How to read music notation step by step!

The basics of reading music notes are really quite simple. Traditionally, music is notated on a series of five horizontal lines and four spaces. We call this collection of lines and spaces the staff.

The position of notes on the staff indicates their relative pitches. Notes that are higher up on the staff sound higher than notes that are lower down on the staff. As you learn to read, you can almost think of it like an XY graph, where the X axis is time moving horizontally to the right (we read music from left to right) and the Y axis is pitch moving up and down vertically.

We use a few different tools to orient ourselves on the staff. If we didn’t use these tools, the staff would essentially be useless. We would have no reference for which pitch corresponds to which line or space. These tools are like musical compasses and maps, they show us our reference position and which directions to go.

The treble clef tells us where the note G is on the staff. It shows where all the musical notes sit. We then find those notes on our piano keys. This is the beginning of learning how to read piano sheet music.

By starting on the second line up from the bottom (we always count the lines and spaces from the bottom up), and looping up and around and then down again to form a sort of cross on the second line, we know that this note will be G. For this reason, treble clef is also known as G clef. It tells us the G will be on the second line of the staff.

Here we can see the note G sitting on one of the ledger lines. We can also see there are no sharps or flats on our treble clef. Our clef also shows us how to read key signatures, and where to play notes. There are five lines and four spaces. This means we would be playing the C Major Scale, which is also called our White Key Major Scales.

From here, we can use our knowledge of the musical alphabet to figure out the rest symbols. Each line or space will represent one move up or down in the musical alphabet. So, if we move up from G on the second line to the note on the second space, we will find A. If we move up from A to the third line, we will find B.

If we move up from B, we will find C on the third space. If we move up from C, we will find D on the fourth line. If we move up from D, we will find E on the fourth space. And finally, if we move up from E, we will find F on the fifth and top line.

We can add additional lines above the staff to access more notes. We call these lines ledger lines, but we will not dive into that right now.

Lines of the G clef

When learning the notes on the staff, we commonly divide study into two parts: the notes on the lines and the notes on the spaces. Here you can see all the notes on the lines of treble clef:

It is common to remember these letters using the mnemonic device, “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge”, which is easy to remember because of course, good boys deserve fudge.

Spaces of the G clef

And here you can see all the notes on the spaces:

It is common to use mnemonic devices to remember the lines and spaces of treble clef. Probably the most common mnemonic for the lines is Every Good Boy Does Fine, but you are welcome to make up your own if you desire. The most common mnemonic for the spaces is FACE, simply because the notes on the spaces of treble clef naturally spell the word FACE.

Now let’s practice using the mnemonic devices to read notes. Here is your first example:

First, determine whether this note is on a space or a line. It is on a line. Now, use the mnemonic device to count up from the bottom. Every, Good, Boy, B, the note on the third line of treble clef is B. The more you practice this, the easier it will become. Eventually, you will not need to think about it, just like you do not need to think about what words these are. You just simply know them by looking at them.

Try another example:

Is this not on a line or space? It is on a space. Now, use FACE to count up. F – A – C – E, E, the note on the fourth space of the treble clef is E. Wonderful work!

Understanding the F clef

The bass clef or F Clef is called so because it shows us where the note F is. It begins on the fourth line of the staff, loops up and around, and is complete with two dots on either side of the fourth line. All this decoration around the fourth line lets us know that this line is F, specifically the F below middle C.

We can use the same strategies we used to learn the rest of the notes in bass clef. The most common mnemonic we use is probably Good Boys Do Fine Always, but again feel free to make up your own if it helps you to remember more efficiently. The most common mnemonic for the spaces of bass clef is probably All Cows Eat Grass. When looking at piano sheet music beginners will need to memorize these note names.

Lines and spaces of the F clef

Check out the lines of bass clef here:
Check out the spaces of bass clef here:

Now let’s use this new knowledge to practice the bass clef notes. Check out this example first:

Is this note on a space or line? This note is on a line. So let’s count from the bottom up, Good Boys Do Fine, F, the note on the fourth line of bass clef is F.

