I Need to Know How to Read Music

Learning to read music will make it possible to play sheet music.

Learning to read music is a basic requirement of all musicians. Musicians must know the names of the notes and the different note values if they are going to read music successfully. With a little bit of study and dedication, it is possible (and not that hard) to learn to read music. Begin learning how to read music today and start your path towards becoming a well-rounded musician. As a musician, you must learn to read music to be successful.

Note Reading 

Step 1 The treble clef has a curvature that wraps around the G-line. Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images Learn the diatonic names of the notes in the treble clef. Starting with the lowest line on the staff and moving from line to space, the notes are E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E-F. The musical alphabet consists of seven notes that repeat themselves.

Step 2 Learn the chromatic names of the notes in the treble clef. By adding a flat sign that looks like a lower case "b" you can lower the pitch a half step. For instance, a Bb is halfway between a A and B. A sharp sign will raise the pitch a half step. The sharp sign looks like a "#" sign.

Step 3 The bass clef has two dots that surround the F-line. Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images Learn the names of the bass clef. The Bass clef is used for notes that are too low for the treble clef. It is approximately an octave lower than the treble clef. Moving from line to space and bottom to top, the notes are G-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-A. Sharps and flats also apply to the bass clef.

Rhythm Reading 

Step 1 Learn about different note values. Note values tell you how long to hold a note. Learning the note values will enable you to accurately play any rhythm they come across. The basic note values are sixteenth notes, eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes and whole notes.

Step 2 Perform a quarter note by starting your metronome and tapping along with the beat. The quarter note falls on all the main beats of a composition. Each click on the metronome represents one quarter note.

Step 3 Play four equally spaced notes for every click on the metronome. This gives you sixteenth notes. 4 sixteenth notes equal one quarter note.

Step 4 Play a half note by playing every other click of the metronome. A half note is worth the value of 2 quarter notes so it ends up being twice as long in length,

Step 5 Play a whole note by holding the beat for four clicks on the metronome. It takes 4 quarter notes to equal the length of one whole note.

References

UreMusic: Note Values [http://uremusic.com/resources/notation/19-notes]

Resources (Further Reading)

UreMusic: Resources [http://www.uremusic.com/resources]