How to Read Sheet Music for Piano

Any aspiring musician must definitely be able to read sheet music. This form of writing music originated some time in the Renaissance period. Sheet music is a form of writing music with the help of a set of symbols. Reading sheet music for piano is nothing but going through a set of symbolic notations that indicate notes/pitches and a set timing that is played within octaves.

The reason that piano sheet music is difficult to read is that piano, being a muli-octave instrument, can produce music simultaneously in several octaves. This unique characteristic makes the piano a favorite tool of almost all the composers. The process that you will use to learn to read sheet music for piano, is quite practical and practice oriented.

Know the Basics of Sheet Music

As mentioned above, sheet music is symbolic, hence you will find that these symbols are conventionally written over a set of 5 lines. In cases where there are more number of octaves, an entire set of 5 lines are added. These lines are also known as staffs and stave. The following are some symbols that are written over the lines.

• Clefs: A clef is a symbol that indicates the octave in which the music is to be played. A basic or a bass octave is denoted with a bass clef and a higher octave is denoted by a treble clef. While reading any, 'How to read sheet music reference and guidance, bear in mind that you will have to master both the bass and treble clef. The clef will be written at that start of the 5 lines.
• Notes: In theory we should be discussing the timing first, but for the sake of convenience, let us have a look at the notes first. Any note is denoted with the help of a simple black dot upon the five lines. Now what matters to us is the location of the dot upon the lines. When we have a look at the treble clef, and see a small dot, just below the last line, it is a sure C. This C is the C of the middle octave of your piano. A dot little higher, that sticks to the bottom line, is a D, the one that over laps the last line is an E, the one that is a little higher and sticks to the last line from above is an F, the progression extends till the last note, i.e.: B, and then the same sequence and locations continue for the next octave.
• Timing: Among the prominent elements of music, timing is an important one. In sheet music, you will find that there are two ways of denoting timing in music. The first one is the symbol that is written next to the clef symbol. This symbol is numeric and indicates the beat of the bar and its divisions. For example 4/4 is a bar that is 4 beat which divided into notes that are multiples of 4. The second aspect of the timing is the note itself. The note itself indicates timing. A hollowed dot indicates a note played for an entire count (beat). The same dot with an 'antenna' indicates a 1/2 note a whole dot with an antenna is 1/8 note.

How to Play Sheet Music

The process that you can use to play such sheet music is simple and a matter of practice, if you ask any music teacher how to read sheet music for piano, the answer may seem weird - practice. Yup, if you want to master the art of reading and writing sheet music for piano, then you will require patience dedicated practice. For starters, use piano notes for songs such as folk tunes, commercial jingles and nursery rhymes. The notes are simple to read and easy to play. When you play, stop looking at the keyboard and look at the sheet music, that's the best way to become the master of the trade.

Once you have gained a mastery over the reading and simultaneous playing of the music shift over to more complex music and scales. Although, reading music requires practice, practice and some more practice, in no time will you start enjoying the magic of piano music. The key is to feel every note and the resonance of such a note.