How to Read Bar Lines

Reading bar lines or sheet music is like learning to read. Each note is represented on the lines called a staff. For each note, there is a representation of that note on the staff. All you have to know is how the staff works and you're on your way to reading bar lines.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Read from right to left exactly how you would to read words. You begin in the top left hand of the page and work your way across and downward.

2. Go from low to high. Exactly how you would think if you move from the bottom to the top of the staff, you're playing higher and higher notes. If you move from the top of the staff to the bottom, you're playing lower and lower notes.

3. Understand the staff. The staff is made up of five lines and four spaces between those lines. This is the most basic staff.

4. Find the clef. There are two clefs: treble and bass. They are both read differently. This basically means that although the staff itself is the same for both, notes in the same spaces are different between the two clefs. Lower range instruments like the bass, trombone, and tuba use the bass clef, while higher range instruments like the flute and violin use the treble clef.

5. Begin with the treble spaces. You have four spaces in the basic staff. Moving from top to bottom the spaces represent notes F, A, C and E.

6. Know the lines for treble clef. These notes from bottom to top are E, G, B, D and F. And easy rhyme to remember the lines for treble clef is "Every Good Boy Does Fine." The first letter of each word represents the line on the treble clef.

7. Know the spaces in bass clef. From bottom to top for bass clef, the notes are A, C, E, G. A rhyme for the spaces of bass clef is "All Cows Eat Grass."

8. Know the lines in bass clef. The lines from bottom to top are G, B, D, F, and A. The rhyme for the lines of the bass clef are "Good Boys Do Fine Always."

9. Read the staff. The treble clef from the bottom line and using all the lines and spaces reads E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F. For bass clef, it is G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. So each line then space represents a note that is one equal step from the previous note.

10. Extend the staff. Often in sheet music, there are notes that are higher or lower than the ones that are shown by the basic staff. There are noted using short lines above and below the basic staff. For each space and line there is, the note goes higher or lower one step.

Tips & Warnings

• Reading bar lines in sheet music is like reading words. It takes practice in order to understand and read easily. Practice reading music until you are familiar with the staff and the notes.