Reading piano sheet music is no simple task. To start off, we require to know the individual elements of the composition itself in order to read sheet music. You must make sure that you are familiar with that particular composition's language before you tackle the entire piece.
In order to grasp the intent and nuances of the piece quickly for reading piano sheet music following steps are to be considered:-
1 - To start with have a look over entire composition to get the feel of the length and style of the sheet music. This first run through is just to have a quick overview of the composer's work. This will slowly prepare you to read the sheet music.
2 - In the second run your real purpose starts as it's a deliberate one in reading sheet music. You need to find any unfamiliar things like notes, chords, articulations and tempo indications in the sheet music. Highlight any of these that you know will require research while you are attempting to read sheet music. For understanding each of these elements you must use some dictionary or any other reliable source or books on sheet music.
3 - The next step in reading the piano sheet music is note the time signature of the piece. It is primary characteristic of the song. Sheet music very much depends on it.
4 - During the reading of sheet music you also need to look at common passages. Ask some basic question to yourself like :
Does a phrase repeat itself further along in the piece? Is there a variation of a basic motif somewhere else in the composition? By answering this you will get this concept of sheet music familiar with.
5 - What you need to know while reading sheet music is to look for tempo changes and makes sure you highlight them.
6 - Look for key changes within the song while reading sheet music. Try and notice that whether the song remain in the same key throughout? Note that how many times does the key change in the sheet music. Knowing the changes ahead of time makes playing the piece easier.
If you are somewhat familiar with reading sheet music and are interested in learning to play new music then there are certain techniques which you could think of adapting while you try to learn sheet music. And this will eventually lead you to picking up new songs more quickly. Before you get into reading the sheet music it always better to have some prior knowledge to understand the notation and structure. They are the very essence of sheet music.
Beside understanding the basics of musical theory(sheet music) you need thorough familiarity with your instrument. Another stuff with which you should be well acquainted with is large scales and when and where to use them in sheet music. You should develop the skill of reading the rhythms and hear them in your head, a kind of recollection of the tune. By this you can repeat the pattern once you begin to play by reading sheet music.
Playing a complete composition with piano sheet music need not be a tedious job. When you learn the individual components and then put them all together, the result is a satisfying musical experience which will boast your morale and confidence. Thus the reading sheet music is not that a tough task.
How to Read Sheet Music
