intended assignment rather than selecting the newest-looking cover.

Paul Harris: Improve Your Sight-Reading! Piano Grade 1

Harris's workbook devotes space to the work before the first play-through. Its sequence moves from rhythmic and melodic exercises to prepared pieces with questions, then to independent reading examples. That is the useful distinction if you want the book to help organise preparation as well as supply notation.

Print ISBN 9780571533015 · Faber Music code 0571533019 · 40 listed pages · Grade 1 / Early Elementary, as labelled by the publisher.

Faber Music’s description also specifies supporting online audio for this edition. Its Audio Downloads page lists a separate Piano Grade 1 package. Use the piano entry and the matching grade; the same page contains many other instruments and similarly named books. The publisher supplies the audio for personal use.

Recordings can give you something to compare with after an attempt. They do not identify the reason for a hesitation or decide whether the next page is appropriate. If your main requirement is automatic feedback, a printed workbook with recordings will not provide that function.

Schott Music London's listing for this exact edition was £8.50 including VAT, excluding shipping. It is sold as sheet music with online audio. No separate audio subscription is included in the buying example below.

The related A Piece a Week books and duet books are separate products. A familiar author name and “Grade 1” in a search result are not enough to establish that you have found this workbook. Keep the ISBN beside the order, especially when comparing used copies with different cover designs.

Piano Adventures Level 1 Sightreading Book

For someone already using the Piano Adventures Level 1 Lesson Book, second edition, this is the most clearly coordinated option of the four. Its daily exercises refer back to that lesson sequence. You are buying additional encounters with related musical patterns, rather than choosing a second general curriculum.

Print ISBN 9781616776374 · FF3013 · 96 listed pages · US publisher price $8.99, tax and delivery additional.

The publisher’s sample gallery shows sets of five exercises intended for five days. Page 70, for example, names the corresponding Lesson Book page and gives a short question above the music. Large cartoon scenes form part of the presentation. That is worth seeing before ordering, particularly for an adult who prefers a quieter page.

The coordination is the main reason to choose this edition. “Level 1” refers to this series; it is not an assertion that every exercise matches ABRSM Grade 1. Nor should it be confused with the separate Adult Piano Adventures course merely because both bear the Faber name.

The product page offers print and separate Apple Books, Kindle and Google Play editions. A store ebook is not automatically a downloadable PDF that can be printed or imported into a different score reader. Check the intended device and sample before buying digitally. The print ISBN above identifies the paper book, not every digital version.

You do not need to repurchase a lesson book you already own. If a teacher wants to use selected material independently, ask which sections they intend to assign before adding a whole new set of core books. The coordinated two-book cost appears below; theory and performance books are not silently added to it.

John Kember: Piano Sight-Reading 1, A Fresh Approach

Kember supplies a separate progression of short pieces without tying each exercise to a named lesson-book page. It is a useful candidate when a teacher wants an independent source of reading material and can select where to begin.

Print ISBN 9781847611321 · Schott ED 12736 / Hal Leonard 49012936 · 52 listed pages · US distributor price $23.50, tax and delivery additional.

Kember’s own description and sample identify 136 original tunes and a progression beginning with four notes in each hand. The author describes the range as preliminary towards Grade 2, so there is material to select from beyond the opening exercises.

The displayed sample, page 31, moves from an F-major example into a new D-major hand position, with a short instruction before the next pieces. Its presentation is comparatively plain: notation and explanatory text, with English, French and German instructions on that page. Readers who find the illustrated Piano Adventures pages busy may prefer this quieter layout.

Hal Leonard’s US listing confirms the softcover edition and price. The word “Volume” matters: this is the first book in Kember's sequence, not a promise that all its material belongs to one examination grade. Also distinguish it from More Piano Sight-Reading, a separate supplementary title.

The price here is for the printed book. If downloadable notation is essential, check the publisher's exact digital edition and its terms before substituting it for this print listing.

The exact editions to compare

Use this table when the same title appears with several covers, sellers or formats. Page counts are publisher catalogue figures; they do not measure the number of equally demanding reading tasks.

