Learning To Read Music - A Valuable And Rewarding Skill

Learning to read music is an important event in a musicians stage of development. If you are a musician and you have not learned to read music do yourself a favor and start the process as soon as possible. It takes some effort, but the reward of that accomplishment is worth it.

Music Is a language

I'm quite sure as you were learning your native language it came quite easily to you. You didn't think about syntax, or grammar or any of those things. You probably just learned from imitating the sentence phrasing of the people who were around you, and you learned everything pretty much by ear. Although in school we are given lessons in reading and writing.

In our early development we probably learned a few words and sentences, and through conversation developed all of our vocabulary and speech patterns from youth on. We learned music pretty much the same way. That is by imitation, and repetition. So really music is just another language that can be imitated, and even read, and written down on music staff paper.

As with any other language, music has structure. Similar to words and sentences in language, music has notes that form phrases. Because the basic elements of music are rhythm, harmony, and melody these elements have to make musical sense when a musical sentence, or phrase is performed.

The process of learning how to read sheet music usually begins by breaking down these different elements of rhythm, harmony and melody, and understanding how the three work together. This concept has been referred to as music theory.Seeing how they are all have moving parts that obviously work together, and when they do the resulting sounds are pleasing to the ear.

To most beginning students the concept of playing an instrument, and playing music are two separate things that eventually come together as ones understanding becomes more complete. This is probably why so many give up playing a musical instrument, the work to make that happen can be frustrating. A student has to overcome the mechanics of playing the instrument before he can actually play it correctly.

Reading music is an acquired skill

Learning to read music actually imposes a great responsibility on the musician to understand such basic things as knowing what the key is, time signature, rhythms involved, phrasing and so forth. For some, it may take years of practice to fine tune this art but it is well worth it.

Scanning music can be comparable to reviewing a book, or newspaper. The sound is described on the paper, but the interpretation of what Is read has to be reproduced by the one doing the performance. When reading words that process results in understanding of what is written down. When performing the musical notes, the musician is translating what is read into sounds that either he sings, or plays back on his instrument.