Reading music

Read a little, listen, then try it.

You can start playing before you know every symbol. These two small examples are enough to begin Lesson 1; if you already read music, go straight there.

The staff

The staff has five lines. Notes sit on lines or in spaces; a higher position means a higher note.

The curled symbol is the treble clef; its curl marks G on the second line from the bottom. Note names use A through G, then repeat.

Your first two notes

B is on the middle line; A is in the space just below it.

E is in the top space; D is on the line just below it.

Press Play and follow the notes, then name them aloud with the sound off.

A steady four-beat count

Vertical bar lines divide the music into measures. Here 4/4 means four quarter-note beats in each measure; count 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 steadily.

In this 4/4 example:

• Whole note: open head, no stem — hold for four beats.
• Half note: open head with a stem — hold for two beats.
• Quarter note: filled head with a stem — one beat.
• Eighth note: a flag or connecting beam — two notes per beat.

Listen and tap the beat first; then clap the note starts while your foot keeps the beat.

Check yourself: does your foot keep the same pace when the notes get quicker? If so, try Lesson 1 — your first two notes; you can return to this example whenever you need it.