Pitch – How to Read Sheet Music

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[audio https://www.beginnerviolintips.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/g-major-scale.mp3]
 On the simple line of music above, the five horizontal lines are called the staff.
 Each note, depending on which staff line it rests on or between, has a different pitch. Notes higher up on
the staff sound higher, and vice versa.
 Each note has a letter name depending on how high or low it falls on the staff. Letter names range from
A through G. Once you run out of letters (i.e. get past G) you go back to A, as shown in the line of music
above.
 The line of music pictured here is what’s called a scale, which is when the notes are arranged in note-
name order.
 The scale pictured above is what’s called a G Major scale, meaning it starts and ends on a G note.

A quick way to remember note names

The spaces between the lines spell “FACE.” This is a quick mnemonic to help you remember which notes go where.
Though we do like to use this trick as a quick reference, it is best if you learn the note names so well that you
can instantly say what note is what. Otherwise there is always a mental calculation (especially if the note falls on
a line instead of a space) before you know what note you’re looking at. We want to avoid this and make it
automatic. The best way to do that? Practicing the violin.

Ledger Lines

Ledger lines extend the range of notes beyond the staff. Basically, notes that are extra high or extra low are
printed on ledger lines, so you know exactly how far off the staff they are.
Rhythm – How to Read Sheet Music
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Rhythms – Notes, Rests & Dots

Notes

The vertical lines that appear every few notes are called bar lines, and they divide the music up
into measures (also sometimes called bars), which we’ll talk about in the next section.

Here is what you’re looking at above:

 Bar (1): 1 Whole Note (4 beats)

 Bar (2): 2 Half Notes (2 beats each)
 Bar (3): 4 Quarter Notes (1 beat each)
 Bar (4): 8 Eighth Notes (1/2 beat each)
 Bar (5): 16 Sixteenth Notes (1/4 beat each)

In the audio version of this line of music we’ve added a percussion track to help you hear where the 4 beats in
each measure fall as you follow along. It is very helpful to have an aid that will help you keep track of rhythm as
you play. See our recommendation for our favorite violin tuner metronome.

Notice that every bar always adds up to 4 beats (1 whole note x 4 beats, 2 half notes x 2 beats each, 4 quarter
notes x 1 beat each, etc.). Measures make it easier to keep track of where you are in the rhythm at a given time,
because you always know how many beats are in the measure. This may seem like a lot of math, but it becomes
intuitive very quickly with a little practice.

For most of the beginner violin music you’ll play, there will be 4 beats in the measure, but some pieces of music
do it differently. We’ll talk about that in the next section, Time Signature.

But before we get there, let’s talk about counting.

Counting

Beginner violinists are often encouraged to count the beats in their head as they play. This is a useful technique,
especially if you are playing with other musicians, so that you can keep track of where you are and sync back up
if you get off in your timing.

For each measure, you will want to count in your head (or even out loud, or tap your foot) “One, Two, Three,
Four.” In your counting, put some extra emphasis on the “One” because the first beat in the measure is often a
beat that should be emphasized rhythmically (it is also called the downbeat because orchestra conductors
usually signify it with a swift downward motion of their baton).

Counting while you are playing is one thing because you are making music in time to the rhythm, but it can be
more of a challenge, surprisingly, when you have to not play. This takes us to the topic of rests.

Rests

The following line of music alternates between notes and rests. Rests mean “don’t play.”
This line of music contains:

 Bar (1): 1 Whole Note

 Bar (2): 1 Whole Rest
 Bar (3): 1 Half Note, 1 Half Rest
 Bar (4): 2 Quarter Notes, 2 Quarter Rests
 Bar (5): 4 Eighth Notes, 4 Eighth Rests
 Bar (6): 8 Sixteenth Notes, 8 Sixteenth Rests

One quick note about half rests vs. whole rests. It can be confusing to tell the difference at first. Here’s a good
way to remember: whole rests (measure 2, above) last longer and are therefore “heavier,” so they lay on the
underside of the staff line, while “lighter” half rests (measure 3, above) sit on top.

