Choir and voice
abcStepByStep
From a first rhythm to four parts and past UIL 5, one new thing at a time.
- Steps
- 24
- Pages
- Unison, then Choral
- Starts
- ta and ti-ti
Courses
A sequence for every instrument, ready to teach.
Your preset menu lists what you subscribe to here, so it holds only what you teach from. An instrument course sets up each step for the instrument: its sound, its transposition, its clef and a range a first-year player can reach. Change any step and keep it as your version.
- Rhythm first, always 2 steps ahead
- Concert B♭, E♭, F, C: the whole band together
- 17 steps, rhythm drill plus notes
Choir and voice
Free with any account, or none. abcStepByStep is on until you choose, and UIL's five levels are always on the Choral page.
Texas choir
UIL
What each Texas UIL sight-reading level asks for, in every voicing it uses.
- Levels
- 1 to 5
- Page
- Choral
- Voicings
- SATB, SSA, TTB and more
Always on the Choral pageTry it
New York solo voice
NYSSMA Voice
NYSSMA's solo voice sight-reading criteria: keys, meters, skips, rhythms, tempo and dynamics.
- Levels
- I to V
- Page
- Unison
- Source
- NYSSMA Manual, Ed. 33
Texas All-State auditions
TMEA All-State Voice
The Path to All-State sight-reading rounds, District to Area: each level's keys, range and meters for your voice part.
- Levels
- I to IV
- Parts
- S, A, T, B
- Source
- TMEA, July 2025
Beginning band
Every instrument takes the same step on the same day, in the same concert key, so the whole band can read together.
Beginner band
Flute
Flute at concert pitch, from D above middle C to the A at the top of the staff.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, B♭, E♭, F, C
- Range
- D4 to A5
- Sounds
- As written
Beginner band
Oboe
Oboe at concert pitch, from D above middle C to A at the top of the staff.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, B♭, E♭, F, C
- Range
- D4 to A5
- Sounds
- As written
Beginner band
Clarinet
B♭ clarinet in the low register, below the break, from low E to A.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, C, F, G, D
- Range
- E3 to A4 written
- Sounds
- A step below written (B♭)
Beginner band
Bassoon
Bassoon in bass clef at concert pitch, from low F to the D above middle C.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Bass clef, B♭, E♭, F, C
- Range
- F2 to D4
- Sounds
- As written
Beginner band
Alto saxophone
E♭ alto sax, reading G, C, D and A, from middle C to the A at the top of the staff.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, G, C, D, A
- Range
- C4 to A5 written
- Sounds
- A sixth below written (E♭)
Beginner band
Tenor saxophone
B♭ tenor sax, reading C, F, G and D like the clarinet and trumpet, sounding an octave and a step lower.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, C, F, G, D
- Range
- C4 to A5 written
- Sounds
- An octave and a step below written (B♭)
Beginner band
Baritone saxophone
E♭ bari sax, reading what the alto reads, sounding an octave below it.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, G, C, D, A
- Range
- C4 to A5 written
- Sounds
- An octave and a sixth below written (E♭)
Beginner band
Trumpet
B♭ trumpet, from written C up the staff to E, in the keys the band plays.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, C, F, G, D
- Range
- G3 to E5 written
- Sounds
- A step below written (B♭)
Beginner band
French horn
Horn in F, reading F, B♭, C and G, from G below middle C to E at the top of the staff.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, F, B♭, C, G
- Range
- G3 to E5 written
- Sounds
- A fifth below written (in F)
Beginner band
Trombone
Trombone in bass clef, from low G to the F above middle C, first position B♭ first.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Bass clef, B♭, E♭, F, C
- Range
- G2 to F4
- Sounds
- As written
Beginner band
Euphonium
Euphonium or baritone in bass clef, the trombone's notes and keys.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Bass clef, B♭, E♭, F, C
- Range
- G2 to F4
- Sounds
- As written
Beginner band
Tuba
Tuba in bass clef at concert pitch, from low F to middle C.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Bass clef, B♭, E♭, F, C
- Range
- F2 to C4
- Sounds
- As written
Beginning orchestra
The same rhythm steps, with the notes in string order: D major around the open strings, then G, A, C and F.
Beginning orchestra
Violin
Violin in first position, from the open G string to B on the E string.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Treble clef, D, G, A, C, F
- Range
- G3 to B5
- Sounds
- As written
Beginning orchestra
Viola
Viola in alto clef, first position, from the open C string to E on the A string.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Alto clef, D, G, A, C, F
- Range
- C3 to E5
- Sounds
- As written
Beginning orchestra
Cello
Cello in bass clef, first position, from the open C string to E on the A string.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Bass clef, D, G, A, C, F
- Range
- C2 to E4
- Sounds
- As written
Beginning orchestra
String bass
String bass in bass clef, from the open E string up, sounding an octave below written.
- Steps
- 17, each a rhythm drill and notes
- Reads
- Bass clef, D, G, A, C, F
- Range
- E2 to B3 written
- Sounds
- An octave below written
Rhythm runs two steps ahead
A new rhythm arrives on its own, as a rhythm drill: clap it, count it, play it on one note. Notes only go on it 2 steps later, once it is old news. So a step never asks for a new rhythm and new notes at once.
When the rhythms are all learned, the notes catch up: the last steps put every rhythm and meter together on four keys and the whole range.
- StepRhythm drillNotes
- 1 Quarter notes rhythm only, for now
- 2 Half notes rhythm only, for now
- 3 Whole notes B♭, C, D: the first three notes, by step on step 1 rhythms and before
- 4 Eighth notes E♭ and F: the first five notes on step 2 rhythms and before
- 5 Three beats Skips: B♭, D, F on step 3 rhythms and before
- 6 Two beats A new key: E♭ on step 4 rhythms and before
Instrument drawings from game-icons.net by Lorc, Delapouite and contributors, CC BY 3.0.