Sheet music preparation

1. Let’s Read Sheet Music
with
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2. • Staff: A staff of music is made up of five horizontal lines a
nd four spaces. Each line and space represents a key on the p
iano. Notes and rests are then placed on the staff.
• Clef: A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a staff of music
which makes it possible for the player to work out what the n
otes are. It indicates the pitch of the notes on that staff to be
played. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef and B
ass Clef.
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3. • Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each indivi
dual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can con
sist of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends wh
ere a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines
) on sheet music.
• Note: A note is represented by a sign, which tells the musicia
n the duration and pitch of a sound.
• Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right o
f the keyboard have a higher pitch than the notes to the left.
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4. • Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians lear
n to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of b
eats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, an
d will tick according to which timing you have set. Countin
g beats starts when the first note is played.
• Time Signature: The time signature, also known as a “meter
meter
”, tells the musician how many notes are in a measure.
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5. (Meters):
• Time Signatures (Meters):
• The below table summarizes the different types of time sign
atures and their associated beats.
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6. • There are many more time signatures, but it is a good idea t
o start with the 4/4 time signature as it is easier to count.
• Below are the rules of the 4/4 time signature:
– There are 4 beats in one measure
– When you play a whole note, count out 4 beats
– When you play a half note, count out 2 beats
– When you play a quarter note, count out 1 beat and then move onto the next
note.
– 2 eight notes should fit into 1 beat
– 4 sixteenth notes fit into 1 beat
Tip: When learning to play the piano / keyboard, count aloud t
o get used to the rhythm.
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7. • Notes & Clefs:
• The table below displays the different types of notes and clefs. All defini
tions are located at the end of the page.
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8. Clef:
• Treble Clef:
• When reading sheet music, you will notice that there is a tre
ble clef at the top left hand corner of your music book. The no
tes along side the treble clef are usually played with your rig
ht hand. There are 5 lines and 4 spaces beneath the treble clef
, each of these lines and spaces represents a note on the piano.
It is important to learn them off by heart. These notes are loc
ated to the right of middle C.
• Treble Clef Lines - E, G, B, D, F (Eat Good Bread Dear Father
)
• Treble Clef Spaces - F, A, C, E (Face).
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9. Bass Clef:
• Beneath the treble clef on sheet music, you will see a second set of lines a
nd spaces with the Bass Clef symbol on the left. This is to make it easier
to read. The Bass Clef notes are usually played with your left hand, and
are lower in tone than the notes with the Treble Clef. To locate these notes,
go one octave down (the next C to the left of middle C), and locate the not
es to the right of that note.
• Bass Clef Lines - G, B, D, F, A (Good, Bread, Dear, Father, Ate)
• Bass Clef Spaces - A, C, E, G, (Alice, Can, Eat, Grapes).
• Musicians must learn how to count evenly, to make sure they are
playing each note for the correct length of time.
• Tip: To begin you may prefer to write the corresponding notes on your
sheet music to help.
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3/17/2012

10. Bass Clef:
• Beneath the treble clef on sheet music, you will see a second set of lines a
nd spaces with the Bass Clef symbol on the left. This is to make it easier
to read. The Bass Clef notes are usually played with your left hand, and
are lower in tone than the notes with the Treble Clef. To locate these notes,
go one octave down (the next C to the left of middle C), and locate the not
es to the right of that note.
• Bass Clef Lines - G, B, D, F, A (Good, Bread, Dear, Father, Ate)
• Bass Clef Spaces - A, C, E, G, (Alice, Can, Eat, Grapes).
• Musicians must learn how to count evenly, to make sure they are
playing each note for the correct length of time.
• Tip: To begin you may prefer to write the corresponding notes on your
sheet music to help.
“www.musicpreparationservices.com”
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3/17/2012

11. Music Terms / Definitions for this page:
• Staff: A staff of music is made up of five horizontal lines a
Staff:
nd four spaces. Each line and space represents a key on the p
iano. Notes and rests are then placed on the staff.
• Clef: A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a staff of music
Clef:
which makes it possible for the player to work out what the n
otes are. It indicates the pitch of the notes on that staff to be p
layed. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef and Ba
ss Clef.
“www.musicpreparationservices.com”
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3/17/2012

12. • Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individ
ual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consi
st of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where
a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) o
n sheet music.
• Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the musicia
n 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.
“www.musicpreparationservices.com”
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3/17/2012

13. • Time Signature: The time signature, also known as a “meter
meter
”, tells the musician how many notes are in a measure.
• Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians lear
n to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of b
eats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, an
d will tick according to which timing you have set.
Counting beats starts when the first note is played.
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3/17/2012

14. Music Terms / Definitions for this page:
• Rest: A rest is a symbol that corresponds to a note value. Wh
Rest:
en reading a rest in sheet music no note is played for the dur
ation of the rest.
• Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians lear
n to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of b
eats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, an
d will tick according to which timing you have set. Countin
g beats starts when the first note is played.
“www.musicpreparationservices.com”
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3/17/2012

15. • Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individ
Measure:
ual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consi
st of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where
a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) o
n sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the musician t
he duration and pitch of a sound.
“www.musicpreparationservices.com”
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3/17/2012

16. • Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right of
Pitch:
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 sign
ature 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 sh
ould take the same length to play as the whole note in the first measure.
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17. • Rests: The below table displays the symbols that represent rests, their na
mes, 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 th
e keyboard for the appropriate length of time.
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18. At “Music Preparation Services” we help you in digitizing your hand written music script, yo
Music Services
ur audio file into online sheet music form through the latest sheet music software’s.
Our talented musicians, engravers, transcribers and composers have around 5 to 10 years of
experience into their field of expertise. With this vast experience & understanding of music
industry they easily blend themselves with your music genre and provide you with the m
usic of your choice.
Contact us for any of your Music Engraving, Music Transcription & Music Typesetting
Services on: info@musicpreparationservices.com
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19. “www.musicpreparationservices.com”
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