Sight-Read Any Rhythm Instantly

The beauty of Mark's system is that as a musician (any instrument) the only thing you need to think about (consciously) is whether or not you hit a note as you read it. Half-consciously, in the back of your mind, you'll be counting "one-two-three" (3-beat measure) as might always have done but you WILL NOT be trying to keep track of how long individual notes last. The author makes a compelling case for how difficult it is to correctly play a series of notes whose time values involve complex fractions (a third of a beat, a quarter of a beat, etc.).

Instead, the author shows you how to memorize the sound of each of the various combinations of notes that commonly occur within "one beat" (e.g., eighth notes, sixteenth notes, triplets, etc.) Essentially, the author provides you with a set of note combination patterns that you commit to memory. Once in memory, the rhythm sound of each one-beat combination can be played automatically. The author provides copious examples of most all of the patterns you would typically encounter in today's music (guitar tablature, piano, violin, etc.) and learning them is really not difficult at all - far easier than trying to count "one-ee-and-uh" every time you encounter a series of sixteenth notes.

I guess the best thing I can say about this gem is that you'll get one of the best bangs for the buck on learning to play in time - correctly - than any other contemporary book on rhythm reading available today. Believe me, I own just about all of `em!


Great resource.   September 8, 2002
 9 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is an excellent resource for the beginner or trained musician who is not as rhythmically adept as s/he would like to be. It teaches how to comprehend and be able to play rhythms at a glance. Highly recommended.