3/09/2011

Learn How To Read Music Today

By David Neuenschwander


If you are considering learning a musical instrument, you should also learn how to read music. Learning to read can be challenging, but if you know a few basic concepts about music, you will have a much easier time. Music notation will show you three basic things, the rhythm, the melody and the harmony. You should put aside plenty of time for practicing reading music as well. It is also a good idea to not only practice reading music on your own, but to practice reading in a situation where you are playing with other musicians.

The most fundamental element of music is rhythm. Rhythm will be indicated on the music notation as by the different types of notes. Notes of different lengths are whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, thirty second notes and so on.

Melody is another element of music. Melody comes from notes of different pitches played in succession. Notes can be very low or very high, and everything in between. When you read music, the pitch of the note will be indicated by the note's vertical placement on the staff (the five straight lines).

Harmony is a more complex concept in music. Harmony is what you get when more than one note is played at the same time. You can have simple harmonies that sound very consonant, or more complex harmonies that are known as dissonant. You can have harmony between two notes, which is also known as a chord. Most chords contain three or more notes, but technically to be a chord you only need to have two notes.

If you are trying to read music, you should start simple and practice as much as possible. The more you practice it, the more it will make sense. Reading music well simply takes time. It is almost like learning another language, only not nearly as involved.

Not only should you practice reading music on your own, you should try to practice it in a situation where you are playing with other musicians. It can be much more challenging to keep up with other players while reading. Make sure that you try to play with other people as often as possible.

There are a lot of great resources available online to help you learn to read music. Take time to not only learn about how to read, but to listen to music and watch videos.




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