The Basics: How To Read Sheet Music

The ability to read sheet music is an important skill beyond playing an instrument.

Know the language of music..

Learning to read sheet music is not an easy task. It means literally learning a new language with its own sets of sounds, symbols and rules. Like any other language, sheet music has a certain structure that you have to learn. Once you are able to identify the various components of this structure, musical pieces will be easy for you to learn.

READING SHEET MUSIC IS NOT SO HARD!

Following is an overview of the basics of reading sheet music.

First, there is the staff. The staff will tell you exactly what notes you will need to play. Thus, first thing you need to be able to identify is the staff. The staff is a set of five lines and four spaces, each one of which has the name of a note. On the staff, you will find notes, a time signature, a clef sign, a key signature, and various markings that affect the tempo and pitch of each note.

Second, a clef is used to let you know what octave you are supposed to play the notes in, as well as what notes will be played. There are two clefs — treble clef and bass clef — and depending on what instrument you play or in what voice you sing, your music will be written in one of the two. As a general guide line, the treble clef is used for most musical voices including soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, and tenor. It is also used for the higher pitched instruments such as the flute, oboe, violin and trumpet. A handy little acronym exists to allow you to memorize the treble clef: “Every Good Boy Does Fine”". The bass clef on the other hand is used for baritone voices and lower instruments such as tuba or trombone. You can memorize bass clef notes with this clever little acronym: “Good Boys Do Fine Always”. The treble clef is actually the original clef. The bass clef was developed specifically for the notes played by these lower instruments, which would otherwise very hard to be read.

Third, the key signature of a musical piece indicates which notes are meant to be played flat, natural or sharp. How the notes are meant be played can either be marked next to the individual notes, or be indicated by a key signature that references how a certain set of notes is meant to be played throughout the piece. You can find the key signature directly to the right of the clef sign.

Fourth, near the beginning of the staff — right after the key signature –, there is a symbol marking that tells how many notes per measure will be played. Each staff is split up into measures which are separated by a vertical line. This is known as the time signature. You are probably most familiar with the 4/4 time signature, which is pretty much standard throughout musical genres. It is usually denoted by a large black ‘C’.

Five, and then, of course, there are notes. A music note indicates the fundamental structure of each pitch. There are whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes in sheet music. Each piece of music consists of a multitude of notes, so there is a lot you need to know about notes before you can play or sing music. How long to hold each note? This is very important, especially if you are playing in an orchestra. How else would you know how the various instruments work together? How to play the note — flat, sharp of natural? What is the name of each note? Notes are named by letters from A to G; you start with a A and end on a G; and then start over again. Notes from A to A, B to B, C to C, and so on denote one whole octave.

IN CONCLUSION..

There are a lot more strange symbols that make up a standard musical piece. Every single one of them is important. Based on what symbol you are looking at you may need to play notes faster or slower, repeat bars, hold notes, or play the music louder or quieter.
All of these symbols work together to create the music that is played or sung.