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How to Read Sheet Music
The universal language of music. Once you can read it, you can play anything ever written.
The Staff
Every piece of written music starts here โ five horizontal lines and four spaces between them. Notes sit either on a line or in a space. The higher a note sits on the staff, the higher it sounds.
Clefs
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Treble Clef (G Clef)
Right hand / higher instruments
Lines: E โ G โ B โ D โ F
"Every Good Boy Does Fine"
Spaces: F โ A โ C โ E
Spells "FACE"
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Bass Clef (F Clef)
Left hand / lower instruments
Lines: G โ B โ D โ F โ A
"Good Boys Do Fine Always"
Spaces: A โ C โ E โ G
"All Cows Eat Grass"
Note Values
Each note shape tells you how long to hold it.
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Whole Note
4 beats
Open oval, no stem
๐ ๐ ฅ
Half Note
2 beats
Open oval + stem
๐ ๐ ฅ
Quarter Note
1 beat
Filled oval + stem
๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฎ
Eighth Note
0.5 beats
Filled + stem + flag
๐ ๐ ฅ๐ ฏ
Sixteenth Note
0.25 beats
Filled + stem + 2 flags
Rests
Every note value has a corresponding rest โ a measured silence that lasts exactly as long.
Whole Rest
4 beats
Hangs from 4th line
Half Rest
2 beats
Sits on 3rd line
Quarter Rest
1 beat
Zigzag symbol
Eighth Rest
0.5 beats
Single-flagged rest
Sixteenth Rest
0.25 beats
Double-flagged rest
Time Signatures
The two numbers at the start of a piece tell you the rhythmic framework. Top number = beats per bar. Bottom number = which note gets one beat.
Common Time
4 quarter notes per bar โ most pop, rock, classical
Waltz Time
3 quarter notes per bar โ waltz, minuet
Compound
6 eighth notes per bar โ feel of 2 groups of 3
March
2 quarter notes per bar โ marches, polkas
Key Signatures
The sharps or flats at the beginning of each line tell you which key the music is in. They apply to every note on that line or space throughout the piece.
-
No sharps or flats
C major / A minor
#
1 sharp (F#)
G major / E minor
b
1 flat (Bb)
F major / D minor
Order of sharps: F โ C โ G โ D โ A โ E โ B
Order of flats: B โ E โ A โ D โ G โ C โ F
Notice: the order of flats is the order of sharps reversed.
Dynamics
Volume markings tell you how soft or loud to play.
Pianissimo
Very soft
Piano
Soft
Mezzo-piano
Medium soft
Mezzo-forte
Medium loud
Forte
Loud
Fortissimo
Very loud
<
Crescendo โ gradually getting louder
>
Decrescendo โ gradually getting softer
Common Symbols
Connects two notes of the same pitch โ hold through both
Connects different notes โ play them smooth and connected
Dot above the note โ play short and detached
> above the note โ play with emphasis
Hold the note longer than its written value
Play the section again from the repeat start
Practice: Reading Your First Score
When you pick up a new piece, follow this sequence before playing a single note:
Identify the clef โ treble, bass, or both
Read the key signature โ which sharps or flats apply
Check the time signature โ how many beats per measure
Count the beats in each measure before playing
Name the notes on the staff out loud
Read left to right, top to bottom โ like a book
Resources
Free tools to practice reading and writing music notation.
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Read Music Confidently
Weekly sight-reading exercises and music notation tips. Join musicians who learn to read with FrankX.