How to Read Music for the Piano

Reading music is of one of the most basic skills needed for playing new music on the piano. Playing by ear is a valuable skill, but being able to read music is essential for playing new music independently without having to hear it first. Understanding the basics of music notation will enable pianists to sight read more accurately and advance to more complicated music.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Piano or keyboard
• Music

Reading piano music

1. 

   Understand what a staff is. Piano music is made up of two staffs, an upper and lower. Each staff is composed of five lines and four spaces, and there is a large space between the two staffs. Together, they are called the grand staff. The treble clef, which looks similar to an ampersand, is located on the top staff and is usually played by the right hand. The bass clef looks like a backward C with two dots and is located on the lower staff. The left hand usually plays notes in the bass clef.

2. Know how to read a time signature. The time signature appears after the clefs and is made of two numbers on top of each other. The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number is read like a fraction and determines what kind of note gets one count. If the bottom number is a 4, it represents a quarter note; if it is a 2, it represents a half note; an 8 means an eighth note. A common time signature is 4/4, which means that there are four beats in each measure and quarter notes get one beat. Knowing how to read the time signature is essential for reading the rhythm of the music.

3. Find middle C on the keyboard. It is located near the center of the keyboard, just to the left of two black notes. Using white notes only, move up the keyboard to review the notes. Beginning with C, the next note up is D, then E, F, G, A, B, and back to another C. The groups of black notes provide visual orientation for the white notes. Practice recognizing the white notes until you can hit one at random and name it.

4. Recognize how the notes on the keyboard correspond to written notes on the page. Middle C is located between the two staffs and has a short horizontal line (ledger line) through it. Because of this short line, it is one of the most recognizable notes.
   
   Notes are always on either a line or a space of the staff. If you travel up the white notes, the lines and spaces alternate--line, space, line, space. Beginning at middle C, the next note is a space note (D) and hovers in the space just below the treble clef staff. Then E is on the first line, F is the next space, G is the next line, and so on. Ledger lines may be added for notes beyond the staff to write higher notes. Going down from middle C, the next note is a B and hovers on the space just above the bass clef staff. Then A on the first line, G on the first space, F on the next line, and so on.

5. Mnemonic devices may help learn the lines and spaces of the grand staff and eliminate the need to "count up" from C. In the treble clef, the lines beginning at the bottom, are E, G, B, D, F or Every Good Boy Does Fine. The spaces beginning at the bottom are F, A, C, and E, spelling the word face. In the bass clef, the lines are G, B, D, F, A or Good Boys Do Fine Always. Spaces are A, C, E, G or All Cows Eat Grass. For some, it is easiest to memorize the spaces only, since lines can easily be determined from them. Flash card drills are helpful in learning to quickly and accurately read notes.

6. 

   Understand how to recognize the types of notes and what they mean. Three basic types are a quarter note (black note with a stem), a half note (open note with stem), and a whole note (open note with no stem). Generally, a quarter note gets one beat, half note gets two beats, and a whole note gets four beats. You can practice the rhythm of a song by counting and tapping your leg when each note would be struck. It is often helpful to read through the rhythm of a song before trying to play the notes on the keyboard.

7. Using music that is easier than what you typically play, practice sight reading new music each week. If you are in your first year of playing the piano, use flashcards or ask someone to randomly point to notes on the page to practice your reading skills. Learn to keep your eyes on the music rather than looking down at your hands. Feeling where the note is will reinforce your kinesthetic memory. Saying the notes out loud is also a good idea, as using multiple senses helps the brain retain information.

Tips & Warnings

• If possible, enroll in piano lessons. Your skills will be greatly improved by having a skilled teacher providing feedback. People learn differently at various ages. There are piano methods that cater to all ages, beginning with very young children to adults. Using an age-appropriate method will help when learning to read music. Learning to read style and dynamic markings is an important part of musicality. Once you are comfortable reading notes, practice reading the interpretive elements that indicate touch, tempo and dynamics. Recognizing intervals also improves reading ability. For example, a third is always line to line or space to space. Recognizing how intervals look on the page increases reading speed.