Basic Concepts in Reading Music
Where do I start?
Reading music is perceived to be as difficult and complex as it is with any unfamiliar thing, but if we put forth the effort to study at least the basic information on reading music, the complicated sheet music will eventually become understandable.
The first thing to study about is the musical staff. The staff is made up of five lines and four spaces; these spaces and lines are where we will be writing down our notes. The first symbol found on the staff is the clef. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef, otherwise known as G-Clef, and the Bass Clef, otherwise known as the F-Clef.
The G-clef is utilized for most musical voices and a large portion of the stringed, woodwind and high-brass instruments, while the Bass clef is utilized for lower-pitch instruments.
The next symbol is the time signature . The upper number in the time signature indicates the number of beats in a measure-- a measure being the space between two bars or vertical lines in the staff; meanwhile, the bottom number in a time signature indicates what type of note receives one beat.
For example, if the top number is a 6, then there will be six beats to the measure. If the bottom number is eight, then the eighth note will receive one beat.
The third item is the musical notes and rests. This is one of the most important parts in learning how to read music, and you must become familiar with the different types and values of notes. There is the round whole note; the whole note with a bar attached to it is known as the half note; a half note with a filled in circle is called a quarter note; a quarter note with a single tail is an eighth note; while a quarter note with double tails is a sixteenth note.
The fourth concept is the musical rests; each rest corresponds to the values of the notes we have discussed previously.
We have discussed the foundation of music notation, but there is still more to learn about reading music, One must begin to grasp the basic counting of the beats, other musical symbols like the fermata and tie, and the shaping and volume of music. The latter is divided into three: the volume of notes, symbols that affect the notes and symbols that affect the speed of the notes.
With all these in mind, you can now begin to practice reading printed music!
About the Author
Angela Nazario, is a freelance web programmer who enjoys writing articles about learning music on the side. See Music Wizard's "Library of Music Articles" at http://www.MusicWizard.com/info/ . WEB MASTERS: Use of this article requires links to remain intact.
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