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One thing that most musicians over-look is the power of Ear Training. Why would you want to take time away from your practicing to focus on your ear?

Taking time to learn intervals, chords, and relative pitch are essential to mastering an
instrument.

To train your ear you need to understand the importance of 
why to train your ear.

If you know what a note is just from hearing it without having to pluck at the keys to find the note will speed up your learning.

It can also help you with transposing from one key to another. If you know the intervals of a melody than you can play that melody in any key because you know the distance of the notes.

Training

In order to train your ear you need to focus on a couple of areas to make your training as affective as possible.

Musical Intervals allows the musician to recognize the the distance between the notes. This is helpful because if you know the distance between the notes then you will know what to play even though you might not have music in front of you.

Interval Training is important to implement into your daily practice for at least 20 to 30 minutes. If you do this every day you will be surprised on how well you be able to play that song you on the radio that you love.

Perfect Pitch Vs. Relative Pitch

Here is a long debated issue between musicians. Can you really learn Perfect Pitch?

Perfect Pitch is being able to recognize a note without having any kind of reference note. This means that if I played for you a note that you could tell me what note it was without any help from an instrument. Not many people have this talent. I think I know one person who can do this.

Most musicians have Relative Pitch. Relative pitch means you if I played you a note you could tell me what it was if I played another note and told what it was.

So if I played you a G and told you what it was then I played a Bb you could tell me that note was a Bb.

Being able to do this is difficult but it can be done with practice. Ear Training Software

There are many different types of software out there that can help you train your ear. They have multiple Ear Training Exercises that help you develop your ear.

This is how I practice training my ear. I try and take 30 minutes per day to work on this. When I first started doing ear training program on the computer I noticed that I could recognize notes and chords easily and it makes my playing much better.

Conclusion

If you are wanting to play music by ear or play the piano by ear then you defiantly need to take the time to work on your ear. Even if you just want to play by reading notes you still need to work on your ear.

One thing that musicians forget to do is work on training their ear. but if you went through a music program at a college they would focus on this for almost half of your classes.

So make sure you take the time to work on your ear. I promise you won’t regret it.

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The C Major Scale is the first music scale any musician should learn.

If you are wanting to play with other musicians, this is a must know scale to learn. Bands will often play in the scale of c major because it has easy chords for just about any instrument.

It is especially simple for piano players. This is because it is one of the 12 major scales that has has no sharps or flats. This means it is played with all white keys.

Wanna learn this scale in about 5 seconds…….

Start on C, then play all the white keys.

It’s that simple. This piano scale can is played by striking all the white notes. 


Notes In The C Major Scale

This scale is great for beginners because it is so easy to learn. Once you have this scale down then all the other music scales will come much more easily

The notes in the C Scale are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.

To play this scale, you can to start on any C note on the piano.

Go ahead, find one…..

Now play all of the white notes in order until you reach another C.

That’s all there is to it! You have just played a C Major Scale!

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Video Tutorial

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Theory Behind The Scale of C Major

The Root

Now, let’s learn how this all works.

All musical major scales are made up of seven different notes. They all start on a what’s known as a root. The Root note is the foundation in which all 12 major scales are built. 

All scale starts and ends on the root note.

So, with this scale, you start and end on a C note.

Take a look at the image, and see where scale starts and ends. It’s all based off of the root note.

Make the C Major Scale

All scales are made up of Half Steps and Whole Steps. The combination of steps for a major scale is WS, WS, HS, WS, WS, WS, HS. 

Start on the root of the scale, which is C. Then count up the pattern above and you will have built the C Scale.

Take a look at the image and you can see how the whole step, half step pattern is used to make the C Major Scale.

Fingering

You have to watch your fingering when playing piano scales. 

Lets start with the right hand. 

Right Hand

Ascending – Up The Scale

• The fingering in the right hand for the C Major Scale starts with the thumb on C.
  
• Play up the scale until you reach the third finger on E.
  
• The thumb then tucks under the middle finger to play an F.
• Then play up the scale using the rest of the fingers.

Descending – Down The Scale

• Start with the pinky or fifth finger on C.
• Play down the scale until you reach the F using all five fingers
• Once on the F, your middle finger crosses over to play an E.
• Then play the D with the index finger, and end on the Root – C with the thumb.
  

Left Hand

Ascending – Up The Scale

• Start with the pinky or fifth finger on C.
• Play up the scale until you reach a G. Use all five finger to get to the G.
• Once on G, you need to cross over your middle finger to play an A.
• Play the B with the index finger, and end on C with the thumb.

Descending – Down The Scale

• Start on C with the thumb.
• Play down two keys to an A with the middle finger.
• Then cross under you thumb to land on G.
• Play down the rest of the scale with the reaming fingers.
• End on the C with the fifth finger.

The C Major Scale is very easy, and should be the first scales you learn.

Learn the notes of the scale first, them move on to the fingering. This is important because if you know the fingering for this scale then the others will come much easier.

Take time to learn the fingering for both the right hand and left hand. The fingering is different for both hands, so it’s important that you master the fingering before you move on.

