Reading Music
Don't be intimidated! Reading music might look like a foreign language at first, but with time and patience, anyone can learn. You don't need to be "musical" or have any special talent — just curiosity and a willingness to practice a little bit at a time.
Start small, be patient with yourself, and remember: every musician you admire started exactly where you are now.
Does Music Look Like This to You?
Don't worry — real music is much simpler than this!
Learning Resources
These guides will help you understand the basics of reading music, from scales and intervals to understanding modes.
A beginner-friendly introduction to reading musical notation 🎼 Major Scales, Intervals & Making Chords
Understanding the building blocks of music 🎵 Modes
Exploring different musical modes and their sounds 🔄 Transposing Chart
A handy reference for changing keys
Fun Stuff
A fun puzzle to test your music theory! 🎻 What Instrument Should I Play?
A humorous flowchart to help you decide
Blank Music Paper
Need to write out some tunes? Download and print these blank music sheets:
Remember: Learning to read music is like learning any new skill. It takes time, but every little step forward counts. Don't compare yourself to others — just focus on making progress at your own pace. Before you know it, those dots and lines will start making sense!
All material by Pete Shaw is covered by a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License and may be freely downloaded and copied for amateur use.