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iPad for Sheet Music (2024) reading music

Apple has released new iPad models, so it’s time to revisit the question of which model will best meet your needs as a musician.

This year’s lineup is as groundbreaking as it is disappointing, though. On the one hand, Apple at last created the perfect tablet for musicians, a truly...

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iPad for Sheet Music (2023) reading music

For several years I’ve been using iPads for sheet music. Like countless musicians, they’ve become an indispensable part of my musical life. iPads are now standard onstage. When I go to concerts, now I see an iPad on a piano’s music stand much more often than paper sheet music.

...

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Double Flats reading music

Question: I am learning the Schubert Impromptu Op. 90, No. 3. Everything was going great until page 5. That’s when the double flats came into play. I need help on identifying those double flats… I seem to have gone brain-dead.

– Kat (Huntsville, Alabama, USA)

Albert’s...

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Finding the Notes on the Keyboard reading music

Question: How does one really remember to look at the key note on paper and find where it is on the piano? I want to be able to see the note and play it on the keyboard. It takes me forever to figure out where the key is. I had this problem when I was in high school, so it is not an age-related...

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Grand Staff reading music

The grand staff (also called “great stave” in British English) is a pair of clefs connected by a brace and used in particular for keyboard music:

Most often, the upper staff has a treble clef, while the lower staff has a bass clef.

A common misconception is that the treble clef...

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Half Note reading music

A half note (also called a minim in British English) is a note in traditional Western music notation that is notated with an open note head and a stem.

Here is a half note on a five-line staff:

When writing a half note (or any note with a stem), if it is below the middle line, the stem points...

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How to Find the Melody reading music

Question: I was wondering if there is a trick to figuring out the melody line on a score. Is it always the top notes? What happens when it goes to the left hand? Is there something you are looking for that tells you, or do you have to listen for it? Thanks for your help.

– Barb (Peoria,...

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How to Read Piano Notes reading music

Learning to read piano notes need not be drudgery! This article will introduce you to the basics of piano music notation.

The first thing you’ll notice when you open up any piano music is almost certainly the grand staff:

The grand staff is composed of two staves, each of them a standard...

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How to Read Piano Tabs reading music

Piano tablature notation is designed for simple music, and it’s easy to learn.

Piano tabs are written primarily using letters and numbers. Letters designate the keys to play (as opposed to the actual notes), while the numbers indicate beats as well as the octave.

Middle C is in the fourth...

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Learn Music Notes reading music

This lesson will allow you to learn music notes by introducing you to music notation. In it, I’ll summarize the essentials of the system of notes and how you can read them.

Western music is written on a staff that consists of five lines:

Staff lines are counted from the bottom:

Notes can...

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Ledger Lines reading music

Question: I know the notes are E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, but how do I tell what the note is when it goes over or under the lines?

– Suvannah Nicole (Columbia, Tennessee, USA)

Albert’s reply: You’re referring to the notes that fit on the treble clef staff. The musical alphabet...

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Piano Note and Length of Stem reading music

Question: Mr. Frantz,

I’m so glad I found your website. It is very professional and beautiful – obviously a lot of work and thought went into it. The video segments on the website are terrific. You have a comfortable presence in front of a camera and a very pleasant voice and...

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