Learning this scale is the basics to learning how to play chords. Once you learn chords you will be able to start making tons of great music. 

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Do you ever get confused with key signatures? Not anymore!

With the key signature chart you will be in the right key every time.

Trying to remember each note in every key can be a difficult task. With this easy to read chart you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Each key signautre is clearly labled with the number of sharps and flats for each scale. It also contains the major scale and releative minor scale for each key.

Additionally, it contains the number of sharps and flats for each key, and clearly shows which notes need to be sharp or flat.

Following the key signature chart will get you playing in the right key.

It’s that easy!

What is a Key Signature?

A key signature, or music signature, tells the musician how many sharps or flats are to be played in a song.

This is sort of like a legend on a map. Before you can start traveling, you have to look at the legend to learn all of the important information about the area you are traveling in.

A key signature is like a map legend. It gives the musician important information that they need to start playing the song.

Each key signature has a specific number of sharps and flats that are related to the key. It can sometimes get confusing trying to remember each note in every key.

Thats where the chart comes in.

This chart is useful because it neatly organizes these key signatures into an easy to read format.

Free Download

In order to help you quickly learn each of the key signatures, I have included both the image as well as a Free PDF Download of the chart.

Simply enter your name and e-mail address in the form below and you will receive a Free PDF download of the chart as well as tons of other free resources.

How To Use The Key Signature Chart

No matter what instrument you play you need to learn key signatures.

It is important that you know every note in all the keys. If you can easily recall the notes in each key you will be able to play more effectively and efficiently.

This chart can be used as a tool to help you quickly memorize the each key signature. If you take the time to study this chart, each of the keys will naturally be engraved into your memory.

Try and memorize each of the columns for the key you are wanting to learn. Each column contains helpful information that will make learning the key much easier.

Take a minute to review each element of the key signature chart so you are 100% sure you know exaclty what the chart is showing.

Elements of the Key Signature Chart

There are only four elements to this chart. If you don’t fully understand each of them then you will won’t get all of the benefits out of the chart as possible.

I’m going to go through each part of the chart and explain how it works so that you can really get the most benefit from it.

So here we go.

Element 1 – Key Signature

The first column of the chart displays an image of the key signature as it appears on sheet music. This shows both the treble and bass clef, and where each of the sharp symbols and flat symbols falls on the clef for each key.

This is important for the musician because it gives you an image of each of the keys signatures to help you quickly recognize what key a song is in.

Look at the beginning of each piece of sheet music and you will see an image similar to what you see in this column. Match what you see on the sheet music with what you see in this column on the key signature chart to determine what key the music is written in.

Element 2 – Key

The Key column tells you the name of the major key and relative minor key that is represented in the previous column.

This column is helpful if you know what key you are playing in and need to quickly find other information about that key. You can quickly find the major key or relative minor key in this column, then find other important information for that key from the other columns.

Element 3 – Number of Flats/Sharps

This is the most helpful column of the entire chart in my opinion.

Here you will find the number of sharps or flats in the key you are wanting to play in.

If you can correlate the number of sharps and flats with each key, it will make learning each key signature a lot easier. Using this column, and the previous column together, will makes memorizing each key much easier.

First try to memorize the number of sharps or flats in each of the keys. Then try and memorize which notes need to be sharp or flat. This makes memorizing key signatures much easier.

Element 4 – Flat/Sharp Names

The Flat Names and Sharp Names column in the key signature chart tells you which notes in the key are supposed to be sharp or flat.

These are the notes that you need to adjust in the scale in order to create that scale. The number in the previous column will match the number of notes in this column.

For example; if the previous column says that there are 5 sharps, then this column will label which five notes need to be sharp.

Once you receive the chart, make sure you download a copy to your computer as well as print a copy for you to keep next to your piano.

This is one of the most helpful resources you can have for learning key signatures.

I hope that the key signature chart helps you learn music keys much more efficiently.

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Chord recognition is the ability to name a chord by simply hearing it being played. This is a difficult skill to learn but if you practice correctly you can do it.

Why would I want to be able to this???

If you can learn to recognize chords as they are played then you will better your ear and better your piano playing.

Most people who play the piano play by ear or by chords. They use this skill and simple chord progressions to tell what chords they should play in a song.

If you take the time you will be able to tell the difference between chords which will increase your playing skills.

Chord Recognition Practice

When first starting to learn how to recognize chords you need to know how the chords sound. You need to what each note of the chord sounds like and what notes make up that chord.

Take a major chord. Play each note of that chord by itself. Listen to each note very carefully and see how they go together.

Now take a different major chord and do the same thing. Listen to each note carefully.

Do this a few times with a different major chord.

Next play the chord harmonically or all three notes together. But this time hum each note that your hear. Make sure that you hum all three notes and hear every note that is being played. Do this with multiple major chords.

Do this type of exercise with all of the different types of chords. Major, minor, seventh, and so on. You want to make sure that your brain is recognizing how each chord sounds and the notes that make up that chord.

Major Vs. Minor

Major and minor chords sound very different wen played next to each other. A Major chord sounds pretty. It sounds like a chord should.

