Basic Music Reading Guitar Lesson

Chapter 1: (07:17) Music Reading Basics In the previous lesson, you learned where all of the natural notes occur in first position. These notes comprise the C major scale. Now, Jim Deeming demonstrates how these notes are on the musical staff.

Clef Signs

Guitar music is always written in what is called treble clef. Sometimes this clef symbol is referred to as "G" clef. The loop at the bottom of the clef symbol designates where the note G is written on the staff. This note is written on the second line from the bottom on the staff.

On the other hand, piano music o utilizes both treble and bass clef. The piano covers a much wider range of notes than the guitar. To write all of these notes on a single staff would be impossible. The piano extends much lower into the bass range than the guitar.

Lines and Spaces

Each individual line on the staff is called a stave. The area in between each of the lines is appropriately called a space. From bottom to top, note names of the lines are E, G, B, D, F. Remember "every good boy does fine" or "every good boy deserves fudge" to help you memorize these notes. From top to bottom, the note names of the spaces spell the word "face."

So how do these notes on the staff relate to the notes learned in the previous lesson? The bottom E line represents the E located on the second fret of the D string. Use this as a reference point when determining the guitar location / staff location of a certain note. Watch as Jim plays from the E on the bottom line up to the F on the top line, so you can compare the locations of these notes on the guitar to their location on the staff.

Ledger Lines

So what about the notes on the A and low E strings? These notes are written below the staff on what are called ledger lines. Ledger lines are used above the staff for notes above G (3rd fret of the high E string).

The goal of this scene is to link the location of the notes on the staff to their appropriate location on the guitar. This brain to hand connection must become automatic. You can't take the time to sit and think about it this information while you are trying to read a piece of music. You will quickly become very frustrated. Chapter 2: (09:16) Timing and Note Duration The measure or bar line separates a piece of music into equal increments. These increments are specified by the time signature. For example, each measure in 4/4 time contains four quarter notes per measure or other notes that equal the sum of 4 quarter notes.

Note Stem Direction

A filled in note head with a stem attached represents a quarter note. The stem is a vertical line connected to the note head. The stem will either point up or down depending on where the note is located on the staff. Notes that are C (third space from the bottom) or above are written with the stem going downwards. Notes A or below have the stem going downwards. B can go either way depending on the context of the melody line. These rules are applied to keep the musical score from becoming messy from a visual standpoint. There are some exceptions to this rule however. For example, if you are playing a piece that involves two simultaneous lines, the stems of the notes on the highest part will always go upwards. The stems on the lower part will always point downwards.

Demonstration of Counting

Jim has written out a small excerpt of two measures in 4/4 time. This excerpt is comprised of two quarters followed a half note. Then, the next measure features one whole note. Each of the quarter notes receive one beat. The half note receives two beats. Finally, the whole note receives four beats, or one full measure. Listen carefully as Jim plays this excerpt on the guitar to ensure that you understand how these note values function. In addition, all of the notes he plays are the note C on the third space. Make sure you are playing this note properly on the guitar (1st fret of the B string).

2nd Demonstration

This example is in 3/4 time. Remember that this means that there are 3 beats per measure instead of four. The first measure consists of a quarter note followed by a half note. Once again, the quarter note receives one beat, and the half note receives two beats.

The second measure features a half note with a dot written beside it. A dot adds half of the written value of the note. Half of a half note is a quarter. So, hold this note out for a half note plus a quarter note for a total of 3 beats or one whole measure in this time signature. Look at some other examples to make sure you understand this concept. For example, how many beats would a dotted whole note be worth? A whole note receives 4 beats by itself. What is half of four? Half of four is 2. So, add two additional beats to the existing value of this note for a total of 6 beats.

Member Comments about this Lesson

Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.