A used copy can be a sensible way to lower the cost, but ask about missing pages, handwritten answers and access instructions. An annotated copy may be fine for a lesson reference and less convenient when the point is to encounter an unmarked example. Where the listing changes the binding or format, confirm the actual item before comparing its price with the editions above.

Two buying examples: what belongs in the basket?

Both examples assume an existing piano or keyboard and a teacher-selected starting point. They cover supplementary reading material only. Lessons, examination entry, an instrument, internet service and an optional tablet are outside these purchases; none is being advertised as a complete beginner-piano setup.

Example 1: an existing Grade 1 candidate

Suppose the teacher has assigned ABRSM Grade 1 specimen tests and the student already has a lesson book, repertoire and a working instrument. The essential addition is one correct specimen book. Adding Harris is a separate decision about guided preparation, not a required accessory for opening the ABRSM book.

ABRSM's delivery policy puts destination-specific charges at checkout. We have not entered a delivery address or assumed free postage for this small order. Harris's quoted Schott price includes VAT. Preserve the tax and delivery basis when comparing a local shop, publisher checkout and Amazon offer.

The budget therefore has a clear decision even before shipping is known: one assigned book, or two books serving different jobs. If Harris is already on the shelf, buying another copy adds nothing. If the teacher asks only for more unseen tests, ask whether the existing workbook still has suitable unused examples before expanding the basket.

A missing delivery quote should remain a blank field, not zero. To finish the acquisition total, add the confirmed charges to £8.95 or £17.45 as appropriate. The editable checklist below has separate fields so optional purchases cannot quietly become essentials.

Example 2: extra reading within Piano Adventures

Now take a student whose teacher has selected the Level 1 Lesson Book, second edition, and wants its coordinated sight-reading supplement. If the lesson book is already owned, the new purchase is simply the $8.99 Sightreading Book.

The optional $9.99 item is the Level 1 Lesson Book, second edition, ISBN 9781616770785. It belongs in this scenario only if it is the course the teacher has chosen and the student does not have it. Buying the sight-reading supplement is not, by itself, a reason to switch courses.

Finish the order with the actual tax and shipping quote. If buying locally, check stock and the price before travelling; if buying an ebook, replace the print amount with that store's price and verify access on the device you will use. Do not combine the $8.99 print price with an assumed free digital copy.

The two-book example also shows why “pages per dollar” is a poor selection rule here. A large illustrated supplement, a short specimen collection and a compact progressive book allocate their pages differently. More paper does not answer whether the material fits the assignment.

Make one interior check before ordering

Open a publisher's sample or examine a copy in a shop with the intended reader. Look beyond the cover and the easiest opening line. Pay attention to the instructions, the amount of music on each page and how you would find the next assignment.

1. Find the instructions. Does the book ask questions, provide preparation tasks, or mainly present music? Someone looking for help approaching a page should inspect those prompts closely.
2. Check the navigation. Is the next exercise selected by exam grade, lesson-book page or the book's own sequence? Write down how the teacher expects you to find the next assignment.
3. Inspect a later sample too. A gentle first page does not describe the whole volume. Note changes in hand use, key signatures or notation density and ask the teacher about anything outside the current work.
4. Try the actual reading size. A phone preview can hide cramped notation. For an ebook, inspect it on the device you intend to put on the music desk, including its page controls.
5. Confirm what you receive. Paper, a store-bound ebook and a PDF have different practical uses. Audio access is another separate check. Keep the exact edition and any necessary companion beside the final price.

We made a worksheet for that decision, plus a small CSV of the editions above. The checklist CSV is editable; the PDF is a printable A4 sheet with space to note your edition, assignment and final order cost.

Before buying, check whether suitable unused material is already available through your teacher or library. That can answer a narrow need without another book. Keep any borrowing and copying within the provider's terms.

Once you have the right material, our post on practising sight-reading covers how to use it. For this purchase, the most useful note to take into a shop is short: the exact edition, the assigned starting point, and whether you need preparation help or more unfamiliar examples.

Featured photo: Pavel Danilyuk / Pexels.