Is Learning to Read Music Really That Difficult?

I was trying to remember how I learned to read music the other day. Sitting at my keyboard, I looked at the notes on the page and thought what is about the written form of music that I love? And did that love come on its own or was it thrust upon me at age three or four? If I love it, was it because once I figured it out it became like a secret language? If it was thrust upon me, was it because of the smiles and pats I received when I conquered the simple little songs? Does any of this matter at the end? The question, after all, is about reading music. Just stick with the question and never mind the esoteric of it all.

Music is written in either chords, for instruments such as the Bass as well as many Celtic instruments, even the hammered dulcimer of the Smoky Mountains is played using chords. It is supposedly easier to play music of any kind if you can play by chords. To me, it is much harder. I read by my notes, looking at the key signature of the piece of music and then taking each measure apart, one at a time, practice practice practice all the way to Carnegie Hall until I can play it without a hitch. Or at least without driving my rig into the ditch.

Is this the way to learn to read music?

Looking at the piano (or keyboard), there are 88 keys. However, these keys repeat themselves in a series of eight notes. Middle C, as it appears, is in the middle of the board. It will always be to the right of a white key and just below (to the lower left) of a black key. From middle C, using only white keys, start up the alphabet C, D, E, F, G, A, B makes the octave then it starts over again with C. Go to your left down the piano and the notes will go backwards C, B, A, G, F, E, D makes that octave and again it starts over with C. The black notes are sharps and flats, depending on whether it’s a sharp, then it’s to the right of the white key or if it’s a flat then it’s to the left of the white key.

If you look at a piece of music, all of a sudden the keyboard no longer makes such simple sense. Written music, or sheet music, is split into treble (right hand and above middle C) and bass (left hand and below middle C). Treble is always on top and the treble clef still looks like a monkey sitting on its tail. The Bass clef is on the bottom and looks like a snake curved and with its eyes thrown in back of it. The next thing you notice is there are five lines and they have all these dots with sticks attached to them scattered over the music. Every now and there is a thick line separating one side of the notes from another.

What is that all about?

That is where you begin to read the music. The five lines are all the same notes no matter how far up or down the keyboard you go.

Same seven notes make up one octave.

For the treble, above the middle C, the lines from bottom to top match up to E, G, B, D, F.

For the bass, or below the middle C, the lines from top to bottom match up to A, F, D, B, G.

What did you say? The notes are not in alphabetical order? OKAY, well there are spaces between those five lines and they match up to the rest of the notes.

Was that a groan I heard? I know it seems daunting at first but the more you look at the printed music and match that to you fingers that are playing the notes then your head will put it into order and you will go “Oh this is easy!”

So all right then, the spaces and the notes that belong inside those spaces.

For the treble (above C) from the bottom to the top; the notes for the spaces are F, A, C, E.

For the bass (below C) from the top to the bottom the notes for the spaces are G, E, C, A.

This was the most clear of all the sites I found for free printable information on notes and spaces. In fact, the lesson itself was wonderfully easy to follow as well.

http://www.may-studio-music-lessons.com/music-notation-theory.html

I found the way I have been messing around with the piano/keyboard all my life is not the best or the easiest way to learn music! Quite a shocker, that. I am working now on the circle of 5ths and learning the chords but….

Let’s just say, why don’t you guys try it out and get back to me on how you fare? In the meantime, I will keep on learning Nessun Dorma; it makes me feel good. That is the reason after all, isn’t it? I am not working my way to the Hall of Halls, after all. Are you?