Also, if you get confused you can always do the math; see what else is in the measure. It all has to add up to 4
beats (in this case). You can always tell how many notes should fit into the measure by looking at the Time
Signature, which we cover in the next lesson.

Multi-measure rests

If you see something like the image above, it means you should rest for 5 full measures (so if there are 4 beats
per measure, you would rest for 5 measures x 4 beats per measure = 20 beats). You probably won’t see this in
much beginner music unless you’re playing in an orchestra or with a piano accompanist who has an intro before
you start your solo.

Here’s a tip for counting multi-measure rests without getting lost: Normally when counting measures, you would
reset the count back to 1 at the start of each measure. For example, if you were to count two typical measures
you would count “One, Two, Three, Four, One, Two, Three, Four.” However, when you have to keep track of
multiple measures of rest, it can be easy to forget how many measures you have previously counted, especially
if you are resting for a high number of measures. So instead of counting “One, Two, Three, Four” every time, do
this instead:

 Measure 1: “One, Two, Three, Four”

 Measure 2: “Two, Two, Three, Four”
 Measure 3: “Three, Two, Three, Four”
 Measure 4: “Four, Two, Three, Four”
 Measure 5: “Five, Two, Three, Four”
And so on. By putting a reminder at the start of each measure of rest, it is easy to keep track of how many you
have already counted.
Dotted Rhythms
When you see a dot next to a note, its duration becomes 1.5x normal. So, if you have a half note (worth 2 quarter
notes) it becomes worth 3 quarter notes when dotted. Similarly, a quarter note, usually worth 2 eighth notes,
becomes worth 3 eighth notes when dotted. Any type of note or rest can be dotted. You can get a feel for this if
you listen to the sample above while following along with the music.

Tuplets

The most common form of tuplets are triplets. This is a group of three notes that fits into the next largest type
of note. So, a triplet of eighth notes fits into one quarter note (whereas 2 eighth notes would normally equal one
quarter note), and a triplet of quarter notes fits into a half note (whereas 2 quarter notes would normally equal
one half note). Tuplets can come in any odd number (usually 3 or 5). Listening to the above example should give
you an idea for what this sounds like.

Just for fun, here’s a popular song (credit to Koji Kondo) that plays off of the contrast between triplets (3 in a
beat) and regular eighth notes (2 in a beat):

One note: don’t be confused by the whole rests in the second, fourth, and sixth measures. There are only 3 beats
per measure in this example (because of the 3/4 time signature, explained in the next lesson). Whole rests are
often used as a shorthand to simply indicate that the measure is an entire measure of rest. So even though whole
rests normally are 4 beats, if they’re the only thing in the measure, then assume they just mean the whole
measure is empty, however many beats that is (in this case 3).

Subdividing

Sometimes you will need to count complex rhythms that are made up of many different types of notes. In these
cases it becomes useful to subdivide the rhythm you are counting. Here’s what this means in layman’s terms:

Let’s say you need to count a bunch of 8th notes, each of which gets 1/2 of a beat. In normal counting you only
count each beat itself “One, Two, Three, Four.” So if you need to keep track of 8th notes, you can instead count
“One and Two and Three and Four and” where you actually say the word and each time in addition to the
number. The and signifies the off-beat, or the half-way point between each beat. This can help you to stay in
time for more complex rhythms.
Time Signature – How to Read Sheet Music
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Pay Attention to Time Signature

Some frequently used time signatures:

 4/4 (also written as “c,” for Common Time)

 3/4
 2/4
 2/2 (also written as “¢” for Cut Time)
 6/8

Time signatures determine two things:

 Top number: How many beats in a measure
 Bottom number: Which note counts as a beat

So, in 4/4 time, there are 4 (top number) beats in the measure, and the quarter note (bottom number) gets the
beat. Said another way: 4 quarter notes in a measure. In 2/4 time, there are 2 quarter notes in a measure. In
2/2 time, there are two half notes in a measure.

