Learn to read music? 10 points!?

Question

I'm 21 and I tipacally play piano by ear (or tabs) but I find its limmiting me as a pianist and song writer. I've been trying to learn to read music for years now. It's probably the hardest thing l've ever tried to do. I always get so frustrated and give up, so its been an off and on process. Is there any tricks, books, or programs that have worked really well for someone else? Am I the only one that finds it this hard?

Answer 1

It can absolutely be hard, especially when you don't learn it at a young age. But you can absolutely do it! I was in the same boat as you at one point (actually at around the same age). I had tried several times, and it just wasn't happening for me. Eventually I figured out some things that really work, and I wish I had known about them earlier. So here are my best tips to learn to read music:



--learning to read music is not one skill, it's several skills happening all at once. Separate the different skills into their own compartments, and learn each one, then put them together! The main 2 skills are reading pitches, and reading rhythm. It's possible to know all the pitches perfectly and not be able to read rhythm, or to read rhythm but not know the pitches. To read music successfully, we need to do both, so we have to learn each skill separately.



Also, don't worry about any markings on music right now, other than pitches and rhythm. Those other markings focus on a 3rd skill, the "how" of music -- how loud to play/sing, how quickly, short/long, etc. That's just to spruce up the music and make it sound like a final performance. First just worry about the notes, and the rhythms.



-- in order to succeed, you need to make time every day, even if it is just 5-15 minutes. Get into a new routine, in other words find a time during the day that works, and every day at that time, sit down and work on reading for a few minutes. This is crucial!



So, what do you practice every day?



Get yourself a music notebook (my fav are D'addario Archives, that they sell at local Sam Ash or Guitar Center). Writing is one of the best ways to learn to read. If you can write something, you can

certainly read it! You don't have to be an expert at writing music for this -- all you need to do is draw an oval.

Try working with just a few notes at a time, until you become more familar. Take like 4 notes (next to each other), and draw them in order, then backwards, then in random order. You will start to get it, before you know it!



--flash cards are not just for kids. They really do work well. Get a set for the clef you want to learn, and practice with it every day. Mix them up each time, and try to guess the note, until you know them.



Once you become familiar, you need to get a hold of some simple music. Try children's piano books, or something like that. As you improve, you can try harder and harder music. Rome wasn't conquered in a day, as they say.

Answer 2

A large part of playing the piano well is technique. You might do okay playing easy pieces--especially those you are already familiar with (and can "cheat" on your reading by playing mostly by ear). However, as you have discovered, it is limiting.



There really isn't a trick to learning to read music or playing the piano. You need to get a piano teacher. That way you learn proper playing technique at the same time you learn how to read music.



There are plenty of piano teachers that teach adults and can teach even beginning adults in a way that doesn't seem childish to them.



If you want to improve your songwriting abilities, I suggest you see if there are any local universities or colleges (or even junior colleges if you only want to take a few classes) that offer music theory classes or songwriting/composing workshops.

Answer 3

Go back to the beginning. It's really hard to try to teach yourself all the notes at once. Get a beginner book, go through it at your own pace, and learn it a bit at a time the way most students do. It's much easier that way.

Answer 4

First off, the key to being a great mucisian and composer is knowing the musical scales. Then you should know how to read the key signature and notes in sheet music.



Assuming you know the name of the notes on the piano, here is what the musical staff looks like.

EGBDF are the lines, and FACE are the spaces.

------------------F------------------

E

-----------------D------------------

C

----------------- B-----------------

A

------------------G-----------------

F

------------------E-----------------

Obviously match each note you read with the note on the piano.



To read SHARPS in a key signature, look at the very last sharp. Whatever note that is on, go up to the next available line or space. That is your key signature.



To read FLATS in a key signature, look at the NEXT to the last flat. Whatever line or space that is on, that is your key signature.



After you know where the notes are on the staff and how to read what key the song is in, you need to know how to play it in that key.



Here are the keys in music ----



C Major, C Minor, C# Major, C# Minor

D Major, D Minor, D# Major, D# Minor

E Major, E Minor, E# Major, E# Minor

F Major, F Minor, F# Major, F# Minor

E Major, E Minor, E# Major, E# Minor

D Major, D Minor, D# Major, D# Minor

G Major, G Minor, G# Major, G# Minor

B Major, B Minor, B flat Major, B flat Minor

A Major, A Minor, A flat Major, A flat Minor



Each key is a scale. (Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do) Knowing all the scales is important. Either purchase or google sheet music with all the scales. Practice reading and memorize each scale.



After you know all the scales, reading the key signature and reading and playing the song in the correct key will be a breeze.



Here's a link to some sheet music key signatures.



http://hymns.reactor-core.org/keysignatures.html

Answer 5

im 15 also and have been playing for 3 years and im at a grade 6! it takes hard work but realistically you could be at grade 2 in 8 months :D just practice practice practice do scales and get some random music and try and play some of it even if its really simple. its really easy to learn notation once you get your head round it. good luck!

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I'm just like you. I never told anyone because I was afraid people would think I've gone mad or am retarded. Check out my question, if you don't mind. Thanks!