For musicians, learning how to read sheet music helps us to discover and understand the universal language of music. This can be applied to pianists learning to read chords or melodies, drummers learning to read and understand a variety of grooves, guitarists learning their favourite guitar solos. No matter your instrument, the ability to read music will open up a multitude of possibilities. In this guide, the expert music teachers at Greater Toronto Music School have provided some clear and simple steps to help beginner musicians understand sheet music.
For up-and-coming musicians, the ability to read sheet music is an important skill that will be applicable to any instrument or musical genre. While great musicians should also be able to play by ear, the ability to read and understand sheet music - from basic symbols to instrument-specific details - can really help with musical expression and open players up to new opportunities. In this blog post, the expert music teachers at Greater Toronto Music School have explained the basics of reading notes and included tips for specific instruments like piano, guitar and drums.
How To Read Sheet Music: Quick Menu
What is Sheet Music?
Sheet music visually represents music notes, rhythms, dynamics, articulations and expressions. Composers use sheet music to communicate how a given piece of music should be played with musicians. Standard notation is a very detailed and versatile style of sheet music that can be applied to almost all instruments. Other forms of notation, such as chord charts, lead sheets or tabs exist, but the instructions that they give are more limited and can't necessarily be read on as many instruments.
Why Learn to Read Sheet Music?
Reading sheet music offers various benefits to musicians. Musicians who understand how to read sheet music will be able to play many musical genres, collaborate easily with other likeminded musicians and will gain a deeper understanding of music theory. Musicians who can read also open themselves up to more musical opportunities, such as orchestra playing or commercial recording sessions or, teaching private music lessons. Moreover, musicians who know how to read sheet music are generally more confident players. There is so much sheet music available at our fingertips, especially in the digital age, that musicians who do not know how to read are missing out on countless opportunities to learn and grow.
Also Read: Top 10 Easy Piano Songs For Kids & Beginners
Breaking Down the Basics of Sheet Music
In order to understand sheet music, musicians must first learn some basic terminology recognize some key symbols. Below, we will discuss several elements which make up the foundation for standard notation.
The Staff: The staff is made up of five lines and four spaces. Notes are placed on the staff and according to the location of a particular note, we can determine which pitch to play. On the piano, we will often see two staves, joined together with a brace. This is called the Grand Staff, and is used to notate the huge range of pitches we can achieve of this remarkable instrument. In between both staves lives a very special note called Middle C.
Clefs: In modern music, if we include the percussion clef, 5 different clefs exist. These symbols are used to determine the exact range of a given note. The most common clefs are the Treble Clef, and the Bass Clef. Remember from the point above where we talked about that special note called Middle C? Every note above middle C exists in the treble clef, while each note below middle C exists in the bass clef.
Notes and Rests: Notes are used to indicate the duration of sound while rests are used to indicate the duration of a silence. Each note has a corresponding rest. For example, quarter notes & quarter rests indicate 1 beat of sound or silence, half notes & half rests indicate 2 beats of sound or silence, and whole notes or whole rest indicate 4 beats of sound or silence. We have many more notes and rests at our disposal, many of which last less than a beat, but the aforementioned 3 are most common.
Time Signature: Defines the rhythm, e.g., 4/4 means four beats per measure. Music is divided into measures or bars. These are small sections of music that are divided based on the number of beats. The most common time signature is 4/4 (read "Four Four"), which tells us that we have four quarter notes in each measure. It's important to note that we do not specifically need to use four quarter notes, but need to add up to the same value. For example, we can use one whole note, two half notes, or a half note and two quarter notes and these will all work within 4/4 time. Other common time signatures are 3/4 and 6/8.
Key Signature: Most pieces of music exist within a certain key. A key, simply put, is the tonal centre of a given song. In each key, we have a series of notes which normally include sharps and flats. Rather than adding a sharp sign (#) or flat sign (b) in front of each note, we add them to the key signature at the beginning of the piece. In the excerpt below, you will notice three flat signs corresponding with the notes B, E and A. This allows the musician to know that, unless otherwise notated, each B, E or A that appears within this piece will be flattened.
Check out: 7 Eras of Classical Music
How to Read Piano Sheet Music
Piano is a unique instrument in that it has such a wide range of sounds, from low to high. While most other instruments exist within one clef, the piano requires two staves, one representing treble clef (on the top) and the other representing bass clef (on the bottom). Most pianists will begin by identifying middle C, which lives in between the two clefs. Practice simple pieces with repetitive patterns to achieve independence between your two hands and fluency on the instrument.
You should read: The Art of Piano Practice
How to Read Guitar Sheet Music
Guitar, unlike piano, can be read on treble clef alone. While reading standard notation is common on guitar, there is a form of sheet music called tablature which is extremely popular for guitar which acts as a visual representation of the fretboard and shows the player which string and fret number should be played. Beginners to reading guitar sheet music should focus on understanding both the tablature and standard notation system. A combined approach will ensure that guitarists can gain a complete understanding of melody, harmony and rhythm.
How to Read Drum Sheet Music
Drum notation exists within the percussion clef. In drum sheet music, we use symbols to notate each part of the kit and the same basic rhythm system that we see in other forms of standard notation. Unique to drum sheet music is that different lines and spaces correspond to different parts of the kit (e.g., snare, kick, hi hat, toms, crash) rather than particular pitches. Aspiring drummer should first practice learning rhythms before moving onto the entire kit. Syncopation by Ted Reed is a great book to help drummers understand rhythms and also has thousands of applications for more advanced players who have mastered the basics.
Tips for Reading Sheet Music Faster
With dedication and consistent practice, aspiring musicians can being to read and interpret sheet music quickly. Read on for tips from our top Toronto music teachers.
Start Slow: Reading music is a skill that takes some time to develop so remember to start slow and be patient. Begin with simple pieces that will help you understand notes in a basic hand position and gradually increase to more complex pieces when you feel ready.
Use Mnemonics: Mnemonics (the m is silent) put simply are clues of any kind to help us remember any kind of information. We have many of these that are useful for musicians who are just starting to read sheet music. For example, “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge” helps memorize treble clef lines while the word FACE helps us remember the treble clef spaces. In the bass clef, we can use "Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always" for the lines and "All Cows Eat Grass" for the spaces. Others exist to help us remember the order of sharps and flats in key signatures.
Sight-Read Daily: Sight-reading in music is the practice of reading and playing a piece that has never before been seen by the musician. This is an extremely helpful practice for musicians seeking to improve their reading skills. For musicians seeking material for sight reading practice, click here to check out the great series "Improve Your Sight Reading" by Paul Harris, available for various instruments.
FAQs About Reading Sheet Music
Can I Learn Sheet Music on My Own?
Many online resources and music apps exist to help musicians learn to read music on their own. While it's possible to learn to read this way, guidance from a qualified music teacher, either in-person or online, will accelerate the process.
How Long Does It Take to Learn Sheet Music?
With consistent practice, results should show within weeks, however, the time to develop real fluency depends on your practice routine and musical experience.
What’s the Difference Between Sheet Music and Tabs?
Standard notation sheet music offers more complete details about rhythm, expression and dynamics and can be read on almost all instruments. Tablature focuses on string and fret positions, mostly for guitar, but can work or other string instruments as well.
Conclusion
Musicians who develop the ability to read sheet music will be rewarded with limitless possibilities within the musical world. The ability to read sheet music will allow any musician, no matter if playing guitar, piano, drums or any other instrument, to bring any piece of music to life. For students taking piano lessons for beginners, or for more advanced musicians who have been playing for years, sheet music will act as the map that guides oyu towards musical mastery.
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