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Build your own practice URLs

September 23, 2026

Every setting in SightRead.org lives in the URL. That means any exercise configuration you like can be bookmarked, shared with a friend or a student, pasted into a lesson plan, etc. And you don't need an account to do so.

This post is the complete reference for how those URLs are put together.

Pick a quest with a search parameter

The part before the # chooses which of the three practice modes you get.

  • ?rhythm-reading — read and clap or play the notated rhythm. This is the default, so a bare https://sightread.org/ gives you the same thing.
  • ?rhythm-dictation — hear the rhythm first, notation stays hidden until you reveal it.
  • ?sight-singing — melodies with pitches, not just rhythm.

Settings live in the hash

Everything after the # configures the exercise itself. Parameters are joined with &, in any order.

For example, https://sightread.org/?rhythm-dictation#t=70&m=6&l=2&ts=44 is rhythmic dictation at 70 BPM, six measures, level 2, in 4/4.

Unknown keys are ignored, so you can leave a stray parameter in a URL without breaking it.

Core settings

Defaults differ slightly between rhythm reading and rhythmic dictation, so both are listed where they diverge.

  • t — tempo in BPM, any integer. Default 60.
  • m — number of measures. One of 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 32. Default 8 for reading, 4 for dictation.
  • l — difficulty level, 1 through 5. Default 2.
  • c — metronome mode: yes, no, only (click without notation) or four (four-on-the-floor). Default yes.
  • z — solmization syllables: yes or no. Default no.
  • cn — chord symbols above the staff: yes or no. Default no.
  • y — dynamics markings: yes or no. Default no.
  • p — playback instrument: percussion or piano. Default percussion.
  • s — click volume on strong beats, 0 to 100. Default 60.
  • w — click volume on weak beats, 0 to 100. Default 30.
  • d — click volume on subdivisions, 0 to 100. Default 0.
  • ts — time signatures, as a comma-separated list. Default 44.
  • tc — allow the time signature to change mid-exercise: 1 or 0. Default 0.
  • pb — background synth pad: 1 or 0. Default 0.
  • ut — probability of ties within a pattern, 0 to 1. Default 0.
  • ua — probability of ties across measures, 0 to 1. Default 0.
  • ur — probability of rests, 0 to 1. Default 0.
  • um — probability of motivic repetition, 0 to 1. Default 0.3.

One thing worth knowing about dictation: it forces ties and rests to zero when it generates an exercise. If you put ut, ua or ur above zero in a ?rhythm-dictation URL, the quest overrides them. That is deliberate, since guessing a tied or rest-heavy rhythm by ear is a much harder skill than the mode is aimed at.

Time signatures

The ts parameter uses a compact form: drop the slash, and mark asymmetric meters with a trailing x.

  • Simple meters: 24 for 2/4, 34 for 3/4, 44 for 4/4.
  • Compound meters: 68 for 6/8, 98 for 9/8, 128 for 12/8.
  • Asymmetric meters: 58x for 5/8, 78x for 7/8, 98x for 9/8 grouped asymmetrically, 118x for 11/8.

Note that 98 and 98x are different exercises. The first groups nine eighth notes as three dotted-quarter beats, the second groups them unevenly.

List several to mix them, as in ts=44,68,98x. Add tc=1 and the exercise will switch between them mid-piece.

Custom levels

If the five preset levels do not match what you want to drill, name the exact rhythm patterns yourself with up, as a comma-separated list of pattern IDs.

Supplying up automatically puts you in custom mode, so you can leave l out entirely. Conversely, l=custom without a up list is ignored.

Match your pattern IDs to your time signatures. Simple-meter IDs have no prefix, compound IDs start with c, and asymmetric IDs start with a2 or a3. Mixing categories, like asking for compound patterns in 4/4, produces nonsense.

Simple-meter pattern IDs

Use these with ts=24, 34 or 44.

  • Plain values: q quarter, h half, h. dotted half, w whole
  • Eighths: ee two eighths, q.e dotted quarter plus eighth, eeq two eighths plus quarter, qee quarter plus two eighths
  • Triplets: eee3 eighth triplets, t12 triplet with notes 1 and 2 tied, t23 triplet with notes 2 and 3 tied, 3qqq quarter triplets
  • Quintuplets: qq quarter, 8q eighth, 16q sixteenth, ee16q mixed-value
  • Sextuplets: 6q quarter, 616 sixteenth
  • Septuplets and beyond: 7q quarter, 7e eighth, 7s sixteenth, 9s sixteenth nonuplets
  • Sixteenths: ssss four sixteenths, sstss four sixteenths with 2 and 3 tied, ses sixteenth-eighth-sixteenth, sse two sixteenths plus eighth, ess eighth plus two sixteenths
  • Dotted figures: e.s dotted eighth plus sixteenth, se. sixteenth plus dotted eighth, e.se dotted eighth, sixteenth, eighth
  • Mixed: 1638 sixteenth triplet plus eighth, 8163 eighth plus sixteenth triplet

Compound-meter pattern IDs

Use these with ts=68, 98 or 128.

  • Plain values: cq. dotted quarter, ch. dotted half
  • Eighths and quarters: ceee three eighths, cqe quarter plus eighth, ceq eighth plus quarter
  • Tuplets against the beat: cee2 duplets, ceeee2 quadruplets
  • Sixteenths: cssssss six sixteenths, cessss eighth plus four sixteenths, csssse four sixteenths plus eighth
  • Mixed sixteenths: cssess, cesse, cssee, ceess
  • Dotted: ce.se dotted eighth, sixteenth, eighth

Asymmetric-meter pattern IDs

Use these with ts=58x, 78x, 98x or 118x. Asymmetric meters are built from two- and three-eighth groups, so the IDs come in matching families.

  • Two-eighth groups: a2q quarter, a2ee two eighths, a2ssss four sixteenths, a2ses, a2sse, a2ess, a2e.s dotted eighth plus sixteenth, a2se. sixteenth plus dotted eighth
  • Three-eighth groups: a3q. dotted quarter, a3eee three eighths, a3qe quarter plus eighth, a3ssssss six sixteenths, a3essss, a3sssse, a3ssess

Ready-made practice links

Ten configurations worth bookmarking, from absolute beginner to fairly nasty.

The easiest way to build your own is to set everything up in the Settings panel, then copy the URL out of the address bar. It updates as you go.

Happy sight reading! 👀

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