How To: Read Music

Listening to music can be enhanced by understanding music.

First and foremost, notes are a series of pitches. The pitch is how high or low a note sounds. Whether you’re singing or strumming, pitch is the difference between sounding like Beethoven or William Hung.

Several pitches played together can create a harmonic chord. Good examples of harmonic chords, or power chords, can be heard from bands like AC/DC. These chords are produced when the guitar and bass hold notes for a period of time, usually at the beginning or end of the song.

Some instruments, like pianos, have a large and diverse pitch ratio. Unlike pianos, most instruments have a more limited pitch ratio by comparsion.

Putting together several instruments broadens the ratio significantly. This is called a band or orchestra depending on the instruments used.

Pitches are placed on a staff (five lines high and four spaces in between) with a clef (treble or bass) to signify high pitch or low pitch. The higher instruments play treble clef while lower instruments use bass clef. Pitches are refered to as notes and they are divvied up into seven letters, A, B, C, D, E, F, G and repeats back to A. For treble clef, use this memory trick to remember notes, “(E)very (G)ood (B)oy (D)eserves (F)udge”. With each letter corresponding with a line on the staff.

Stringing together different notes makes music. To play chords, play several notes at relatively the same time. A quick and easy chord is the three notes A,D,G played in tandum. Playing chords together in a sequence is the foundation that all music is built on.

If you’re interested in learning more about reading and playing music, the college has a diverse music program, with options in jazz, electronic compostion and more.

Contact Drew Misemer, corresponding reporter, dmisemer@stumail.jccc.edu