How to Read Piano Notes Fast
Some people are intimidated by the patterns of dots and marks that they see on a sheet of piano music. Even though piano music may not make sense at first glance, you can learn to read these types of notes fairly quickly. By employing several strategies and committing some time to practicing, you can read piano music and improve your piano playing skills dramatically.
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Instructions
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Pitches
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Realize that the pitches have alphabetical names ranging from A to G. The pitches also sound higher the higher they occur on the staff lines and lower the lower they are written on the staff lines.
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Learn patterns for recognizing the pitches on the top clef, which is called the treble clef. The notes on the lines from bottom to top are E, G, B, D and F, which can be remembered by "Every Good Boy Does Fine." The spaces from bottom to top are F, A, C and E, which spells the word face. A note that is just below the first staff line is D, and below that on its own ledger line is middle C.
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Learn the patterns for the lower clef, which is the bass clef. The lines from bottom to top are G, B, D, F and A, which can be remembered by reciting, "Green Butterflies Don't Fly Away." The spaces are A, C, E and G, which is the word "ace" plus the letter G.
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Use notes you know to help you figure out notes you don't know. For instance, if you see a note that is resting just above the top line of the bass clef, and you know that a note on the top line is A, you know that the next note would be B, since B follows A in the musical alphabet.
Rhythm
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Look for notes that have no stem and are white in the middle. These notes are whole notes and get four beats. Whole rests look like rectangles resting beneath the middle line of the staff. Instead of a holding a note for four counts, you refrain from playing any notes for four counts when you see a whole rest.
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Look for notes that are white in the middle and have a stem. These are half notes, and they usually get two beats. A half rest looks like a rectangle on top of the middle line in the staff; it receives two beats as well.
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Look for black notes with a stem. These are quarter notes and usually receive one beat each. A quarter rest looks like a squiggly mark, sort of resembling a "z" on top of a "c." They get one beat.
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Look for notes that look like quarter notes but have a flag on the stem or are attached to another note. These are eighth notes; they receive half of a beat. Eighth rests look like a small, slanted line with a little flag on it. Rest for half of a beat when you see one of these.
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Tips & Warnings
Memorizing the short-cuts helps, but the fastest way to read piano music is to practice often!
References
- Photo Credit sheet music image by Dianne Burridge from Fotolia.com
