Although many people long to play an instrument, they are often reluctant to learn because they don’t know how to read music. But contrary to popular belief, learning to read music isn’t as hard as it seems! If you’re interested in learning to play an instrument, don’t let your lack of music knowledge stop you. Not only is it easy to learn to read music, once you do, your song options as a musician will be limitless!

We know learning to read music can be intimidating, which is why we’ve created a short tutorial to help simplify the process. 

How to Read Music

When it comes to learning how to read music, there are many different symbols and notations that you’ll need to know. Here are a few of the most important and basic music elements.

The Staff

In music, the staff (sometimes known as the stave) is a set of five horizontal lines on which notes sit. The position of the notes on the staff indicates what note it is and, ultimately, the pitch. There are seven possible notes: a,b,c,d,e,f & g. Essentially, the lines and spaces of a staff communicate which notes should be played and when.

The Clef

Next up on the list of important music symbols is the clef. The clef is located on the left hand side of the staff and is used to indicate what range the piece is played in. In standard music theory, there are two different kinds of clefs: treble clef and bass clef. The treble clef is designed for instruments played in the higher range, such as a flute, saxophone or violin. The treble clef symbol resembles a fancy, cursive “G” (which is why it is sometimes known as the G-clef) whereas the bass clef is shaped like a curved comma with two dots positioned along the F line. In contrast to the treble clef, the bass clef is used for instruments that have a lower range, such as a tuba, cello or bassoon. 

Note Names

Another important element of music are notes. Notes are the building blocks of music and come in many different varieties. A note serves two main functions: to indicate pitch and duration. As mentioned before, there are seven different music notes. A key component of reading music is learning to differentiate these notes. There are several different acronyms and memory tricks to help beginning musicians learn notes, such as “Every Good Boy Does Fine” for notes on the treble clef lines and “F-A-C-E” for notes in between the lines. For bass clef lines, the acronym “Good Bikes Don’t Fall Apart” is commonly used while “All Cows Eat Grass” is used for note names on the spaces of the bass clef.

Note Values

Not only do music notes convey pitch, they also convey duration or time length. In order to properly read and play music, you need to know the different music note values. That’s because they indicate how long a specific pitch should be held. Some of the most common note types are:

• Quarter note = 1 beat
• Half note = 2 beats
• Whole note = 4 beats
• Eighth note = ½ of a beat
• Sixteenth note = ¼ of a beat

Now that you know the basic music elements, the next step is to sign up for music lessons and put your knowledge to use! With an experienced music teacher to guide you and teach you even more, you’ll be reading music like a pro in no time at all! Stop by our music studio in Scottsdale to learn more.

Knowing how to play your favorite song is one huge advantage of being a musician. But even if you’ve been taking drum, guitar, or keyboard lessons in Scottsdale for years, chances are you probably can’t play your favorite tune by listening alone (at least not right away and not without some practice).  Luckily, there’s an easier alternative to playing by ear. Enter sheet music!

Sheet music is a musical composition in written or printed form indicating what notes to play, when to play them and for how long. Simply think of sheet music as the roadmap of a song.  Follow the roadmap and you’ll learn to master your favorite songs in no time at all! But the big challenge for most musicians after time is not how to play sheet music…it’s where to find it.

Since teaching bass, keyboard and drum lessons in Scottsdale is what we’re all about, Scottsdale Music Academy has its own private hoard of selected sheet music for a variety of different songs and instruments, ranging from piano to guitar, classical to country, and everything in between. But, more importantly, we know the best places to find treasured sheet music…and now, so will you!

Without further ado, here are our top three favorite sites to find sheet music:

 1. Online Sheet Music

Although sheet music from OnlineSheetMusic.com isn’t free, your low-cost purchase will get you fully authorized, high quality digital sheet music from artists both past and present. With sheet music from popular soundtracks and from big name musicians in a variety of different genres, you’re guaranteed to find something to pique your interest.

 2. Musicnotes.com

Musicnotes.com proudly touts itself as the “world’s largest e-commerce sheet music retailer and publisher,” with over 260,000 pieces of digital sheet music and guitar tablature to date.  Similar to OnlineSheetMusic.com, Musicnotes.com has a wide selection of sheet music for purchase. But the cool thing about this site is its limited selection of free sheet music, which changes on a regular basis. With one quick click of a button you can download a practice piece at absolutely no cost to you. Unlike other sites, the free sheet music offered by Musicnotes.com includes contemporary compositions as well as those from past decades.

 3. The Mutopia Project

This site is strictly for those interested in classical music. Here you’ll find sheet music by some of the most well-known classical musicians, such as Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Mozart, and more. All sheet music offered by The Mutopia Project is completely free for download and can be printed, copied, and distributed with no repercussions.  Searching their collection of over 1900 pieces won’t be a problem due to their advanced search option, which allows users to narrow down the results based on composer, instrument, or both.

Between these three resources, you’re sure to find sheet music to almost any song, symphony or show tune. Practice with your favorite sheet music on your own or bring it to your next guitar, voice, or keyboard lesson in Scottsdale and perform it for our instructors. Either way, practicing with sheet music you actually enjoy will help get you out of a musical rut, push you to expand your skills, and allow you to show off for friends and family.

Now finding quality sheet music will never be an issue again…but figuring out what to play first will be!