Ten Steps to Read Sheet Music Properly

Measure twice, cut once.

John Florio (1553–1625)

A typical mistake in those of us who study piano (or, in truth, any instrument) is that when learning a new piece, we tend to read the score not as carefully as we should. Naturally, the impatience of discovering the music is greater than the need to stop and analyse what is in front of us before even attempting to play it. Yet, paradoxically, when we get more experience, we realise that most of the corrections our teachers make are because we didn’t pay enough attention to some indication in the score.

But, Why do we half-read?

When we learn a new piece, we usually spend as little time as possible reading the score and more time playing it. However, while reading the score alone won’t get us to play the piece without some tinkering on the keyboard, the opposite is also true. Suppose we try to go as fast as possible in the learning process, skipping the fundamental step of carefully reading all the elements of the score. In that case, we will overlook many elements that are key to playing it better.

Eventually, this will result in needing to go back and revise the sheet music, but the problem is, most times, we will have to replace how we got used to playing it with how it actually needs to be done. To mention some common scenarios amongst beginners: they would tend to play soft (piano) where it should be loud (forte), or they would neglect the articulation altogether – such as the staccatos or the slurs – and that would dramatically affect the character of the piece.

It is all about establishing an order

Not so long ago, I used to make a mistake that I have been correcting over time, and that is that I didn’t have an established order to follow when reading a new piano score. Over time, this proved to work against me. So, today, this is one of the first things I always teach our students.

Let us take a look at the ten steps to read a score better and not overlook any detail.

Start reading the score in this order:

1. Title and Composer:

Perhaps the most overlooked item in this list and, at the same time, one of the most important. Knowing the composer usually means knowing which style the piece is written on.

A typical example of neglecting this is playing a J.S. Bach‘s piece with long pedals or a Chopin‘ Nocturne without any pedal.

On the other hand, reading the title can give us information about the character and the sense of the music. For example, if we read “elegy”, we should know that this music usually represents a lament for the dead, implying that we should play with a profound touch and sentiment. Meanwhile, if we read ‘Minuet’, we should know that it is a french court dance and the playing should be refined and with elegancy.

2. Clefs:

 

Check which hand uses which clef.

It is very common for beginners to assume we always use Treble and Bass clefs.

Hence, they put the hands in a standard position and then are surprised by the fact that everything sounds weird because they didn’t pay attention to the clefs and maybe they had two treble clefs or two bass clefs instead.

3. Accidentals:

Check if there are any sharps or flats, how many, and figure out which key the piece is written on. This is a very important step to read faster because knowing the notes of the scale and the possible chord degrees (I recommend building the triads on each note of the scale) allows us to anticipate chords (and possible notes) that very often can and will appear in the piece.

Think about it: to claim that a piece is in a certain key, the main degrees of the key have to be present (as an analogy, a shirt cannot be considered red if it doesn’t have the colour red in it).

4. Tempo and Character Indication:

Read the words above the first bar of the score and mentally place yourself in the mood of the piece. For example, reading “adagio” should make you think of something calm and relaxed, while reading “allegro vivace” should make you think of something upbeat, and you should start playing with that attitude.

5. Time Signature:

Read the time signature and first try a couple of measures tapping the pulse and imagining the divisions at the tempo indicated in the score (or approximated).

This will set your mind in the right accentuation pattern, and reading will be easier.

6. Observe the Durations and Tricky Rhythms:

 

Take a global look and identify whether short values such as sixteenth notes predominate or, on the contrary, long values such as crotchets and minims. Try to get a mental idea of whether the sections will be relaxed or intense depending on the durations that appear. Try to identify where there may be rhythmic complications and solve them outside the piano before starting to play.

7. Articulation & Dynamics:

Check if there is staccato, legato or portato, and in which hand. Identify the dynamics (loud or soft) and picture that sonority in your head before starting to play.

This will play a big role in defining the character of the music.

8. Mind The Repetitions.

Repetition is one of the most widely used compositional devices in music. By recognising patterns in music, we can save time and make the music easier to read because we can recall what we have already seen and save time when studying.

9. Take a Last Global Look at the Score:

Check if you are overlooking other elements, such as repetition marks, specific expressive indications or pedalling nuances. Do a last double-check before starting to play.

10. Avoid Guessing (!)

One of the most common mistakes: trying to guess the notes instead of actually reading the score.

A lot of time is wasted when doing this. Remember this premise: the music in front of you is not going to change and hasn’t changed for many years, sometimes centuries, so it is up to you how long is going to take until you realise that by reading correctly, you need to do the task once and for good.

Conclusion

It is important to carefully read and analyse the score when preparing to perform. This means following the indications and going through each bar carefully to ensure accuracy. Not only will this help in accurately playing what the composer intended, but it will also make it easier to understand what to do during the practice session.

If you have followed the steps outlined in this article, congratulations!

You have taken an important step towards efficient score-reading, saving yourself time and effort in the future.

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