Frequently asked questions

Free vs Pro

What’s free?

• All scales and notes practice, unlimited
• The first 5 levels of every grade from Initial through Grade 5
• A 50-piece library taster (Schäfer Book 1)
• Virtual piano fallback — no MIDI keyboard required

What does Pro add?

• All 9 grades fully unlocked (Initial + Grades 1–8)
• The full 4,000+ piece library
• Daily Practice — a curated 5-piece session each day
• Grade certificates as you complete each grade
• Upload your own MusicXML pieces

Pricing?

See /upgrade — Pro is one monthly or annual subscription, billed via Stripe.

Grade coverage

Which exam board?

The grade ladder is structured around ABRSM sight-reading expectations — key signatures, time signatures, hand position, and length curves 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, 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 hello@sightreader.app.

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, with harder pieces and better star ratings rewarding more. As you accumulate XP you climb 8 tiers, from Novice all the way to Legend. By making practice feel more like a game, we make learning more fun and help you keep coming back for more.

Tiers

Practice and results

Will I actually get better?

Yes — practice makes perfect, and SightReader makes practice fun. Just 5 minutes a day is enough to see real progress.

Where can I use SightReader?

Anywhere you can use a web browser — Mac, Windows, laptop or tablet. Nothing to install.

Cancellation

How do I cancel?

Open your account page, click Manage subscription. You’ll land in the Stripe customer portal — hit “Cancel plan” and confirm. Cancellation is immediate to schedule (you keep Pro access through the end of the current billing period, no further charges).

Can I pause instead of cancelling?

Not currently. Cancelling stops future charges; you can re-subscribe whenever you’re ready. Your progress, sessions, and grade certificates persist either way.

What happens to my data after cancelling?

Your account, progress, and history stay intact — you’re just downgraded to the free tier, which means Grade 6–8 and levels 6+ in Grades 1–5 become locked again. Email hello@sightreader.app 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 hello@sightreader.app from the address on your account and we’ll refund in full — no forms, no questions about why.

Outside the 14-day window?

We don’t offer routine refunds after 14 days, but write in anyway if something has genuinely gone wrong (billing error, prolonged outage, etc.) — 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.

MIDI

Do I need a MIDI keyboard?

No. The on-screen virtual piano works for every feature except the realism of playing on a physical instrument. A real keyboard is recommended for sight-reading practice because the gesture you’re training is “see the note → find the key without looking” — 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 hello@sightreader.app and we’ll send a JSON dump of your account within 30 days (UK GDPR right of access).

Getting in touch

Response times

Email hello@sightreader.app. 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.