Lust_Murder asked:
-I am a raving illiterate…when it comes to piano sheet music. It bothers me that I am so well read but cannot understand basic sheets!
thx Rick…as for p.2 of your advice…We’ve got a piano here…i wouldn’t ask otherwise 
thx Rick…as for p.2 of your advice…We’ve got a piano here…i wouldn’t ask otherwise
Tags: How To Read Sheet Music, Piano Sheet Music, Read Music
Learn How to Read Music
Personally, I’d suggest a sequencer that gives you a notation view of a midi file. That way you can see and adjust what sounds like what.
Alternately… you could sit down in front of a piano.
Learn How to Read Music Notes
How to read sheet music – Where to start
Also check out the related videos
on YouTube on the right side.
How To Read Sheet Music
Tutorial: Reading Sheet Music
A common complaint I hear about Music MasterWorks is that the staff notation is just too difficult to learn. Usually I refer these people to the piano roll option of displaying notes (which can be selected in the drop-down list where ‘Staff’ is displayed). However, reading music isn’t that difficult once you get past some of the ‘tricks’.
Here’s the notation to play ‘middle C’, then ‘D’, then ‘E’, then ‘F’:
Here’s the same notes as shown above represented on piano keys, numbered in the order they’re played:
Here’s another example, this time with the black keys, C sharp, D sharp, and F sharp:
And, again, here are the corresponding keys on the piano:
One of the confusing things about sheet music is that the same note (the same pitch, same key on the piano) can be represented in different ways. Here’s another way to represent the same notes as above, this time as D flat, E flat, and G flat:
Yes, D flat is the exact same note as C sharp, E flat is the exact same note as D sharp, etc. Remember that there is no E sharp/F flat or B sharp/C flat. You can see that the piano is ‘missing’ those black keys (unless you consider F to be E sharp, E to be F flat, etc, as you might encounter in some advanced sheet music). The piano is arranged so that the all the white keys are in the ‘key of C’ which is the most used combination of notes.
The white keys on the piano, after ‘C’, go up to ‘G’ and then loop back around to ‘A’, then ‘B’, then ‘C’ again. For each 7 white piano keys there are also 5 black keys – these 12 keys together make up an octave. On a full-sized piano there are 7 octaves with 12 keys apiece (7 white and 5 black keys per octave) and 4 extra keys left over which makes 88 keys.
What’s the squiggle after the 3 notes in the sheet music? That’s a rest. It’s
just a placeholder for empty space.
A good way to learn the notes on a staff is to play our free game, Note Attack. In this game, a note goes across the staff and you have to hit the key for that note ‘A’-‘G’. To flat the note, hold down the left shift key first, to sharp the note hold down the right shift key first. You can also hook up a MIDI keyboard/piano to your computer (using a special cable) and guess the notes by hitting the piano keys. You can download it here:
The note head and flag signify the duration of each note. Here are the notes from longest to shortest duration:
Whole note
½ half note
¼ quarter note.
1/8 eighth note
1/16 sixteenth note
1/32 thirty-second note
1/64 sixty-fourth note
The notes may also have a dot after them, indicating that they should be played ½ times longer. If eighth notes or lower lie one after another they are tied together. The notes that have a ‘3’ on top of them in Music MasterWorks are triplet notes, which fall into odd fractions such as 1/12 or 1/24. Often in sheet music when triplets are tied together they look just like the eighth or sixteenth notes tied together, and you have to count how many of them there are in a measure/bar to figure out if they are triplets.
The ‘Time Signature’ is the fraction shown on the staff. The examples above use 4/4 time, which means there are 4 quarter notes per measure. A time signature of 3/8 would mean that 3 eighth notes could fit into 1 measure.
So what’s the curly backwards ‘S’ and the backwards ‘C’ (as I sometimes hear them referred to)? That shows the ‘clef’ type. Music MasterWorks defaults to the ‘Grand Clef’, which shows both the treble clef (the one on the top) and the bass clef (the one on the bottom). They indicate the pitch range of the notes on their lines. As you can see in the example above, the treble clef’s lowest line (actually 1 detached from the regular 5 lines going across) is ‘middle C’ and it goes up from there. The bass clef’s highest note starts right below it at ‘B’(which is placed right above it’s top line) and goes down from there. In Music MasterWorks, when a note is selected there is a pitch indicator displayed next to the option buttons at the bottom.
Another feature of sheet music that can be confusing is the key signature. The key signature shows the ‘default’ sharps and flats. The examples above are in the key of ‘C’, so they do not have any ‘defaults’; none of the notes are automatically sharp or flat. Here’s a better example of a key signature, the G Major key:
Here, the note on the top line, an F, is automatically sharp because of the key signature, making it an F#. The sharp is repeated every octave, though, so the note near the bottom line, an F as well, is also automatically sharp.
