How to Read Music

It's certainly possible to play music without being able to read it, just as it's possible to be able to speak
without being able to read or write. In both cases, the person who cannot read or write is missing out
on an opportunity to comprehend and communicate better. Learning to read sheet music can improve
your grasp of music theory, enable you to play music you've never heard before, and allow you to
more easily relate your musical ideas to others. The skill can take a while to master, but the basics are
laid out for you here.

Steps

1. 1

Identify the clef. The first symbol written on a staff (the five lines on which the notes are written) is the
clef, and it tells you which lines and spaces on the staff correspond with which notes. The two most
common clefs are the treble clef and the bass clef .

PLAY IT BY EAR READING MUSIC DOESNT ALWAYS WORK

Treble or G clef with G note

Treble clef: The treble clef, also known as the G-clef (because it circles the line for the G
note), is used in writing music for most musical voices (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, and
tenor), most woodwind instruments, stringed instruments (violin, guitar) and high brass
 instruments such as the trumpet. It also typically corresponds to the notes played with the
right hand on the piano. The notes played on the lines of the treble clef staff are, from bottom
to top, E, G, B, D, F. The order of these notes can be remembered with the use of mnemonic
phrases such as Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, Elvis' G'oes Belly Dancing Friday, or
Every Good Boy Does Fine. The spaces between the lines, from bottom to top, correspond to
the notes F, A, C, E, a sequence which, obviously, spells "FACE."

2. 2

Bass clef or F-clef with F note

Bass clef: The bass clef, also known as the F-clef because it defines the line for the F note
between two dots, is used for lower-pitched instruments such as the bassoon, the bass, and
low brass instruments such as the trombone and tuba. The piano part played by the left hand
is also usually written with a bass clef. The notes played on the lines of the bass clef staff are,
from bottom to top, G, B, D, F, A. This order can be remembered with the aid of phrases such
as Good Burritos Don't Fall Apart or Good Boys Do Fine Always. The spaces between the
lines, from bottom to top, correspond to the notes A, C, E, G. The mnemonic device All Cows
Eat Grass may help you remember the order of these notes.

3. 3

Determine the key signature. Directly to the right of the clef there may be one or more flat or sharp
symbols before the notes begin. This group of symbols is called the key signature. If there are no so
such symbols, then the key signature is "natural" (neither sharp nor flat).
o

Key signature in A-flat-major and f-minor

A flat symbol on a line or a space tells you that all notes on that line or space should be
played flat (one semitone lower than they would otherwise be played.) Thus a flat symbol on
the line of the staff that corresponds to "B" would indicate that all "B" notes in the piece should
be played as "B-flats," which are halfway between "A" and "B". The symbols that look like
lowercase letter "b"s are flats.

Key signature in B-major and g-sharp-minor

A sharp symbol tells you that all notes on that line or space should be played a semitone
higher than they would otherwise be played. The symbols that look like number or pound
symbols are sharps. The key signatures progress in what is called the "circle of fifths"; that is,
each key is a musical interval of one fifth from its neighboring key. In key signatures
containing flats, the name of the key is the flat to the left of the last flat. A key signature with
four flats, B, E, A, D, for example, is the key of A flat.

o The exception to this rule is the key of F, which has only one flat. In keys containing
sharps, the name of the key is one step above the last sharp; for example, if there are three
sharps, F, C, and G, the name of the key, one step above G, is "A".
o Notes can also be designated flats or sharps by flat or sharp symbols placed right
before them within the piece of music. In this case, only the corresponding notes in that
measure (see next step) are modified.
 o

Natural signs cancel a flat or a sharp.

If the key signature tells you that all "B" notes, for example, should be played as "B-flats," a
natural sign can be used before a single "B" note to indicate that that particular note and other
"B" notes in that measure should be played as "B," not as "B-flat."

o Be sure to check for key changes. Key changes will be indicated throughout some
pieces and will look like a key signature. When this happens, change the key you are playing
in as is indicated from there on out, or until you come upon another key change.

4. 4

Time signature highlighted in blue

Observe the time signature. To the right of the key signature, if a key signature is present, will be the
time signature (also known as the meter signature). The time signature typically consists of two
numbers, and it looks like a fraction. It may stay constant throughout a piece of music, or it may
change from time to time throughout a piece.
 o

A bar line or measure line

The top number normally determines how many beats are in a measure or bar (a measure is
defined by vertical lines, or bar lines, that run perpendicular to the staff). For instance, if the
time signature is 3/4, there are three beats in a measure.

o The bottom number in the time signature normally determines what kind of note
gets one beat. This number is most commonly 4, which means that a quarter note (see next
step) gets one beat. It may also be 2, which means that a half note gets one beat, or 8, which
means that eighth notes are used to determine the length of the measure.
o 4/4 time is so common that it is sometimes designated with the letter "C" ("common")
in the time signature instead of with a fraction. Likewise, 2/2 time is sometimes designated by
the letter "C" with a line running down through it, and is known as "cut" time. More complex
time signatures may have an 8 or some other number on the bottom, but these are beyond
the scope of this introductory article.

5. 5

Play the notes and rests in relation to the time signature. Now that you know which lines and
spaces correspond to which notes (thanks to the clef), you can read the piece from left to right. The
symbols will either represent notes or rests. Rests indicate silence, so they do not designate any pitch;
they are typically placed in the same position on the staff. A variety of symbols are used to indicate the
duration of a note or rest relative to other notes or rests.

Notes:
Rests:

A whole note or semibreve appears as a "circle" on the staff in a measure and is worth 4
beats in common time. A whole note is the base unit to which all the other fractional notes are
related.

