How to Read the Musical Alphabet

By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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If you've always had a mental block when comes to learning to read sheet music, start at the beginning by learning to read the musical alphabet. This is the number one fundamental of learning music theory, and it's as easy as learning your ABCs. Once you master the musical alphabet, you'll be able to build on your knowledge and read sheet music.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Step1
Understand that the musical alphabet is the seven letters of the alphabet from A through G. (These letters also correspond to do-re-mi-so-fa-la-ti that you may recall from "Sound of Music." )
Step2
The musical alphabet can be sung in any combination. Try singing the musical alphabet backwards, from G-F-E-D-C-B-A and then forwards, A-B-C-D-E-F-G.
Step3
Look at a piano keyboard. Each white key on a keyboard or piano represents a pitch on the musical alphabet, which repeats on the keyboard every seven letters.
Step4
Travel down the piano keyboard to the right and the notes will get higher. Likewise, the notes will get lower as you travel to the left.
Step5
Find the note called C by locating the white key that is directly to the left of a grouping of any two black keys. The one closest to the middle of the piano (often underneath the middle of the brand name of the piano) is middle C, a starting place for understanding music.
Step6
Look at a piece of sheet music. The musical alphabet is written on two musical staffs, either the bass clef or treble clef. Each line and space on a musical staff corresponds to a different pitch on the musical alphabet.
Step7
Find middle C on the sheet music, which is written below the musical staff with a line through it. The next note on the musical alphabet will be B, and it will occupy the space directly above C. The musical alphabet continues up the staff, alternating lines and spaces.

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eHow Article:  How to Read the Musical Alphabet

eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor

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