Whether you are interested in learning to play an instrument or simply increasing your vocal ability, you will need to understand how to read music. Reading music is the key to finding success in any musical endeavor. Very few people can simply “figure it out” without guidance. Most of those people are referred to as musical prodigies as well. Understanding music is simple once you know what everything means.

First, there is the music clef in which the piece is written. This may be a treble clef or a bass clef. The treble clef is reserved for higher pitched instruments such as the piano, woodwinds, and vocalists. The bass clef is reserved for deeper sounds that come from instruments such as the drums, saxophone, and guitar. Next to the clef symbol on a piece of music is the time scale. It may appear as 4/4 or C for full time or a C with a diagonal slash through it for half time. If a piece is in half time it means that each note is worth half the beat value of what it is written. Ideally, this means that the tune is of a faster pace. The top number on a time scale is the number of beats per measure. A measure is typically four beats and indicated on a musical score by the vertical lines that divide up the line of music notes.

Each note is labeled based on where it falls on the scale and is easy to remember. The notes that fall on the lines of the musical score (from the bottom to the top) are E, G, B, D, F. These notes can be remembered using the acronym “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.” In the spaces we find notes F, A, C, E; easily remembered as they spell the word FACE. The notes continue to repeat themselves above and below the lines on the musical score. This is the difference in the octave that they are to be played in. Music is written in B flat or B sharp. This is indicated next to the time scale.

One you have learned the names of the notes, you will need to identify their values before you will know how to read music. This is fairly simple. Notes are all written with an egg-like O, the difference is in how they appear. A single egg, open is a whole note or one that last for four beats. An open O with a tail is a half note or one that last for two beats and a solid O with a tail is a quarter note or one that lasts for four beats.

It is best if beginners write the names of the notes below them on the sheet of music until they learn how to quickly identify the notes. With continual practice you can master how to read music. Once you know how to read music, a world of sheet music is opened up for your to explore, practice, and perform.