One more trick to sheet music is that once a note is sharp or flat, it’s sharp or flat throughout the bar. Here’s an example:
The 3 notes after the first F sharp are also F sharps. Here’s another trick: The sharp gets reset in the next measure. So the 5th note shown is not an F sharp but a normal F note. Here are the same notes, but this time with the G Major key signature:
Here the F’s are sharp by the key signature. To cancel out the key signature for the 5th note, a natural sign is used.
Steps
1. Step One Get some simple sheet music in front of you and sit down at a piano or keyboard. (See “How to Learn Piano Fingering.”)
2. Step Two Understand that music notation tells you which notes to play and when, how, and how long to play them.
3. Step Three Look at any page of your sheet music. Music is written on horizontal lines called staves. The higher the line, the higher the note.
4. Step Four Look at the sign at the beginning of the stave. This symbol is called a clef. It is usually the G clef for Piano music (and most other music) usually uses the G clef. The clef is on the second line from below, and it marks the position of the note G. The note in the space above is A, the note in the space below is F.
5. Step Five Play the notes G, A, and F on the keyboard.
6. Step Six The second most important clef in music is the F clef, also called the bass clef since it is played on a lower pitch than the G clef. It marks the note of F on the second line of the stave from above and is usually played with the left hand on the keyboard.
7. Step Seven Notice that notes can be written with their stems either pointing up or down; this does not affect the way the note sounds.
8. Step Eight Play the note F on both the G clef and the F clef.
9. Step Nine Play the notes F, G, A in both clefs, saying their names while you play them.
10. Step Ten Note that in the G clef, the note C is on the short line below the stave; in the F clef, on the short line above the stave. D is on the space between C and the first line from below, E is on the first line from below, B is on the third line from below, and High C (the octave) is on the space just above B.
11. Step Eleven Figure out the position of the notes C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C for the F clef, with F as your reference point. It’s easy!
12. Step Twelve Play the C-major scale C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C, beginning on middle C, (the note on the short line below the stave in the G clef) on both clefs up and down, calling the notes by their names.
13. Step Thirteen Play and say the notes C-E-G-E in 4/4 time, silently counting 1-2-3-4 for each separate note, in the G clef.
14. Step Fourteen Play G-F-E-G in the F clef.
15. Step Fifteen Play different notes on the scale, saying each note out loud until you can remember every single note on the staves.
Note Value, Time and Measure
Steps
1. Step One Play any note on the keyboard steadily counting 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4 in 4/4 time, creating a measure of four beats.
2. Step Two Use a metronome to help keep a steady beat. (See “How to Use a Metronome.”)
3. Step Three Look at your music. You will see that measures are divided by bar lines (|).
4. Step Four Play the note hitting the keyboard each time on the 1-2-3-4 count. This indicates four quarter notes within one measure.
5. Step Five Play the note counting 1-2-3-4 only on the 1 and the 3. This has the value of a half note. It is exactly twice as long as a quarter note.
6. Step Six Play the same note counting 1-2-3-4 only on the 1, resting for the remainder of the measure. This is a whole note, which is four times as long as a quarter note.
7. Step Seven Play 1(E)-2(G)-3(F)-4(rest). What note values are you playing?
8. Step Eight Play 1(C)-2(D)-3(F)-4(G). What values are you playing now?
9. Step Nine Now play 1(G)-2(rest)-3(rest)-4(rest). What are you playing?
10. Step Ten Experiment playing different notes on different pitches and lengths. Have fun!
How To Play the Piano
The piano is one of the most common instruments people learn to play. Whether you play the piano for its romanticism, the beauty of the pieces that can be played, or because your parents are forcing you to do it (lucky you), you need to keep in mind that playing an instrument requires hard work and dedication.
The standard piano is made up of 88 black and white keys. While a keyboard follows the same basic rules you use to play the piano, keyboards often have less keys and achieve a different sound. Nevertheless, if you have to get something smaller due to your current living accommodations, a keyboard will suffice for basic learning purposes and practicing requirements.
This article contains tips and advice for those who wish to learn how to play the piano. By following these tips, you are sure to be on your way to playing the piano in no time.
Learn the essential elements of piano playing. You should have a piano or keyboard at your disposal. It is recommended you use a keyboard with 88 keys, if possible.
Middle C. Everyone has to start somewhere; we are going to start with Middle C. Your keyboard should have a row of white piano keys interrupted by alternating sets of three and two black keys. The white key to the left of the first black two-set is known as C. On the standard keyboard, count the C keys from left to right. The fourth C to the right is Middle C.
This page contains an illustration of how to find Middle C:.
The notes of the piano. Now that you’ve identified Middle C, you can find the natural notes on the piano. The natural notes are the white keys on the piano. From C, move to the right one white key to find D. Then move one white key to the right again to get E. Continue moving one white key over to get F, G, A, B, and you will find yourself back at C again.
The move from one white key to the next is called a full step if there is a black note between them. You will notice that E, F, B and C have no black notes between them. These notes only move a half step instead of a full step because the black key is missing.
