Getting Started With Piano Note Reading

Many people think of musical notes as some mysterious alternative language. The truth is that musical notation is not all that sophisticated or complex, it just requires some memorization before you're fluent enough at piano note reading to read the notes faster than your fingers can touch the keys. For those who struggle with memorization, consistently performing practice exercise can greatly improve piano note reading skills.

You've probably run into the basic musical staff – it's just five lines and four spaces used to organize the notes. The staff always has a clef at the left side, indicating you you should read the notes in front of you. The two most common clefs you'll see are the treble and bass clefs. Treble clefs refer to the octaves just to the right of middle C (which we use to position our hands when we sit at the piano). You can recognize a treble clef easily. It looks a bit like a backwards "s" or like an ampersand. Bass clefs on the other hand, shows that we're playing in the octaves to the left of middle C, and look like a backwards "c", or perhaps a large comma, with a pair of dots beside them.

No matter what clef is on the staff, the lowest line will represent the note of lowest pitch, and the highest one the highest note. All the lines in between are arranged in ascending order. Treble clefs have E located at the bottom line, followed by G, B, D and F. Pianists use the mnemonic "Every Good Boy Does Fine" to help them remember these notes. Notes are also placed on the spaces between lines. The mnemonic for these notes is easy – in order, they spell "FACE". If you see lines above or below the staff, treat them just like extensions of it, going down in order.

There's some modification of these notes, too. If you see a sharp (like the # symbol on your phone) or a flat (like a small "b"), you'll need to move up a half step. This often means using the black keys instead of the white ones. Sharps and flats are sometimes noted in the staff, but are often placed at the beginning, near the clef. If you see a sharp or a flat there, assume that it will be played consistently throughout.

Musical theory and piano note reading can get more complicated from here, but these basics are all you need to get started. Repeat them until you know them well, and don't have to think about them when you sit down at the piano. They'll quickly become easy – almost like second nature.

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