Whole rests look like dark rectangles hanging down off the second line from the top of the
staff and are worth the same duration as whole notes. However, there are some occasions
where a whole rest can indicate an entire measure, even when a whole note does not. For
example, in 3/4 time, a whole note simply cannot be used, as it is too long for a measure;
however, a whole rest is sometimes still used to indicate silence for the entire measure. You
can remember that whole rests come DOWN from the line because it's like a hole was dug.
o

Half notes or minim are worth 1/2 the duration of whole notes. They appear as an empty
circle with a straight line (also known as the "staff") dropping down off the left side or going up
off the right side. In 4/4 time, a half-note receives two beats.

Half rests look like dark rectangles sitting on top of the third line from the top of the staff and
are worth the same duration as half notes. These can be differentiated from whole rests
because the half rest looks like a top hat--hat and half sound similar.

Quarter notes or crotchet are worth 1/4 the duration of whole notes. They look like solid
circles with a straight line coming off of them (as in the half notes). In 4/4 time, quarter notes
are worth 1 beat.
o

Quarter rests are designated by a unique symbol that looks something like a bird flying
sideways. They are worth the same amount of time as quarter notes. Sometimes they are
represented by a symbol that is the mirror image of an eighth rest, shown later.

Eighth notes or quaver are worth 1/8 the duration of whole notes. In 4/4 time, they are worth
half a beat, so two eighth notes equal 1 beat, the equivalent of a quarter note. A single eighth
note looks like the quarter note, but has a single "tail" (more properly known as a flag) that
curves back along the staff toward the solid circle.

Two or more eighth notes together are connected by a single horizontal bar at the
bottom or top, instead of having flags. This bar is known as a beam.
o

Eighth rests look a little like a leaning stick figure person cut in half vertically and holding his
head in his outstretched hand. Or like a stylized number 7 with some kind of growth--hopefully
it's benign--on its top left end. They are worth the same duration as an eighth note. The one in
this picture is actually a sixteenth rest, having two flags on the top.

Sixteenth notes or semiquaver are worth 1/16 the duration of whole notes. In 4/4 time, they
are worth a quarter of a beat (four of them together make a single beat). A single sixteenth
note looks like the eighth note, but with two flags instead of one.

When they're connected, it's with two beams, not one.

 o

A dot next to the note or rest means that it should be lengthened by half of the note's normal
duration. A dot next to a half note means that the note should be held for the duration of 3/2 of
a half-note -- in common time, it would be three beats.[1]

o There are notes and rests of shorter durations than sixteenth notes and rests, which
continue the pattern illustrated above. Rests lasting longer than one measure may also be
designated by a bar running through more than one measure with a number on top. The
number indicates the number of measures of silence and does not necessarily correspond to
the number of measures through which the symbol actually runs.

6. 6

Pay attention to how the notes are played together or in succession.

D-minor triad

Frequently you will see two or more notes "stacked" on top of each other on the staff. This is a
chord, and indicates that all the notes should be played at the same time. Chords may only be
played on polyphonic instruments (instruments on which you can play two or more notes
independently or as a chord) such as the piano and guitar.
 o

If there is an arc connecting one note's circle to another note's circle, this is a tie, a slur, or a
phrase mark. A tie occurs between two notes of the same pitch, and means that the notes are
connected and should be held out for the total duration of the tied notes. A slur occurs
between two different notes, and means that the notes should be voiced or articulated as little
as possible. In the case of vocal music, it means that the pitch will change while still singing
the same syllable. A phrase mark generally is used over a series of notes, and means that
you should play them continuously without a break in the musical thought.

If you see notes with dots over or under them (not next to them) play or sing them in a
shortened fashion, leaving some silence between the notes so that they are detached from
one another. This is referred to as staccato.

Tips
←
← It helps to put pressure on yourself when practicing in order to speed up the learning process.
← If you need some assistance there is a vast range of free software available that can help with
note recognition. Fast Keys is an online flash game that seems to show quite amazing results.
←
← For musical arrangements in which two or more instruments are played at a time, the part for
each instrument is often given on a separate sheet of paper. Sometimes, however, all the
parts are displayed on the same page, such that your sheet of music might include parts for
bass guitar, piano, electric guitar, and voice, for example. The parts are kept separate on the
 page, as each instrument will generally have its own staff, which should be labeled. All the
parts are played simultaneously on their respective instruments. The piano part will typically
have two connected staffs, one written with a bass clef and one with a treble clef, and these
parts are played simultaneously by a single pianist.
←
← Use a metronome to help when you begin to read sheet music, it will help you with the beats
and make sure you carry out a note for the right amount of time. Metronomes are usually
cheap and can be purchased at music stores. Adopt an early habit of counting while reading
through music.
←
← The tempo or speed at which the music should be played is usually given above the staff, and
appears as an Italian word such as allegro (lively, or quickly) or andante (at a walking pace).
←
← The tempo may also be given by the number of beats per minute. Metronomes typically
accommodate this standard.
←
← There are a variety of software programs--many of which are free--that can help you learn to
read sheet music by playing the music and highlighting which notes are being played as the
piece progresses. Some electronic keyboards also have a function that lights up the keys of
notes being played in a recorded piece.
←
← Start reading basic sheet music, even if you are an advanced player when "playing by ear."
Reading music can initially be quite laborious, and starting with simple music will help you
learn and, if you keep at it, quickly progress.
←
← Keep practicing. Once you have the basics down and can recognize the notes without thinking
about them, you can gradually move on to more complicated musical notation.
← It is easier to read sheet music if you have either played an instrument or already have a basic
knowledge of the notes and scales in music.