This illustration shows the standard notes on a keyboard:.
The black keys. The black keys on the keyboard move the note up or down a half step. When a natural note moves a half step forward (up), it is sharp. Sharp notes are depicted by an italicized pound sign (#). When a natural note moves a half step backwards (down), it becomes a flat note. Flat notes are depicted by a small b-shaped symbol.
The following illustration shows the flat and sharp notes on the piano keyboard:.
You may notice some notes are not mentioned. This is because some sharp and flat notes are actually played on the same key as natural notes.
Natural E = F-Flat
Natural F = E#
Natural B = C-Flat
Natural C = B#
Determining which notes are sharp and flat. Determining whether the keys you play will be sharp or flat can be done in a few different ways.
First, the key signature, which is located between the time signature and the clef sign, can let you know whether notes will be natural, sharp or flat.
Here is a picture of an F key signature: The Key of F-Major.
Notice the flat on the B line. Throughout the entire piece, the B will be flat unless otherwise noted by a natural or a sharp sign will be located next to the specific note. This occurs if the note is only played natural or sharp a few times. Otherwise, the entire key signature will change .
In the example above, the key signature is F Major. This is because the F Major scale is what determines what the key signature is going to be. The F scale is played as F, G, A, B-Flat, C, D, E, F. Notice that the fourth note is flat. Every scale after F will have a new flat in it. The fourth note of the scale will be the new flat note.
The major flat scales are:
F Major – F, G, A, B-Flat, C, D, E, F.
B-Flat Major – B-Flat, C, D, E-Flat, F, G, A, B-Flat.
E-Flat Major – E-Flat, F, G, A-Flat, B-Flat, C, D, E-Flat.
A-Flat Major – A-Flat, B-Flat, C, D-Flat, E-Flat, F, G, A-Flat.
D-Flat Major – D-Flat, E-Flat, F, G-Flat, A-Flat, B-Flat, C, D-Flat.
G-Flat Major – G-Flat, A-Flat, B-Flat, C-Flat, D-Flat, E-Flat, F, G-Flat.
C-Flat Major – C-Flat, D-Flat, E-Flat, F-Flat, G-Flat, A-Flat, B-Flat, C-Flat.
You can remember the order of flats by spelling out BEAD then adding GCF to the end.
The only natural major key signature is C Major (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C).
Sharp keys follow a similar pattern. However, you may notice notes that were flat last become sharp first. Instead of the fourth note being flat, the seventh note of every scale, used to determine the sharp key signature, will be a sharp note.
The major sharp key signatures are:
G Major – G, A, B, C, D, E, F-Sharp, G.
D Major – D, E, F-Sharp, G, A, B, C-Sharp, D.
A Major – A, B, C-Sharp, D, E, F-Sharp, G-Sharp, A.
E Major – E, F-Sharp, G-Sharp, A, B, C-Sharp, D-Sharp, E.
B Major – B, C-Sharp, D-Sharp, E, F-Sharp, G-Sharp, A-Sharp, B.
F-Sharp Major – F-Sharp, G-Sharp, A-Sharp, B, C-Sharp, D-Sharp, E-Sharp, F-Sharp.
C-Sharp Major – C-Sharp, D-Sharp, E-Sharp, F-Sharp, G-Sharp, A-Sharp, B-Sharp, C-Sharp.
For more information on key signatures and scales, check out this page:.
The other way to determine if a note is going to be sharp, flat, or natural was mentioned above. A sharp, natural or flat symbol will sometimes appear before a note to indicate how you should play it.
Take Lessons. The best way to learn any instrument is by taking lessons. You can learn from a seasoned professional. Depending on your instructor, the price may cost anywhere from $10 dollars to $30 or $40 per lesson, or even more. In your piano lessons, you should learn the following things:
The piano’s notes, about which you’ve already gained some knowledge by reading this article.
How to play scales.
How to read music.
How to play with both hands.
How to transpose music (in more advanced classes).
You should also receive critiques of your technique, playing ability and progress.
You can find a qualified piano teacher through your local university, college, church or publication, or perhaps you know a family friend who may be interested in teaching you how to play the piano. If you have no idea where to find a teacher in your area, then check out the following website:.
Learn to read music. There are many websites, which can help you learn how to read music. While some people are able to play the piano by ear (this means they can hear a song and can sit down and play it without knowing how to read a note of music), most people cannot do this. Therefore, reading sheet music becomes an integral part of learning to play the piano.
The following articles and web pages can help you learn to read music and, in the process, learn how to associate the keys on the piano with the notes on the music.
Practice makes perfect. Any type of instrument you play requires practice in order to improve. Between lessons, or if you are teaching yourself, you will want to practice as often as possible. Even seasoned piano players consistently improve and learn new techniques, so do not expect to learn everything right away. These things take time and the learning will never end as you constantly strive to improve your sound, skill and ability.
The Basics of Reading Music