I need some help! Preferably by someone who knows more then I do.

[jakef]

I need to learn how to read sheet music. Is it better to teach myself or be taught? I'm very new at music. But I'm told I have a knack for it?? I'm not totally self confidant. Are there any reliable resources for learning to read sheet music? Things I should watch out for?

I attached a song I wrote the other day that I hammered out on the piano in my room then recorded in a program and turned into all these amazing notes that I can't read. Could someone please tell me if the sheet music legible or not ? Thanks a million!

[faulty_damper]

A teacher will save you time but learning on your own is free.  I went the free route but took a very long time.

It's important to be musically literate so do yourself a favor and learn to read.  You can start by using children's books because they will have illustrations of the notes and the keys to be depressed.  They are relatively simple and this is of utmost importance.  All you need is to be able to identify notes and associate them with the location on the keyboard.

The first page is legible.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Just get a teacher dude.  It'll cost money, but it's totally worth it. 

[chadbrochill17]

It also depends on how serious you want to be about it. I've been hammering away for about a year now by myself and I decided to go for a music minor here at my school so I have access to lessons. I say if you want to play just for yourself, then getting a teacher might not be the best option.

[j_menz]

The scores you have posted are basically unreadable. The time signature is not followed in any of the subsequent bars and virtually all notational conventions are completely absent.

You need to get a basic set of theory books (you can search the forum for links to some online resources).

If your interest is primarily in composition, that may be sufficient. It would appear that you are not trained to play any instrument, and that training to at least an intermediate standard would seem desirable (any common instrument would work, but piano is a common composer preference).  To that end, finding a teacher to get you theough at least the basics is the quickest path forward.