A minor chord is dissonant. It sounds mysterious.

The difference in a major and minor chord can be found in the tone of the chord. If the chord sounds plain and natural then it is a major chord. If the chord sounds odd or off then it is a minor chord.

Use the same principles as explained above to listen to the difference in the major and minor chord.

Play a major chord, then a minor chord. Can you hear the difference?

Use this as a way to help you identify major and minor chords.

Chord Inversions

Hearing chord inversions is harder than identifying the root chord. Most chords that you hear are not the root chord. Most musicians use inverted chords to make their music sound open ad different.

Use the same process as before of playing each note individually and then all at once to hear the notes that are being sounded. Then move up to the next inversions and do the same thing.

You don’t necessarily need to know what inversion is being play unless you are wanting play a song exactly as the person you are listening to. In this case you will need to recognize the inversion that they are playing.

Conclusion

Chord recognition is not the easiest thing to do in ear training. But with mastery of this skill you will be able to play in jam sessions with your friends because you can hear the chords that are being played.

Make sure when you are learning each chord that you switch between chords. For example, switch between a major and minor chord. Or switch between a major seven chord and seven chord. This will help you tell the difference in chords that are similar.

Need more help learning chords? Learn almost every chord you’ll ever need with our Piano Chord Encyclopedia.

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Learning to read sheet music is not only for people with a special talent or a superior IQ. Or for someone who has been playing an instrument for 30 years or more.

Have you ever watched someone sit down at an instrument and just start playing a piece of sheet music that they have never seen before?

Most people don’t realize is that they do have the ability to learn how to read sheet music. It does take time and determination, but it is possible for anyone to learn this skill.

It’s just like learning to read. It takes time to learn the sounds of each letter, how to combine letters into words, and then read your favorite novel. It’s the same with reading music. It takes time to learn the names of each individual note, then combine notes into chords, and make all this fluent like you reading a book.

Let’s jump right in and start looking at some of the basic concepts you will need to know when learning to read piano notes.

Basics Of Learning To Read Sheet Music

The first thing that any musician needs to learn when sight reading music is the notes in treble clef and bass clef.

Each of these clefs sit on what is called the staff. The staff is made up of horizontal lines and spaces where each note lies. Each of these lines and spaces represent a note, and directs the musician on what to play.

Musicians must also focus on learning note duration. Each note in a piece of music is given a particular time in which it should be held out. Each note is given a unique visual design, which in turn tells musicians how long they should hold it out.

Rests are also important to read piano notes. When learning to read sheet music, these types of notes instruct the musician to stop playing. There will be times when your instrument will have to stop playing to add emphasis to a song, or the music will tell you to only play notes with the right hand, and play nothing with the left.

This is where rests are important. They tell you when to add silence to a piece. Here are a few types of rests you will come across in sight reading music: half rests, quarter rest.

There are many other music note symbols that you must know when reading piano music.

More Advanced Concepts

After learning the notes on the treble and bass clef, and also learning note duration, the musician should focus on learning time signature, key signature, repeats, another important factor such as dynamics and style when learning to read sheet music.

Time Signature

The time signature in the piece of music tells the musician what time the song is to be played in. Examples of popular time signature are: 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 2/2. Time signature gives this music a pulse, or continual steady beat that the song is to follow.

Think of it like your heat beat. It keeps a constant steady beat. Each song has a beat that it follows and the time signature tells the musician how that steady beat will sound.

Key Signature

The key signature of a song tells the musician how many sharps and flats are in a song. If you look at the beginning of a piece of music, in the far left you will see sharps and flats on the staff lines right next to the treble and bass clefs symbols.

The number of sharps and flats shown here tell the musician what key the song is in and directs them to make certain notes sharp or flat in the song.

Navigating Sheet Music

Navigating sheet music is also a very important concept when learning to read sheet music. Following specific repeat signs allows the musicians to know exactly where to be in a piece of music. This acts as a road-map throughout the song.

Repeat signs can be as simple as telling you to start over at the beginning of the song, to more advanced like skipping over an entire section.

Dynamics and Style

Other important factors when learning to read sheet music are dynamics and style.

There are multiple dynamic symbols in music you must know such as forte, mezzo forte, piano and pianissimo. These dynamic symbols, or signs, show the musician how loud or how soft they should be playing in a piece of music.

Take a look at the image below to see the types of dynamic markings.

Dynamics can change instantly throughout a song. It’s important to pay close attention to the dynamic signs in a piece of music. This will help allow for greater accent on a particular section, or to add greater emphasis to a phrase, or show a change in the musical mood.

Is there a faster way for learning to read sheet music?

Yes and no.

Learning the basic of sheets music can be a simple process. Learning to read one individual note at a time can be quite simple.

However adding additional notes, key changes, and other more advanced concept can make reading sheet music more difficult.

Just like any other skill, it takes time of practice and dedication to really know how to read sheet music. To be able to read a piece of sheet music you have never seen before does take time and practice. It’s not something that is left for only the elite musicians.

You can learn how to read sheet music quickly. But in order to master sheet music, it takes diligent practice.

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