What do you do to help you read music?

ishbar · 05-30-2010, 02:16 AM

I am finding I have a difficult time reading Sheet Music.

I have a select few pieces for Piano and Classical Guitar, but I mean It is such a SLOW process getting started that eventually I know the song (up until whatever part I have read) by memory...and I don't associate the notes with whatever they correspond to...it just becomes muscle memory.

Anyways, are there any good PDF files or music tutorials to help you memorize it? Preferably stuff that occurs when one is not playing. That would be cool too. I mean, I don't always have a piano next to me...and I know about Every Good Boy blah blah, that doesn't correlate to staff segments.

Thoughts and opinions are appreciated!

rnrloser_IX · 05-31-2010, 08:51 PM

The best thing I can recommend is to purchase a beginners guitar or piano book and work from that. I doesn't matter how below your skill level the book is because its gonna help you match the right notes around the first 3 or 4 frets or the keys around middle C with the notes on the staff, and hopefully you'll also start recognizing the notes on the staff easier too. I know that this advice is kinda really crappy and you're thinking, well I already knew that, but that really is the best way. A good way to learn chords is to follow lyrics that have the chord names written over them and play with them. This helped me a lot. That will improve your ability to quickly change chords on demand and you'll pick up some new chords on the way. Plus it will give you more exciting things to do while working on the basic note reading patterns. I hope this helps and isn't too crappy an answer.

Good luck, and at least you're trying to learn how to read music. That says a lot. Way too many guitarists I know don't know how to read. My ex-rhythm guitarist wouldn't even try to learn the basic chords like C major, F major, etc. and he was thinking about being a music major.

05-30-2010, 02:16 AM	#1 (permalink)
ishbar Groupie Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2	What do you do to help you read music? I am finding I have a difficult time reading Sheet Music. I have a select few pieces for Piano and Classical Guitar, but I mean It is such a SLOW process getting started that eventually I know the song (up until whatever part I have read) by memory...and I don't associate the notes with whatever they correspond to...it just becomes muscle memory. Anyways, are there any good PDF files or music tutorials to help you memorize it? Preferably stuff that occurs when one is not playing. That would be cool too. I mean, I don't always have a piano next to me...and I know about Every Good Boy blah blah, that doesn't correlate to staff segments. Thoughts and opinions are appreciated!

05-31-2010, 08:51 PM	#2 (permalink)
rnrloser_IX Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: North bum-feck, NH Posts: 98	The best thing I can recommend is to purchase a beginners guitar or piano book and work from that. I doesn't matter how below your skill level the book is because its gonna help you match the right notes around the first 3 or 4 frets or the keys around middle C with the notes on the staff, and hopefully you'll also start recognizing the notes on the staff easier too. I know that this advice is kinda really crappy and you're thinking, well I already knew that, but that really is the best way. A good way to learn chords is to follow lyrics that have the chord names written over them and play with them. This helped me a lot. That will improve your ability to quickly change chords on demand and you'll pick up some new chords on the way. Plus it will give you more exciting things to do while working on the basic note reading patterns. I hope this helps and isn't too crappy an answer. Good luck, and at least you're trying to learn how to read music. That says a lot. Way too many guitarists I know don't know how to read. My ex-rhythm guitarist wouldn't even try to learn the basic chords like C major, F major, etc. and he was thinking about being a music major. __________________ -IX