Try another example:

Is this note on a line or space? This note is on a space. Count up from the bottom All Cows, C, the note on the second space of bass clef is C. Excellent work!

If this is seeming a little complicated or confusing, a good thing to do is to look for online piano lessons, or use the free trial of the Skoove Piano Teaching App!

Combining both clefs

When we combine these two clefs together, we call this combination of musical symbols the grand staff. The grand staff looks like this:

The grand staff is most commonly used to notate piano sheet music. This way, both the left and right hands are easily viewed. The grand staff covers a wide range of pitches, from the C two octaves below middle C (even lower with ledger lines) to the C two octaves above middle C (and higher if you want to go there).

The middle of the piano

The middle of the piano is called middle C. It is also called so because it lies in the middle of the Grand Staff. It is one line below the treble clef and one line above the top line of the bass clef. We often think of Middle C as being the white key between the left hand and the right hand. It is below all the treble clef notes, and above the bar lines of the bass clef notes, sitting on a ledger line.

Reading notes is simple! Here it is shown on the grand staff. These are also the notes of the C Major Scale. This will be very important for reading easy piano sheet music. A great place to find piano sheet music for beginners is the Skoove App.

How to read sheet music

At the start of learning to read sheet music, it is useful to learn a few ‘landmark’ music notes. This means that you can see a note and recognize it instantly in any context. The first landmark note you should start with is middle C.

Try to play middle C from the Skoove sight-reading course to learn your first landmark note. Listen carefully while you play to gain extra benefit from the Skoove app. As well as helping you to learn your first landmark note, the backing track supports the development of your ear and sense of pulse as you listen to the chord changes and rhythm. Of course, you should practice writing all these notes that you learn with some blank piano sheet music.

• Reading music by intervals

Knowing your way around the piano without having to constantly look down is a valuable skill to develop. You can support this skill by learning to read piano intervals. An interval is the distance between any two notes. Recognizing intervals is a quick and practical way to learn how to read sheet music because your fingers respond to the shape of the music. By recognizing common shapes and patterns, you will not have to think as much, and will therefore speed up your processing time, making you a faster reader.

• Use stepwise motion

First you will learn to play in stepwise motion, from one key to the next. From your ‘landmark’ middle C you will move up a step, repeat or move down a step. At this stage it is not necessary to know the names of the notes you are playing. You have the skills to work it out from your ‘landmark’ note.

Try it out on Musical Steps. The Skoove app will wait for you to play the right note, so you won’t need to look down. This means you are starting to develop your keyboard geography and ear for sheet music.

• Jump to thirds

Once you can recognise basic intervals and feel comfortable moving by step, you can progress to reading skips. The Skoove app will help you place your hand in the correct position. After that, maintain focus on the score as you learn to read sheet music for piano and play by skips. In this exercise you will learn what it feels like to play the interval of a 3rd. 3rds are the primary building block for piano chords as well.

• Learning hacks

Reading piano sheet music for beginners will become easier if you can memorize the piano alphabet both forwards and backwards. Learning music notes backwards helps you identify notes which are lower than your landmark note. C, B, A, G, F, E, D.

General skills which support reading piano sheet music

There are 3 other important skills which impact your speed and success when you learn to read piano music note names. They are rhythm, reading ahead, and playing in different positions on the keyboard. The pianist who recognises rhythm easily has more time to focus on notes and expression.

Reading ahead in music requires you to read the upcoming notes while still playing the current ones. It is common when reading text but takes a bit more practice and awareness when you learn to read piano music. Nevertheless, it is a great and powerful tool to help you read music and memorize the piano keys.

Playing in different positions ensures your fingers don’t link a particular music note to a specific finger. Most of the work so far has been in C position. Why not play Morning Awakening for a totally different hand position or try these finger positions exercises.

Why is reading music important?

Learning how to read music is a necessary skill if you want to engage with any sort of music theory work. If you don’t understand the notes on the staff, then you will not be able to work with scales, chords, or rhythms in musical notation. Of course, you can work with all these concepts outside of written music. But, learning how to read and write will only help to deepen your knowledge and understanding of music theory.