How to Read Piano Letters in Sheet Music

To those who have never learned to read it, a page of piano sheet music can seem like a less-than-intuitive jumble of foreign symbols. Yet these symbols represent the familiar, alphabetical letter note names, letter names that correspond to keys on the piano keyboard. Learning the basics of reading piano pitch is as simple as mastering this alphabetical notation, and it starts with an understanding of the western scale and staff.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn the basics of the western music scale. The notes of the scale correspond to the letters of the alphabet, but only up to the letter G. After this, the scale repeats, with each eight note scale being known as an octave. Most notes in the scale have half step notes between them, but these steps don't occur between B and C and E and F.

2. Identify the two clefs of the grand staff. Piano music is notated in two clefs in order to cover a wide octave range. This means that when reading a piece of piano sheet music, every two lines of staff equal one line of music occuring at the same time. The top staff is called the treble clef and is used to notate higher highers, while the bottom staff is called the bass clef and is used to notate lower notes.

3. Study the lines and spaces on the bass and treble cleff staves and learn how they correspond with letter note names. The treble clef staff lines are (from the bottom up), E G B D F and the spaces are the notes F A C E. On the bass clef, the lines are G B D F A and the spaces are A C E G. When notes appear on the staff, their heads will sit on the line or space that indicates what pitch that note represents. Notes on a staff are specific to a particular octave, meaning that each line and space represents only one key on the piano.

4. 
   The middle "C" is notated with a leger line above the bass clef (shown) or below the treble clef

   Learn about leger lines. A leger line is a way of notating note letter names for notes that are above or below the staff. Leger lines are like temporary, extra lines that extend the staff. Notes can sit on leger lines or between them, and more than one line can be used. Each leger line that appears and each space between the lines indicates another note letter name in the alphabetical pattern.

5. 

   Familiarize yourself with the piano and learn where the pitches are on the keyboard. At the very center of the piano is the middle "C." This note can be identified because it's located immediately to the left of the center group of two black keys.

6. 
   Two notes with sharp (left) and flat (right) symbols

   Learn how to identify and read accidentals notation. Sharp accidentals indicate that the player should raise the pitch by half a step while flat accidentals indicate a need to lower the pitch by half a step. This is done by playing the black key above or below the note. Both types of symbol appear to the left of the note they are altering.