How to keep track of button order and timing in osu?

Question

I started playing osu! but somehow I find it very hard to keep track of the order of buttons I have to press, especially if they overlap or some stupid animation covers the next button.

Sometimes there are two different sequences, say blue and orange, and I do not know how often I have to press until the first one finishes. I get confused and try to click on orange.

Is there some kind of trick or do I need to memorize the whole song?

I do not know if this is relevant, but currently I play 2 and 3 star songs. I guess later on it gets even more difficult.

Answer 1

It ultimately comes down to memorization. Just like playing music, it's very difficult to get everything on the first try, especially on harder difficulties. You need to play through a song a number of times to let muscle memory set in.

Answer 2

This kind of confusion is caused by low Approach Rates.

The approach rate is the speed at which circles close. This typically happens with easy/normal songs and songs with the Easy Mod. Try to look for songs with an AR higher than 7, once you get more accquainted with AR8 and higher you should be reading naturally. Once you read AR9, you should be able to read every map perfectly on your first try, except for some weird combinations