How long does it take to learn how to read scores?
Recognize notes and figures takes weeks and read fluently while you play, between one and two years. We explain to you every stage and how to shorten the path.
with 10 to 15 minutes daily, at 3 to 8 weeks you can recognize the notes of a key and the basic rhythmic figures. Read simple melodies while playing or singing usually takes 3 to 6 monthsand to read fluently in a key with more complex alterations and rhythms, 1 to 2 years. To read at first glance with flares is a process of several years.
They are guiding times and they depend a great deal on your instrument: it's not the same to read a single line in the violin as two keys at once at the piano. how to read and fluent reading are two different goals and that second one's built by reading a lot of easy material.
To sum up
- To recognize basic notes and figures takes 3 to 8 weeks with short daily practice as an orientation.
- To read with fluency in a key usually takes about 1 to 2 years and to read two keys at once, as with the piano, takes more.
- Ritmic and melodic reading are trained independently at first and then put together.
- Apps serve to memorize notes and a teacher teaches you how to maintain his pulse, read at intervals and connect his reading with his instrument.
- Ten minutes a day of reading under your level give up more than an hour a week by decipher difficult pieces.
Stages of musical reading and guiding times
| Etapa | What do you get? | Orientation time with regular practice |
|---|---|---|
| Notes and figures | To name the notes of a key without counting lines and to recognize round, white, black and clasp in 2, 3 and 4-time compas. | 3 to 8 weeks |
| Basic rhythmic reading | Fold or say rhythms with clocks and quiet while keeping his pulse with a metronome. | 1 to 3 months |
| Simple melodies | Play or sing slow melodies with high and small leapes without stopping. | 3 to 6 months |
| Flow reading in a key | Armors, alterations, tipples, half-families and simple syncups while you play. | 1 to 2 years |
| Two keys or a new key | Read with two hands at the piano or add key fa or do according to your instrument. | 6 months to 2 years |
| First advanced view | Read intermediate repertoire at first glance and face reading tests at admissions. | 2 to 4 years or more |
These phases overlap. While tuning rhythmic reading you can already be reading simple melodies, and fluidity comes by accumulation: the more material you read, the more patterns you recognize at a glance.
Rhythmic and melodic reading: Two skills
Many beginners are focused on knowing what a note is and care how long it lasts. The result is a fair reading at heights but without a pulse, that will be broken as soon as you play with others. They should be trained independently at first:
| Aspecto | Rhythmic reading | Melodic reading |
|---|---|---|
| What do you read? | Durations, quiet and accents. | Highlights: What a note and where it goes. |
| How to practice | Moulds or syllables with a methonome, with no instrument. | Singing (solpus) or playing slow, note by note and then by groups. |
| Progress sign | Don't lose your pulse even if you're wrong. | You recognize leaps and intervals without name every note. |
The [methonomic]](/herramientas/metronomo) He's your best ally for the rhythmic part. If you want to get deeper into the melodic, we'll tell you what's the solphis and how to practice them.
Keywords: how many you need according to your instrument
Learning time changes according to how many keys and how many lines you read at once:
- A key, a line: violin, flute, trumpet and clarinet read in sun key, trombone, contraple and low electrical, in fa key. It's the most direct path.
- A key and sometimes: The cello reads in code of fa and sum of key of do and of sun for the sharp. The cello reads especially in code of do in third.
- Two keys at once: at [piano]](/clases/piano) The key lees of sun and fa at the same time and chords. That's why the piano's fluent reading usually takes more.
- Guitar: A single key but the same note appears at several locations of the diapason, so reading also means choosing where to play it.
A useful trick: Learn some guide notes Instead of counting lines from the bottom, for example the Sun at the second line of the sun key, the Fa at the fourth line at the fa key and the Central Do. From them you read by distance.
A daily routine from 10 to 15 minutes
- Notes (3 minutes): or an app to name your key's notes more and more quickly.
- Rhythm (4 minutes): pat a rhythmic line with a metronome, and say the times out loud.
- First glance (5 minutes): Read your instrument a new and easy melody without stopping even if you have been wrong.
- Singing (3 minutes): He sings a short sentence before his touch to connect his eye with his ear.
The golden rule of the first view: select material easier than what you are studying. To read a lot and easy to build fluidity and to figure out difficult pieces only build patience. To the ground step by step, check how to read scores: guide for beginners.
Apps or teacher: what each contributes
| Aspecto | Reading Apps | Classes with teacher |
|---|---|---|
| Recognize notes | Very useful: quick and measurable repetition. | It strengthens him, but he doesn't have to put his whole class into his place. |
| Rhythm and pulse | Limited: They rarely notice if you step up between notes. | Reforms pulse, subdivision and count in real time. |
| Connect with instrument | A little: they usually stay on the screen. | It integrates reading, digitation and sound into your repertoire. |
| Constancia | Good to keep up with the daily habit. | Weekly monitoring and material chosen for your level. |
The ideal thing is to combine them: an app for the free minutes of the day and a teacher so that that reading will become music. music theory, rhythmic and melodic reading is worked with exercises thought for your level and instrument.
What accelerates and challenges reading
- Expand: read a little every day, look at a bar ahead of what you're playing and read at intervals, do not note by note.
- Expand: play as a group, with chores, gangs or orchestras, where you can't stop and think.
- Braking: write the name of the notes about the score and solve the day but prevents the eye from learning.
- Braking: memorize pieces so quickly that you stop looking at paper.
- Braking: depend only on tablatures or cipher if your goal is to read score.
Frequently asked questions
Can you learn to read scores by yourself?
The hard thing to do is to check if you have a pulse or if you have a good but bad read. A few classes to check your count save a lot of time.
Do we have to read scores to play an instrument?
Not always. Many popular musicians play with ears or with cipher. But reading gives you access to more repertoire, allows you to play in bands, chores and orchestras and makes it faster to learn new pieces.
What's easier, the sun key or the fa key?
No one is more difficult in itself and easier to practice. Those who start with a shortcut usually feel that of a stranger at first and vice versa. With guide and daily reading notes, the second shortcut will be deposited in a few months.
Do children learn to read music faster than adults?
Not necessarily. Children absorb them as a game but at their general reading rhythm; adults understand the fastest logic and usually advance soon in the theoretical part. In both cases, short daily practice is what makes a difference.