How To Read Sheet Music – Lesson 2 – Quick Tip

[The song I play at the beginning of this Quick Tip is called Randall’s Hornpipe. from my Fiddle Tune a Day Series.]

Hi, I’m Vi Wickam here, with another myTalentForge.com Quick Tip of the Week!

This Quick Tip is about sheet music, as the last one was. And one of the new series we are working on, here at myTalentForge.com, is a series on how to read to sheet music on the violin- or particularly how I read sheet music on the violin.

This is a tip that should help you get more comfortable and this tip is… when I look at a line of sheet music, I’m not actually reading the notes and thinking about the names of the notes.

In fact, I am looking at where does this start, and then I’m looking at the contour of the line.

And I’m looking at leaps and how does this line flow. Just like when you’re reading a book, you’re reading words not letters.

So, I’m looking at, am I going up a note or down a note? First is- am I going up or down?

The next is- how far am I going? And am I going 1 note, 2 notes, 3 notes, or 4 notes, maybe even 5 notes.

But most of these patterns will fall as 1, 2, or 3 notes up or down. So if you can learn to recognize here’s where I’m starting- I’m starting on a Bb (because I was playing Randall’s Hornpipe in the key of Bb)…

If I’m starting on that Bb, what’s the next note? And am I going up or down and how much am I going up or down by?

So look at the contour of the line, and that will help you kind of feel where these notes are going…

And that’s my Quick Tip of the Week for learning to read sheet music better on the violin!

Hope you have a wonderful week and I will see you next time!