Piano Basics: Reading Musical Notes
You can greatly improve your piano playing skills if you are able to read musical notes!
Why reading musical notes is important..
Being able to read musical notes is a skill that is beneficial for more than just those musically inclined. It has been shown to aid in mathematical and analytical skills, for example. And for musicians, it is a must if you want to explore your talent to the fullest. If you have mastered the skill of reading musical notes, the entire history of Western music is available to you.
That said, many have not mastered the reading of music. And in the majority of cases it is not due to a lack of ability, but rather a lack of practice. Reading music is much like training your muscles for a particular athletic feed. You don’t just decide one day that you want to run the marathon, you have to train for it; it takes practice, practice, practice. You need to attain an appropriate level of fitness to avoid injuring yourself, and you need to continue training to maintain your fitness level and athletic ability. You can never rest on your laurels; remember: if you don’t use it, you loose it — fast.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE PIANO
Think of reading music like learning a new language, because that is what it basically amounts to: a new language with sounds, symbols and grammar rules. And that is what lies at the heart of learning how to read music: music is sound. Certainly, you need to train your eyes to be able to read the symbols, but you also need to train your ears. With a little bit of training, you will be able to hear and distinguish notes, which will make reading sheet music so much easier.
For those willing to go ahead, keep a few simple rules in mind.
First, and this shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Practice, practice, practice. Just like with learning a new language, you need to practice your skills regularly. Your interest cannot simply be on and off. To continually improve, you need to develop good practice habits, a routine that includes practices your ability regularly, ideally daily. Make a commitment to your music, and that includes both learning to read notes and learning to play your chosen instrument. Simply combine the two: begin each instrumental lesson by practicing reading music. It does not take much, maybe fifteen minutes each day. But make sure that when you sit down to practice reading music, that you do so with a receptive mind. If you are tired and stressed out, your reading skills will suffer. If you cannot concentrate on your practice, you will not learn anything — regardless of what you are trying to learn.
Second, music is of course a complex whole. But when you start out trying to learn to read music, break musical pieces down into their constituent pieces. Learn the various components, and learn them well, and you will be able to put it all together with just a little practice. Begin with the easiest component: the rhythm. Think of an exercise in which you are a human metronome. Keep the rhythm while you are listening to a piece of music. Just tap it out loud to accompany the music. Begin with a single line, a simply melodic piece. Once you are comfortable, move on to more complicated, polyphonic music pieces. Only then move on to actually reading the notes.
Third, work with material that is appropriate to your skill level. Don’t try to lift Olympic-level weights when you are just starting out. Work up to it, slowly. Otherwise you will get discouraged easily. The right material is essential if you wish to learn to read music and to sustain that effort over a long enough period to become proficient. Small steps will get you to your goal, no giant leap forward needed. Just remember, practice, practice, practice — with appropriate level exercises, and you will continually improve your skills.
