Reading - An Introduction

Almost everyone learns how to read words when they're children, but most schools and educational systems don't place an equal priority on reading music.

It's a shame, because it's not hard, and can give the learner many years of pleasure as they make music and enjoy discovering new songs.

If you're interested in reading sheet music, and if you're willing to apply yourself to the process of learning, you'll soon find the reward of success! Many people have expressed excitement about this course:

I dont actually have a question I just wanted to thank you for you ridiculously easy to read and understand material on the basics of reading music it very much helped me out and i appreciate the work you put into it. thank you,
Ryan Maulding
Jason Silver, thank you for explaining "notes" to me. I have been trying to get my piano teacher to simplify it for me....but. You make it very easy to understand, plus it confirms it to hear it play. Thanks again.
Frank Conley
I found the "read music sheets" lesson by Kevin Meixner while searching the net and I thought it was poignant, humorous and very thoughtfully explained. I would like to extend my complements to the writer of this lesson as it really helped me learn a little more than I already know about playing a piano
Ciao Ciao!
Shalini Gogia
I like your course, I took the free part and also the subscription part. You are doing a wonderful service. I will be working on the interval portion for a while I'm sure. I'm actually working on learning guitar and was looking for how to count 32nd notes (16's 1 a and a..etc.). Some rhythm that I can remember. I have some knowledge of piano, your information has helped me to understand more about it in a nut shell, rather that having to flip back and forth through lessons books when I need to refresh some information.
Thanks
Paula
Dear Jason.
My name is Roxanne. I live in Brisbane, Australia. I recently came across your "learn to read music web page", whilst looking for some basic instructions, and i am just so happy i found it!
They are such great instructions- I dont think you could get any better with out a teacher. So I just wanted to let you know that your work is fabulous, and i thankyou for letting me learn free-of-charge.
Thanks again!
Roxanne :)
Dear Jason,
My name is Margot and I went to your website because I wanted to see if I could learn anything from it. And I did! On Sunday, I copied and pasted your whole tutorial on rythms in music. I read half of it yesterday and the other half today, and now...I can read rythm! I was just so happy because your tutorial is so easy to unserstand, and I learned it all in 2 days!
Thank you so much for your website!
Hello,
After never taking music at school after grade 8 (when it was compulsory) I have decided to take up piano and read your first for lessons last night and found them excellent. They explained everything that I wanted to know about music that noone could ever explain very well. Your help is much appreciated.
Adam
Many accolades to you, friend, your very helpful guidance in understanding sheet music. I found your tutorial very quick and easy to use. I was able to pick up and play in minutes. Keen work indeed.

Thank you again,
Anthony D. Pitts
hey hows it goin.
ive been searching lots of different websites and finding things to help me further understand music. ive played by ear for almost 5 years. and this guy at my church was teaching me music theory and reading music. and he got some things off your website and printed them for me. so i checked out your website. when i signed up, i didnt know i had to pay for anything. The things you do show for free about beginning to read music really helped me. i really know nothing about music, like i said ive just played by ear for a while. im just really hungry to learn more.
thanks
david
Your music lesson is very helpful. You should write a book. Thanks.
Jeff
Thanks for your excellent piece on reading music. I'm just trying to get to grips with being part of a church choir and you have really helped me.
Thanks again.
I'm learning how to read music, i've played the drums for years, but i'm taking up guitar/piano and found your website very informative...thanx for the good find.
keith
...All of us “oldsters” can not only read music, but can perform it and write it as well. The kid I’m talking about (my apprentice) is well-trained in music appreciation with a bit of the tricks of the engineering trade thrown in. That’s it. No theory. After searching the web, I found your site and it’s been indispensable – particularly in isolating the first thing I needed to teach him; how to count beats and measures and realize the difference between time signatures and why you just can’t mix a 4/4 with a samba!
this is awesome its helping me alot i had forgotten how to count some rythems and things like that over the summer and this totally brought it back..so check in to it if you want to know how to read music or if your just refreshing your memory.
Thanks for your free "How To Read Sheet Music" lessons. They're great!
Ken
The article on reading music was a tremendous help. It was well written and cleared up a lot of confusion. Thank you so much for providing a quality article on the internet which has become quite unreliable.
Hey Guys,
I think this website is great!
You guys write in a way that is way easier to understand than the piano book that I have.
Great job!
Tammy
I pulled up your free reading music and got to the parts not in red on how to read the notes. I have wanted to read music all my life and have never had the time or teacher to learn it. I so want to learn to play the dulcimer and have found a neighbor willing to teach me but I want to do it right and read sheet music first. I appreciate your easy to understand instructions as far as I have advanced and even have discovered I have quite good rythem. Thank you so much. Please advise ASAP, I'm excited to learn at 50 and surprise even myself.
Sandy
I was searching the web looking for diferent sites for reading music when I came across yours. I have already ordered books from Amazon and regret that, this is already helping. I am currently deployed and it take a while for tings to get here. I will be looking and reading through all the great easy to fallow info on your page thank you.
Don Morgan
I want to thank you so much for putting your site on line. I am 52 years old and have loved music all my life, problem was i cant read it. This fact and fear of not being able to read has kept me all these years from fully enjoying my potential. Now in only 1hr. i have the fundimentals to actually sit down at my piano and understand what is there for me ,I CAN READ THE MUSIC!!! Thank you so much!!!
Jim Withrow

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Reading Sheet Music 'for Dummies!'