But, you’re asking, isn’t 2/2 just another way of saying 4/4? Mathematically speaking, yes it is – either way you
end up with 4 quarter notes per measure. The difference is the number of beats per measure.

Composers have different reasons for using 4/4 vs. 2/2. Usually pieces (or sections of pieces) written in 2/2 are
played relatively fast, so keeping time in this way gives a certain feel to the way you play the music (counting
only 2 beats per measure instead of 4).

One way we’ve seen it often used is when you have a passage in 4/4 that gradually speeds up and eventually
becomes 2/2. This helps because the measures are now going by so fast that it would be too difficult to count 4
beats in each one, even though in terms of musical phrasing there is still just as much “stuff” in each measure
(which is why you don’t go to 2/4 which would cut the phrases in half because you get only 2 quarter notes in
each measure). Don’t worry if this isn’t completely clear right now. You’ll get a feel for it as you play a variety of
pieces.

The good news is that the relationships between the values of all the notes always stay the same regardless of
time signature. For example, a half note is always and forever worth 2 quarter notes.

One more thing to remember: the bottom number is always an even number. So you’ll never see a time signature
like 4/5.
Key Signature – How to Read Sheet Music
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Notice the Key Signature, Sharps, Flats and Naturals

The key signature is one of the most important things you need to pay attention to before you start to play a
piece. The key signature has a very profound effect on the feel of a piece, and if not heeded, many notes will just
sound wrong. For example, follow along and see how the flats affect the sound of the melody:

[audio https://www.beginnerviolintips.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/sharps-flats.mp3]

As you can see, this is the melody of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” once, and then repeated. The repeated version
incorporates some flats that make it sound a little off.

Some common beginner violin key signatures:

 Sharps: ♯
o Raise the corresponding note by a half step. What does that mean? On the violin, it can mean
playing the note with a different finger, or stretching your finger a little to reach a slightly
higher version of the note.
 Flats: ♭
o Similar to sharps, but the opposite: they lower the corresponding note by a half step.
 Naturals: ♮
o Cancel sharps or flats that would have applied to the note.

When sharps, flats, or naturals are written into the key signature (i.e. next to a double bar line or at the beginning
of the piece), they apply to all notes of the same letter (e.g. every A or every G) from that point forward, until
(and if) the key signature changes.

When sharps, flats, or naturals are written next to an individual note, they affect that note and any others of the
same name for the rest of THAT MEASURE ONLY. But don’t forget that they carry through the full measure! A
very common beginner mistake is to play only the first instance of a sharp or flat in a measure and forget about
it for the other notes in the measure.

So how do key signatures correspond to where you put your fingers when you’re actually playing the violin? If
you’re ready, you can skip ahead to our article on Fingerings. Otherwise, continue with the next lesson in the
sequence: Dynamics.
Dynamics – How to Read Sheet Music
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In music, dynamics refer to volume (loud vs quiet). You’ll see these below the staff. Composers are allowed to
use as many p’s or f’s in a row as they want, but you’ll catch on to the pattern pretty quickly:

 ppp = pianississimo = even quieter

 pp = pianissimo = quieter

 p = piano = quiet

 mp = mezzo piano = medium quiet

 mf = mezzo forte = medium loud

 fp = fortepiano = loud and then suddenly soft

 f = forte = loud

 ff = fortissimo = louder

 fff = fortississimo = even louder

 cresc. = crescendo = = get gradually louder

 decresc. = decrescendo = dim. = diminuendo = = get gradually quieter

How loud is each of these markings in real terms? It depends upon the piece you are playing and your particular
interpretation of it. It’s a good idea to skim through a piece and take note of the range of markings. If the
composer goes all the way up to fff at some point, then make sure that you’re not playing at maximum volume
at other points in the piece where it’s marked just mf, or else you’ll have nowhere to go when it’s time to pull out
the big guns.

