Learn to read music piano free download

Practice drawing the bass clef. Most frequently, piano sheet music will include two staves, one above the other; the treble clef will be on top and the bass clef will be on the bottom. Remember, your left hand will usually play the notes on the bass staff and your right hand will usually play the notes on the treble staff. When the staves are shown together, we call it the Grand Staff. Sharps and flats are the half tones in a traditional Western scale.

It can be tempting to think of sharps and flats as the black keys on the piano. However, there are sharps and flats that are represented by white keys, too. For example, an E is also an F natural, which is a white key. And a Cb is also a B natural, which is a white key.

Every note found on piano sheet music corresponds to a piano key. While there are 88 keys in total on a full-sized instrument, they are made up of 12 tones that simply repeat moving up in pitch. Thumb is number 1, the pointer finger is number 2, middle finger is number 3, ring finger is number 4, and pinky is number 5. All piano players — from beginner to advanced — use finger numbers for reading sheet music.

Pro Tip: Now, as you read through new songs, write in the note names. Then, sing the note name or finger numbers while playing, which will help you memorize the names of numbers of the notes on a piano. In sheet music, the notes we see on the staff give us important information. They tell us what notes to play on the keyboard. They also tell us something else: how long to sustain those notes, and what rhythm to play.

There are four basic types of notes to learn first: eighth note, quarter note, half note, and whole note. Every note has a specific value. The value refers to the number of beats that note is held within a measure of music. Whole notes are four beats, half notes get two beats, quarter notes get one beat, and eighth notes get half a beat. Moments of silence get counted too. Sheet music is divided into measures, which are broken up by bar lines.

Each measure contains a specific number of beats. The time signature tells you how many beats are contained in every measure.

Every time signature has two numbers, stacked one on top of another. The top note signifies the number of beats contained in each measure. Dynamic marks are another important aspect of music reading skills.

These are the musical terms and symbols that tell you the quality of each note or phrases of music. Dynamic marks can tell you to play very loud, very soft, or somewhere in between. They are usually written in Italian. One of the most difficult things about learning how to read sheet music for the piano, as opposed to most other instruments, is that there is not just a single melody to be played.

Piano music requires you to play more than one part at a time. Usually these parts are interconnected — they are part of a chord that you need to be able to accurately read. A pianist can carry the bassline, chords, and melody all at once, eliminating the need for accompaniment and providing orchestra-like backing for solo instruments.

Remember, accidentals only apply within the given measure. Measures are separated by bar lines, a thin, vertical straight line that passes through the four spaces of the staff, as pictured below. Take a look at Example 2a below. Because there is a bar line separating the fourth note from the fifth note, the fifth note is actually a B-natural, not a B-flat.

This is a friendly reminder that the previous accidental no longer applies. Both examples 2a and 2b would sound exactly the same when played. In many cases, a composer or arranger may wish for certain notes to be flat or sharp throughout a whole piece, unless otherwise indicated by a natural sign or other accidentals, of course! They will communicate this in sheet music by utilizing a key signature. A key signature defines the key of the music and thus what flats or sharps are supposed to be played throughout the piece.

This helps reduce the need for accidentals i. Now, there are some important rules to know about key signatures. A key signature is made up of sharps or flats, not a combination of the two. Flats and sharps are added in a particular order, as outlined below. Flats in the key signature lower the pitch of notes on the corresponding line or space by a half-step or semitone.

This transfers to all octaves. Different keys are defined by the number of flats or sharps in the key signature, starting with the leftmost and moving to the right. For example, if there is only one flat in the key signature, it will always be B-flat.

If there are three flats, they will always be B-flat, E-flat and A-flat, and so on. Sharps in the key signature raise the pitch of notes on the corresponding line or space by a half-step. Different keys are defined by the number of sharps or flats in the key signature, also proceeding from left to right. For example, if you one sharp in the key signature, it will always be F-sharp.

If you have four sharps, they will always be F-sharp, C-sharp, G-sharp and D-sharp, and so on. A helpful way to remember the order in which flats and sharps are added to a key signature is to recognize that they are the reverse of each other. As you can see in the image below, flats are added to the notes from left to right and sharps are added to the notes from right to left. Many musicians often get their start playing the piano or keyboard.

In fact, students who go on to study music in college are required to take a piano proficiency course. It is helpful to have an understanding of the piano keyboard, especially when we discuss scales, in the next section. This pattern repeats several times on a keyboard. There is a half-step between every key on the piano, whether you are moving from a white key to a black key or a white key to a white key. Even though there is no black key between E and F or between B and C, each pair is still only a half-step apart.

A small virtual piano with MP4 export capability Wispow Freepiano was created as a small, user-friendly and open source software application that allows you to play the piano with your computer keyboard and mouse.

Free Piano 2. With my animal method, the Dog has two black ears! This is difficult at first, but as the tune repeats it will […]. If they can, ask them to name the notes as they go. They will find this tricky but with gentle prompting, the more they do it, the easier it gets […].

If you are completely new to the piano check out my other First Piano Lesson Series posts which introduce the basics of the piano for […]. Too many extra features and special effects can be a little overwhelming. After all learning to play and read 88 notes in the right order is quite a challenge […].

The latter is highly recommended for beginners, as it is super-easy to […]. If you are just starting out, do visit our other posts in the First Piano Series which are intended to introduce the piano to young beginners in a fun and approachable […].

H is in the same place as the R. H but one octave lower. This is covered in my lesson Easiest Way to Learn the Notes by practising note […]. Learning the names of the notes — I use an animal themed memory game to help my pupils remember the order of the notes. This is the best way for children to learn as it gives them a good visual trigger and is very easy to memorise.

Ask the child to […]. Your email address will not be published. First Piano Lessons Animal Memory Game There are many methods to help learn piano notes but this way is easy and children immediately engage with this animal memory game.

Working It Out Ask them how many they think there are? Introducing The Animals 3. Memorising Now try to see if they can remember all the animals from beginning to end of an octave. Introducing The Note Family 4. Finger Strengthening Games 5. Have you tried our First Piano Lessons eBook? Our best-selling eBook the perfect introduction to piano for your little one. View Product Get musical inspiration into your inbox!

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