Download the FREE Beginner’s Music Reading Cheat Sheet
Use the FREE guide on How to Read Music for Guitar pdf file featured below. It is an excerpt from Guitar in Real Time Level 1, written by John Chamley. The guide features two pages from the Level 1 book to help beginners read music.
Get the beginner’s guitar book: Guitar in Real Time Level 1
What’s in the Guide?
You will learn the open string notes (notes sounded without pressing on any frets) on the first page of the guide. Then, read a short explanation about counting time followed by the type of notes and rests. Then, identify each string note on standard 5-line music staff notation.
The 2nd page of the read music for guitar pdf shows 2 diagrams for each string. One, a music staff, shows the natural notes that you play on that string in 1st position. Natural notes are those that are neither sharp nor flat. Beginners typically learn 1st position notes first. First position is where the fretting hand is positioned next to the nut.
The lower string diagram shows an illustration of a guitar fretboard with circles on the frets used to play the natural notes. The note names produced when strings are played at those frets is also shown.
Use the Standard Notation guide for any type of guitar that has 6-strings and is tuned to standard tuning. Standard guitar tuning is E-A-D-G-B-E going from lowest to highest notes.
The FREE guide is a valuable aid to help beginners at guitar music reading. Guitar in Real Time Level 1 book is also an excellent book for beginners. It has string-by-string reading examples to help the beginner to thoroughly learn to read music across all 6-strings.
A Note About Guitar Notes
You write guitar music on a treble clef just like many other instruments. However, you play the notes an octave lower than written. This is for convenience so that the majority of notes stay within the familiar clef for ease of reading.
Download the “How to Read Music for Guitar” pdf
Click here for the beginner’s cheat-sheet guide.