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| Kids' Corner »
How to Read Sheet Music Notes, Learn How to Play Piano |
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| How To Read Music Notes (Part 3) - learn to play piano / keyboard |
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Music Terms / Definitions
for this page:
Rest: A rest is a symbol that corresponds to a
note value. When reading a rest in sheet music no note
is played for the duration of the rest.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians
learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified
number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device
counts out beats, and will tick according to which
timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the
first note is played.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each
individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and
can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A
measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the
staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the
musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes
to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than
the notes to the left.
Notes as they appear on sheet music:
The above example consists of 3 measures of music. Each measure has 4 beats as the time signature is 4/4. You can have one whole note, two half notes or 4 quarter notes per measure or a combination of notes that will give you 4 beats.
Now see if you can play the notes while counting. Note that the 4 notes in the third measure should take the same length to play as the whole note in the first measure.
Rests:
The below table displays the symbols that represent
rests, their names, and beats in 4/4 time.
Rests use the same beats per measure as their corresponding notes. Rests are always located in the above positions, so you won’t miss them. A half rest always sits on the middle line, while a whole rest always hangs from the fourth line up.
Tip: When you come to a rest on a sheet of music you should take your hand completely off the keyboard for the appropriate length of time.
- How To Read Music Notes » -
Part 1 & 2.
-
Learn to Play Piano »
How to quickly print these notes and guidelines:
Use your mouse to highlight all of text that you
want to print out. Then copy/paste that text into
a text-only editor on your computer. For example,
Notepad, a common text editor included with all versions
of Microsoft Windows, and found in Start, All Programs,
Accessories. Then click on "File" in the top left corner
of the Notepad document, and click on "Print".
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