Q&A for How to Read Piano Sheet Music

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  • Question
    Why are there two notes on top of each other on the same stave?
    Community Answer
    Because you will have to play both of those notes. You will often need to play multiple notes at a time when playing the piano.
  • Question
    If the stem is facing down is that left hand plays?
    I.P.
    Community Answer
    No. It is just to make it so that the entire note fits on the staff. The lower line is the left hand.
  • Question
    How do I know what's sharp or flat when the symbol is on the side, like behind the time signature?
    Community Answer
    B E A D G C F is the order of flats. Sharps are the complete opposite, F C G D A E B. So, let's say you have two flats in your key, then B and E would be flat throughout the piece.
  • Question
    There are some notes that are higher than all of the lines. What are they?
    Community Answer
    Those notes are on ledger lines. To find their place on the piano, just continue the pattern from the rest of the staff. For example, in the treble clef, the notes (starting with the first ledger line, above G) go A, B, C, D, E etc.
  • Question
    When two notes are on top of each other on the same staff (to be played simultaneously), is it easier to read from top to bottom or bottom to top?
    Community Answer
    It's entirely personal preference. Try it both ways and see which is easier for you.
  • Question
    How do I locate which part is sung?
    Elizabeth Filippi
    Community Answer
    There will be a separate line for it, which will indicate which notes to sing. For example, there would be a line for singing, and below that, the staff for piano parts.
  • Question
    I have sheet music where both hands play notes on the same clef and some of the notes are the same for both hands at the same time. How do I play this?
    Community Answer
    When music is written like this, it is mostly for aesthetics. You do not need to play the same notes with each of your hands. If one of the notes is written as a half note in the left hand, while the right hand plays an eighth note, make sure you hold the left hand while the right hand changes notes.
  • Question
    I recently began a song where the left hand is eight notes and the right hand is sixteenth notes, and I can play them separately but cannot connect them. Are there any tips (fantasie impromptu)?
    Community Answer
    Count out loud. Figure out what notes come one what count. For counting just the eight notes, count it as: One, and, two, and, three, and, four, and. A note should come on every single syllable. Count sixteenth notes as: One, ee, and, a, two, ee, and, a, three, ee, and, a, four, ee, and, a. A note should come on each syllable once again.
  • Question
    Where is the middle C note?
    Community Answer
    The middle C note is the fourth C from the left. To the left is one white key, B, and to the right is a black key, C#.
  • Question
    Some staves I see have a number to the left. What do the numbers mean?
    Scratchspin
    Community Answer
    These are most likely measure numbers. Some publishers will not number each measure and instead number the beginning of the line.
  • Question
    When reading music and you see the CODA mark, do you skip ahead each time you come to the mark or is there an indication that tells you when not to skip ahead.
    Ethan Ong
    Community Answer
    In music notation, the coda symbol, which resembles a set of crosshairs, is used as a navigation marker, similar to the dal segno sign. It is used where the exit from a repeated section is within that section rather than at the end.
  • Question
    What is the hardest note to sing?
    Ethan Ong
    Community Answer
    The hardest notes are the highest ones. The highest note ever recorded was G7.
  • Question
    How much time will it take to learn the piano? I can play nursery rhymes only.
    Sisterhood
    Community Answer
    It depends on how much you practice. Probably between 4 and 6 years to be considered a good piano player, somewhere between the level of beginner and expert, more specifically, the advanced level. Anything above the advanced level is considered a virtuoso. This takes several more years and superb playing skills.
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