Reading Music Series
The basics of reading music, intervals and notation, are presented here in a series of four articles written by Mary Jane Gormley. These building blocks were originally presented as a workshop for harmonica players, but are a valuable guide for anyone wanting to learn to read music.
They were later summarized into a series of four short articles intended for print. The articles can be downloaded as printable PDFs below.
To play along, you will want a basic harmonica in C (10-hole Richter-tuned diatonic).
Reading Music 1
In this first article of the Reading Music series, we are introduced to the 5-line music staff, intervals, quarter notes, half notes and leger lines.
Reading Music 2
In the second article we learn about the 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures, dotted quarter notes, eighth notes, whole notes, and two types of repeats.
Reading Music 3
In the third article we see sixteenth notes, ties and slurs, a new time signature, a new type of repeat (D.C. al Fine), and the treble clef.
Reading Music 4
In this final article, we are introduced to the letter names of notes and several remaining concepts of basic music notation, including bass clef, sharps and flats, accidentals, and rests.