Chapter 5. Reading All Notes

In this chapter, you'll learn to read all the notes. I'll explain how you can use smart notes to read the other notes, which you practiced in Chapter 4. Grand Staff. I give tips for reading notes and discuss frequently made mistakes. You will do different exercises in which you learn, step by step, to read all the notes.

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1. Reading all notes

 

In order to read all the notes, we make use of smart notes. The smart notes help us to read the other notes.

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2. The notes above and below a smart note

 

1The first smart note is the F taken from the F-clef.
One note higher is G. One note lower is E.

 

 

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2The second smart note is the G taken from the G-clef.
One note higher is A. One note lower is F.

 

 

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3The third smart note is Middle C written with the F-clef.
One note lower is B. Two notes lower is A.

 

 

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4The fourth smart note is Middle C written with the G-clef.
One note higher is D. Two notes higher is E.

 

 

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5The fifth smart note is the note on the lowermost line of the F-clef staff: low G.
One note higher is A. One note lower is F.

 

 

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6The sixth smart note is the note on the uppermost line of the G-clef staff: high F.
One note higher is G. One note lower is E.

 

 

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7The seventh smart note is the C below Middle C. This is placed between the lines.
One note higher is D. One note lower is B.

 

 

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8The eighth smart note is the C above Middle C. This is placed between the lines.
One note higher is D. One note lower is B.

 

 

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3. Tips for reading notes

 

Which clef is at the beginning of the staff? The F-clef or the G-clef? Where is the note placed? On a line or between the lines, high or low? Is the note a smart note? If so, have you recognized it as such (otherwise, practise the smart notes!). If it isn’t a smart note, then which smart note is closest to this note? Is this note one or two notes higher or lower than the smart note? Count one or two notes higher or lower than the smart note to read this note. Learn the alphabet backwards from G to A (memorise the row G-F-E-D-C-B-A by heart). Check that no mistakes have been made!

 

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4. Frequently made mistakes

 

The note is read in the wrong clef. For example, the note on the lowermost line in the G-clef staff is E, although G has been given as an answer. G is, in fact, the note on the lowermost line in the F-clef staff. The note below a smart note (one note lower) is counted upwards instead of downwards. For example, B is the note below the smart note C, although D has been given as an answer. D is, in fact, the note above this smart note.

 

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5. Practise

 

Note Reading exercise 3a: practise reading G-clef notes.

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Note Reading exercise 3b: practise reading F-clef notes.

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Note Reading exercise 3c: practise reading all notes.

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Note Reading exercise 3d: practise reading all notes with time limit.

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Note Reading exercise 3e: practise reading all notes with invisible clef.

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Note Reading exercise 3a: practise reading G-clef notes.

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Note Reading exercise 3b: practise reading F-clef notes.

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Note Reading exercise 3c: practise reading all notes.

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Note Reading exercise 3d: practise reading all notes with time limit.

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Note Reading exercise 3e: practise reading all notes with invisible clef.

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