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Step 1
Identify the flat by recognizing its shape--a flat looks like the letter "b" slightly mushed up. When you see this symbol, it means that you should play the note after the flat symbol half a step lower than usual. To remember that you should go down, think of a flat tire on a car and remember how it makes your car sink down.
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Step 2
Memorize the shape of the sharp, which looks like a tic-tac-toe board. When a note has a sharp symbol in front of it, you should play the note a half step higher than what you see. To remember that you should go up, think of how high you would jump if you stepped on a sharp tack.
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Step 3
Learn the rules of sharps and flats. If you see sharps and flats in front of the time signature at the beginning of the piece, (this is called the key signature) then it means that those particular notes have flats or sharps throughout the entire piece unless otherwise noted.
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Step 4
Play a sharp or flat within a measure if the symbol is in front of it, even if it's not noted in the key signature. When the measure is over, you go back to the old rules and you don't play a sharp or flat unless you see the symbol again.
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Step 5
Observe what a natural looks like. It is like a slanted tic-tac-toe sign that doesn't totally cross itself. When you see this symbol, play the note normally, even if it had a sharp or flat symbol before it earlier in the piece.
