Identify the clef at the beginning of the piece of music. Music either starts with a treble clef, often referred to as a "g" clef because of the symbol's similarity to the letter, or a bass clef, which has a symbol reminiscent of a reversed "c." Look to the far left of the staff (which is the five horizontal lines the notes are plotted on) to find the clef. The different clefs determine which note is represented by the lowest line.
Remember the notes represented by the lines. If the clef at the beginning of the piece of music is a treble clef, the lines represent E, G, B, D and F (from bottom to top) and if the clef is a bass clef, the lines represent G, B, D, F and A. Notes can be plotted either on the line or between the lines. The spaces on the treble clef staff represent the notes F, A, C and E and on the bass staff they represent A, C, E and G. Learn as many of the values as you can and then count up or down from there to find the values of notes you aren't sure about.
Identify the values of notes shown with ledger lines. Ledger lines are used when the note that must be played is higher or lower than the notes represented by the lines and spaces on the staff. For example, middle C (the C in the fourth octave of keys on the piano) would fall on the line underneath E on the treble staff and above A on the bass staff. Count the ledger lines on any note that falls outside the staff to determine its value.
Determine which lines are to be played by your left and right hands. Look to the far left of the piano tab to find either an "R" or an "L," meaning the line is to be played with the right or left hand, respectively. Look to the right of this letter to see which octave on the piano this line represents. For example, find "R4" to the left of the tab to identify that the notes on that line are to be played with the right hand, on the fourth octave (or middle octave of an 88-key piano).
Read lower case notes to identify notes played on the white keys of the piano. The letters "a" through to "g" are used in piano tab to show which note is to be played, and if the letter is written in upper-case, that means that the sharp form of the displayed note is to be played. For example, a capital "A" on a piano tab means that A sharp should be played.
Look for a line of just numbers at the bottom of the tab to identify the rhythm. This method is often used for clarity. The beats in the bar will be indicated by numbers (usually "1," "2," "3" and "4"), and the notes over those numbers should be played on that beat. Find arrows after the note name to indicate that the note is to be held for that length of time.