In this article, you will learn the basics of being able to read guitar sheet music. This does not refer to guitar tablature but to sheet music that uses standard musical notation. These scores are written in the treble clef, which is in the upper half of the staff, and then transposed one octave up. This means that the music is one octave lower than it is on the score, which is often done to make it easier to read.
Note:
This article only covers sheet music reading. If you want to learn to read guitar tabs, click here.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Understand the Staff
Step 1. Learn to recognize it
When you see five horizontal lines with two vertical lines at each end, this indicates that what you have in front of you is a staff with music written in standard musical notation. At the far left will be the key, which will be in the form of a letter G or C in italics, two numbers in the format 44 { displaystyle { frac {4} {4}}}
Step 2. Memorize the notes that correspond to each line of the staff
To do this, he uses the mnemonic "my sun does shine easily." This is because each line on the staff represents a different note and you should always play the corresponding note according to the symbol on each line. Therefore, to find out which note corresponds to each line from bottom to top, use the acronym "my sun does shine easily", since the notes are mi, sol, si, re and fa.
Step 3. Memorize the notes that correspond to the spaces between each line of the staff
To do this, he uses the acronym "making the golden honey." This is because the spaces between each of the lines on the staff also represent different notes (so the staff covers nine notes in total, excluding flats and sharps, which we will mention later). Therefore, to find out which note corresponds to each space from bottom to top, use the acronym "making the golden honey", since the notes are fa, la, do and mi. So this is how the notes are arranged on the staff, both the lines and the spaces.
- fa
- me
- re
- do
- Yes
- the
- Sun
- fa
- me
Step 4. Add lines above and below the main staff
These are known as "auxiliary lines" and serve to represent much lower or higher notes on the staff. You can identify them as the small lines above and below the staff to extend the range of the score so that it covers more notes than the original five lines and spaces.
You should also memorize the notes above and below each line, but you can deal with this later
Step 5. Pay attention to the key signature to determine the key in which the song is composed
Key signature comprises sharp, flat, and natural symbols, usually a combination of ♯, ♭, and ♮, and is located between the staff and the time stamp. The only method to learn all existing armors is to memorize them. For example, the key signature in the video above is the D key, although you can still get some useful key information even if you don't know the key to the song itself:
Adjust each note depending on the line that corresponds to each key signature symbol. For example, in the video above, you can see a sharp symbol on the line of the note F and one in the space corresponding to the note C, so you must play sharps all the notes that appear in these lines and spaces to stay within the key
Step 6. Determine the rhythm of the song using the time stamps
These indicate the number of beats in a measure and the most common is usually 44 { displaystyle { frac {4} {4}}}
. Esto quiere decir que, en cada compás, hay cuatro tiempos de la duración de una nota negra, lo cual es simplemente una cuenta constante del 1 al 4 para seguir el ritmo de la canción. Por otro lado, si la marca de tiempo es 34{displaystyle {frac {3}{4}}}
, por ejemplo, cada compás contiene tres tiempos, cada uno de la duración de una nota negra, o una cuenta constante del 1 al 3.
Step 7. Locate the vertical bars on the staff to identify each measure
These lines are usually accompanied by numbers that indicate the measure you are in for coordination purposes with the rest of the band with which you are going to play.
Step 8. Learn to recognize the notes
To know which note to play, you must look at its location either on a line or in a space, and to know for how long to play it, you must look at the type of note it is. For example, rounds are notes that are played for the entire length of the measure, while white notes are played for half the length of the measure, and so on up to fusas, which are played for one-thirtieth of the length of the measure.. In general, these are the types of notes you will come across:
-
Round:
as the name implies, they have the shape OR.
-
White:
round with a vertical stem, although they can also be interpreted as unfilled quarter notes.
-
Blacks:
♩.
-
Silences:
the moments when you shouldn't touch. Round and white silences are identified by markings similar to the bold "-" symbol, and black silences are identified by scribble-like markings.
Method 2 of 2: Understand the More Complex Notations
Step 1. Hold the notes longer if you see a curved line under them that spans two or more notes
Concave lines (with the curve downward) between two notes indicate that both notes should be sustained.
Step 2. Perform hammer-ons and pull-offs when you see curved lines above the notes
This technique is known as "legato" and requires all the notes to blend slightly into one another. To do this, you can use hammer-ons and pull-offs to move from one note to another with greater fluidity.
Step 3. Repeat all sections that have a repeat symbol at one end
This symbol is always found at the end of each measure and consists of two dots (:) that precede the vertical bar that marks the end of the measure, which will be in bold. When you see this symbol, you should go back to the last time it appeared on the staff and repeat that entire block of notes.
Step 4. Know which specific notes to play by following the string indicators
To know, for example, if you should play the note A on the fifth or second string of the guitar, you must look at the guitar tablature, where a number will appear circled above the note. This number will tell you which string to play it on.
Step 5. Know where to place your fingers using the fingering indicators
See if there are numbers next to each note, as these will tell you which finger to use to play it. For example, the number 1 corresponds to the index finger and the number 4 to the little finger.
Step 6. Research the notation and the more complex notes as you develop your musical ability
This article only covers the basic notes, but there are many more that are worth learning even if they are not as common for playing the guitar. Start by investigating from 16th notes to 8th note rests.