Where to learn how to read music?

WestyShane

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Aloha! Does anyone have suggestions for a website or book that would teach a beginner (me) to read music staffs better?

Or, to skip ahead, I have some uke music that shows the chords I need to strum and I can follow that pretty well until I get to the right side of the page and see those thick verticle bars with (or without) dots next to them. I think that means to repeat something but I have no clue where to start repeating FROM.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
 
For a quick route via a website, I'd check out www.musictheory.net/

If you enjoy reading and studying and don't need the aid of an instructor, I'd check out the books at Berklee Press, starting with Music Theory Book 1 (2nd Ed).

Also take a peak at the Music Theory for Dummies or Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory for maybe a more simplified view.

Hope that helps!!! I'm studying theory as well. Enjoy your journey! :D
 
Or, to skip ahead, I have some uke music that shows the chords I need to strum and I can follow that pretty well until I get to the right side of the page and see those thick verticle bars with (or without) dots next to them. I think that means to repeat something but I have no clue where to start repeating FROM.

If there's thick vertical bars and no dots, that usually means you're at the end of the song and you're done.

If there's thick vertical bars with two dots on the left of them, that means you're going to go back and repeat part of the song. Look back in the song for a place with thick vertical bars that have two dots on the right of them -- that is the beginning of the part you will repeat.

Just before the repeat, there may be a section with a horizontal line over it, and a number like 1., 2., etc. The part labeled 1. you only play the first time through, before you repeat. The next time you get to that point, you skip that stuff and play the part marked 2. Occasionally there will be multiple repeats and more numbers.
 
Thanks guys!

uk4ia, you just cleared up a bunch of stuff that I was struggling with. Here's another question - what does it mean when the horizontal line with a 1 (AND 2) occurs at the end of the measure just before the thick vertical bar with 2 dots to the left?
 
Also, if there is no thick bar with dots on the right, it's telling you to go all the way to the beginning.

Uke4ia explained the rest pretty well: The 1 and 2 refer to first and second endings. First time through you play to the end of the "1" measure, then repeat but when you get to that part you skip the "1" and play the "2" measure instead.

If you can find someone playing it, follow along with the sheet music. You'll quickly see what we're talking about.
 
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airmanfoote provided some good references. you have some choices to make regarding how much you want and/or need to learn. Luckily you don't have to learn it all at once. I have "Complete Idiots Guide to Music Theory." It's a very good book, but you are hearing this from an experienced musician. I suggest you read the customer reviews on amazon to get a feel what others think of the book. Repeats, Endings, Codas, Tags, etc. are only a very small part of music theory. Hey, there are college degrees in it also. I also suggest that you take your time and not let learning music theory get you frustrated or stressed out. Enjoying your uke is priority one, IMO.
 
WestyShane, learning the mechanics of reading music has nothing to do with learning music theory. You can be an accomplished player/reader without knowing the first thing about theory. Not that it could hurt you to know some, or at least what chord progressions work in which key, but theory is not required in order to be able to read music.
 
I must have read a half dozen articles on music therapy, and none of it made a bit of sense to me. Took a couple of workshops on it, nada. then I decided to learn to play piano, and guess what....it's happening!
 
WestyShane, learning the mechanics of reading music has nothing to do with learning music theory. You can be an accomplished player/reader without knowing the first thing about theory. Not that it could hurt you to know some, or at least what chord progressions work in which key, but theory is not required in order to be able to read music.

I probably shouldn't even reply, but I don't want someone willing to learn theory be discouraged not to. I am under the belief that the first step in learning theory is reading music notation and time value. Scales and key signatures come later. So one would technically be learning theory when learning to read music. I know, I'm a "tool". :)
 
I am under the belief that the first step in learning theory is reading music notation and time value. Scales and key signatures come later. So one would technically be learning theory when learning to read music.

This is correct.

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I know, I'm a "tool". :)

This is incorrect.
 
The Ukulele for Dummies book has a section on basic reading of music, i.e., time signatures, values of rests and notes, codas (repeats) etc.
 
The Ukulele for Dummies book has a section on basic reading of music, i.e., time signatures, values of rests and notes, codas (repeats) etc.

I agree and it's a good all-around reference book, too. I'm studying the picking section right now.

I can't argue that learning to read music and music theory are different, but a lot of people just throw them together as one category.
 
I've found this book, Ten Steps to Learn Ukulele the Hawaiian Way, to have some very solid "note reading" skills for beginners in this area. While it uses some Hawaiian-type songs, the lessons also use other melodies and the lessons are progressive, moving the reader through reading and playing the treble clef as well as some music "theory." It also adds in strum patterns. A CD accompanies it.
 
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