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Reading Music Notes For Piano

Part 2

In just two easy and totally free piano lessons, you will be reading music notes for piano, and play with both hands in no time! From the not-so-comfortable position called “middle C position” that we practiced in Part 1 of learning how to read notes, we will now move the hands apart for a better posture, and start reading music notes while playing both hands together.

Bass C and Middle C:

Introducing “bass C”! One octave (8 steps) below (to the left from) middle C is a lower pitched C. Bass and middle c on keyboard and staff

Exercise 1:

This exercise uses only the middle and the bass C. It exercises your eye-hand coordination, by having to follow the notes up and down with you eyes and coordinate your hands. Very easy! This time, count the rhythm instead of singing the note names (they’re all C anyway..!). Reading bass and middle C

I have added bar lines (the vertical lines that divide the score in parts, called measures or bars), rests and time signature. This does not really change your playing in any way, just observe how the time signature (the two numbers in the beginning of the staff) tells us how many beats per measure (top number) and what note value that gets one beat (the bottom number).

In this case it is 4 beats per measure, and the bottom number 4 means that the quarter note is worth one beat. Observe how each measure adds up to four beats, but with different note values. For more information on note values go to this page. The small numbers are your finger number that plays that note. For this exercise, use only fingers 3 in each hand.

Bass, Middle and Treble C:

In the following exercise we will add also Treble C that is located one octave higher than the middle C.

Bass, Middle and Treble C on keyboard and staff

Exercise 2:

So now we have three C’s. The Bass C, the Middle C and the Treble C. These are the most commonly used as you begin reading music notes for the piano. You will play the treble C with your left hand, though, crossing over your right hand. Fun! Continue to use only finger 3 in each hand. Reading bass middle and treble C

Bass, Middle and Treble C-D-E:

Here you will play the notes next to C; D and E, and continue to cross over your left hand for the treble C, D and E. Bass middle and treble c on keyboard and staff

Bass middle and treble c on keyboard and staff

Exercise 3:

Exercise number 3 introduces the dotted half note, and meter in three. The time signature now tells us there are three beats per measure. The dotted half note is worth three beats (when counting the beat as equal to a quarter note). Play and count along. Reading bass, middle and treble C-E

Five Finger Position in C:

Exercise 4 is adding the notes F and G. You will now use all five fingers in each hand to play. This position on the piano is called the “C position”. C position on keyboard and staff

Exercise 4:

This little melody is also great as a warm up each time you start practicing piano. Here I have added eight notes. They are faster notes, two on each beat. You can say “run-ning” or count “1-and” for each pair of eights.

Reading five finger position c

Both Hands Together:

The final exercise is using both hands playing at the same time. The notes that are played simultaneously are vertically aligned on top of each other. Practice first the one hand, then the other and finally both together, very slow at first. When you feel comfortable, increase the speed gradually.