Beginner violin music usually sticks to a simple p and f, if it even changes partway through at all. Just make sure
you’re paying attention and adjusting your volume accordingly. It’s not as much about the actual volume at a
given time as it is about making a beautiful, expressive transition from loud to soft or vice versa. This is where a
lot of the excitement in music can come from, so try to adopt a good sensitivity to dynamic range into your
performance technique early on.
Tempo – How to Read Sheet Music
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The word Tempo means Time in Italian. What it refers to is how fast or slow the
piece of music should be played. This can be notated in several ways, usually as
either a beat marking (e.g. quarter note = 120 beats per minute (BPM)) or as an
Italian word which can indicate not just speed but mood.

The best way to get used to different tempo markings is to get a violin metronome. Here are some common
tempos and their approximate speed, listed from slow to fast:

 Common Tempos:

o Grave = very slow, solemn

o Largo = slow and broad

o Adagio = slow

o Lento = slow

o Andante = walking pace, medium speed

o Moderato = moderate speed

o Allegro = happy, upbeat, fast

o Vivace = lively, fast

o Presto = very fast

 Italian Word Modifiers:

o -etto = makes whatever word it’s attached to slightly less extreme. For example:

 Larghetto = not quite as slow as Largo

 Allegretto = not quite as fast as Allegro

o -issimo = makes whatever word it’s attached to more extreme. For example:

 Prestissimo = faster than Presto

 Gradual Changes:

o accel. = accelerando = gradually get faster

o rit. = ritardando = gradually slow down

 Tempo Variables:

o Tempo 1 (sometimes also written Tempo Primo) = this is usually used when the piece of
music starts out at one tempo, switches to another tempo, and then later wants you to return
to the same speed as the original tempo (i.e. Tempo 1).
Style Markings – How to Read Sheet Music
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Style is a little less of an issue until you progress further in your violin training. But
we’ll discuss the basics anyway so you have a reference to come back to when you
do start seeing these markings.

Style markings are usually straightforward comments that tell you something about the mood or feel the composer
wanted this section of music to have. The only tricky part is that they are usually written in Italian. So… here’s
some basic Italian for you:

 con = with

o con anima = with life or animation

o con fuoco = with fire (very energetic)

 meno = less

o meno mosso = less movement

 piu = more

 poco = little

o poco a poco = little by little

o poco rit. = slowing down a little

 molto = a lot (very)

 dolce = sweetly

 cantando = singing (in a style that imitates singing)

 legato = tied together (notes should be played smoothly and connected)

There are more terms than these (although only a handful get used most of the time), but this should get you
started. With these style indicators you can usually get a fast translation using an online Italian to English
translator. Another good option is to simply type them into Wikipedia if you need a longer, music-specific answer
for a particular term.

Note: like style markings, tempo markings are also written in Italian. The difference between the two is
that tempo refers more to the speed of the piece than its attitude. But there can definitely be overlap between
style and tempo. To see more info and examples of tempos, check out our Tempo article.
Clef – How to Read Sheet Music

This part is easy. The violin plays in only one clef, called treble clef. Therefore, as a violinist you don’t
really need to worry about it (unless you are for some reason trying to play sheet music written for an instrument
that uses a different clef).

Basically, because some instruments have a very wide range of notes (like the piano) or play in a lower register
(like the string bass), the clef defines which pitch range the notes on the staff correspond to. Don’t worry too
much if this doesn’t make a lot of sense to you at the moment; for beginning violin all you need to know is that
the violin plays in treble clef, so this will be one constant that will not change.

Here are some other clefs, just so you know what they look like:

From left to right: Alto clef (viola), Bass clef (cello, bass, etc.), and Treble clef (violin, etc.).