Beginner - Attempting to read this music

[vphillips]

I have found what is supposed to be a very easy sheet music for The Entertainer. I am having a hard time reading the treble clef notes. I beleive that they have moved up from Middle C not really sure just fustrated. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am just tired of playing Mary had a little lamb, and when the saints come marching....Thanks...

[1piano4joe]

Hi vphillips,

I will try to help you. In the treble clef the four spaces from the bottom up are f, a, c and e or FACE as it is sometimes taught. The five lives from the bottom up are e, g, b, d and f which could be "Every Good Boy Does Fine". I'm sure you probably knew this already but I'm not exactly sure what your problem is. I'm guessing the notes above the treble clef which are written with short lines called "Ledger Lines" or possibly the 8va notation.

I would like to point out a few things that might help you:

1. Notes an octave apart change from line to space and vice versa. That is, the bottom e in "Every Good Boy Does Fine"  is on the bottom line. An e one octave higher becomes the e in FACE which is the very top space.

2. The note "D" is always between the two black keys.

3. The keyboard white keys go alphabetically to the right and they go alphabetically UP on the treble clef written on the page.

4. Sit at your keyboard. Look straight ahead at the white keys. Move your eyes to the right just looking at the white keys not playing them. Do this again only this time say the alphabet out loud.
 
5. Now get out some music, any music, blank manuscript even or any piece of paper will do. Look at the bottom of the paper with your eyes and move them up towards the top of the paper. Do this again only this time say the alphabet out loud. A piano is not necessary to do this.

6. That's the general idea. This could be repeated in reverse by saying the alphabet backwards quickly. How fast can you say the alphabet? Pretty darn fast I bet. Well, try this again starting at "Z" and if your like most people you probably can't do it at any speed.

7. The good news is the musical alphabet stops at "G". Backwards should be no problem except for an extreme beginner. It is, of course, just gfedcba. Say this out loud, over and over again until it is as fast as you can say it forwards.

8. Let's combine the above. Make a fist. Place it somewhere near the middle of the white keys. Put a blank piece of paper on the piano. Look at the bottom of the blank page. Move both your fist to the right playing all the notes (This is called a Glissando) slowly while moving your eyes up the page and saying the alphabet out loud.

9. Repeat with left fist going left from the middle of the keyboard and eyes going down from the top of the paper to the bottom saying, of course, the alphabet in reverse.

10. This is all quite general. You can add the specifics when you are ready.

TL;DR

If this doesn't help then maybe this will. The notes in the 1st measure are decabg. However, they are played 2 octaves to the right of the 3rd measure. The notes in the 2nd measure are exactly the same as the first measure except all the lines are spaces and all the spaces are now lines. I mentioned that earlier. The notes in the 2nd measure "LOOK" like the 3rd but they are actually played 1 octave higher to the right. That is because of the 8va sign spanning measures 1 and 2.

I hope I wasn't too confusing, Joe.

P.S. Welcome to Pianostreet!

[timothy42b]

That's a clear and complete explanation but here's the "piano for dummies" answer.

Look at measure 3.  You can play that, right?

Measure 2 has exactly the same notes, one octave higher.

Measure 1 has exactly the same notes, two octaves higher than measure 3.

[1piano4joe]

Hi timothy42b,

That's a clear and complete explanation but here's the "piano for dummies" answer.

Look at measure 3.  You can play that, right?

Measure 2 has exactly the same notes, one octave higher.

Measure 3 has exactly the same notes, two octaves higher than measure 3.

Actually, measure 2 does not have EXACTLY the same notes as measure 3 but are in fact close enough.

Also, I think you meant to say Measure 1 has mostly the same notes, two octaves higher than measure 3.

Thank you for your concise explanation, Joe.

[timothy42b]

Thanks, I fixed my typo.

Normally I would think the rhythm would be the problem here, beginners usually have trouble with syncopation, but maybe this one is so familiar it doesn't matter.

Does the OP know how to count this?

[vphillips]

Thanks for everyones help it was a great learning experience. Thanks Learning to play is on my list. I should have done it years ago.

[rmchenry]

Thanks for everyones help it was a great learning experience. Thanks Learning to play is on my list. I should have done it years ago.

Good luck with your studies. I would probably be classed as an intermediate type of pianist and have played the original Scott Joplin version. I could get my fingers round the notes perfectly well but it always sounded awful! On the other hand, I was in a music store recently and a nine-year-old girl was playing it beautifully. I think, as a previous poster pointed out, it's a matter of getting the syncopation worked out.