"So You Want To Learn
How To Read Music?"

Are you really new at this? Is this your first experience with learning how to read music? Then, before you go further, consider this program ... the fun learning software itself is worth way more than the fee for the entire program... geeesh!

First question I'd like to acknowledge here: is it necessary to know how to read music in order to make music?

Easy answer: no. There are many people on the face of this earth who enjoy expressing themselves musically without knowing how to interpret one written note of music.

Second question: Is it recommended that a person learns how to read music?

Another easy answer: yes. Though not completely necessary, you cannot replace the benefits that go hand in hand with being able to read music notation.

Try to look at it like this...

Is it possible to function in life without ever learning how to read? Of course.

Follow up question for you to answer: is a person likely to function at a higher level if he or she knows how to read?

Considering all the books out there and other reading material - and what they have to offer - it's pretty evident that being able to open up a book opens one up to learning other people's interpretations of life, advice for living more productively, and a whole lot more.

Imagine a person - let's call him Jake - who has a talent in the area of carpentry. Jake specializes in building ranch houses because he hung around his Uncle Bob for years and, before you know it, Jake could almost put together a ranch house while blindfolded.

However, Jake never read how to read plans - everything he ever learned regarding building houses was what his uncle taught him... a house is a ranch is a house is a ranch.

Jake spends years building nice ranches.

Now, Uncle Bob introduces Jake to a friend Jerry, who is an architect. Jake and Jerry become friends and talk frequently. Not much time passes before Jake is introduced to the value of reading plans, thanks to Jerry's willingness to spend the time, since he sees in Jake some genuine ability.

Jerry shares not only his own plans with Jake but those of some of his colleagues. Jake learns more and more about reading house plans - to the point of eventually creating a few of his own!

Do you think Jake is better off than before? Chances are, he'd be able to build you a house to order - colonial, cape, or whatever you want. Also, his ranches are likely to be put together with some additional interest. Why? Because he opened his mind and experiences up to other people's knowledge.

I think you get the point. Learn how to read music and there's so much you can learn that goes beyond just being able to read. You get to explore how others think about music - melodically, harmonically, emotionally. The effort is certainly, without a doubt, outweighed by the rewards.

It is true that one can learn a lot about musical fundamentals and how to apply them quite efficiently without learning to read. This site does a good deal of focusing on this approach.

Add to this the ability to read, and you've got a well balanced diet of musical knowledge that will take you so much further. You'll be open to playing more styles and you'll learn to play with more musicality because you would have exposed yourself to so much more.

We'll start by learning the grand staff and how the piano keyboard relates to the staff ... in addition, become familiar with note values and time signatures ... learning your key signatures should eventually be a focus as well.

Begin with reading music that is elementary in nature. Start with music that is meant to be played at a slow tempo and that consists of whole notes to start, then challenge yourself later with music that is more active, consisting of half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, etc.

You can expect to see more and more concentration on the topic of reading music and sight reading as our site grows, so please stay tuned. A special focus will be placed on not only reading music and doing it more efficiently, but how it can turn you into a more wholesome musician!

Okay... the wind-up... the pitch... let's hit that ball and head to first base with Lesson #1

Remember that this is your first of many steps toward learning how to read music. Take your time making your way through each one, and keep this fun for yourself!