Identify the treble clef. Most instruments use notes written on the top half of the staff, called the treble clef. If you play the piano, the notes on the treble clef are usually played with the right hand.
Learn the names of the notes on the five lines of the treble clef (E, G, B,D, F). Use a mnemonic device to help you remember, such as Every Good Boy Does Fine.
Learn the names of the notes that fill the spaces of the treble staff. The spaces spell F-A-C-E.
Identify the bass clef, which looks like a backward C followed by a colon. On the piano, notes in the bass clef are usually played by the left hand. Bass clef is also used for reading music for bass guitar and for low brass instruments such as the trombone and tuba. Learn the names of the notes on the lines of the bass clef (G, B, D, F, A). One mnemonic you can use is Good Boys Do Fine Always.
Name the notes in the space of the bass clef (A, C, E, G). Use the mnemonic All Cows Eat Grass.
Understand key signatures. The key signature tells you how many sharps or flats -- called accidentals -- are in a piece. A sharp raises a note a half step and a flat lowers it a half step. Think of the keys on a piano. The black keys are the sharps and flats. For example, depending on the key signature, the black key between F and G can either be read as an F sharp or a G flat. It seems complicated, but you'll get it with practice.
Learn the circle of fifths to help you remember the keys in which accidentals occur. Music is mathematical and follows a pattern. For example, the key of C has no sharps or flats, the key of G has an F sharp and the key of D has F sharp and C sharp. Successive keys each add one more sharp.
Remember the circle of fifths will also help you to remember which flats to play. The key of F has one flat, B. The key of B-flat has two flats, B-flat and E-flat. The key signature appears at the top of the piece, next to the treble clef. The composer may signal one or more key changes within a piece. Sometimes you'll see a "natural" sign, which means the note is no longer played sharped or flatted.
Learn the value of notes. Notes do not only move up or down on the scale but vary according to the duration they are played. A whole note has four beats. A half note has two. A quarter note has one. Notes can be further divided into eighths, sixteenths, thirty-seconds and even sixty-fourths, although most beginners usually won't play anything shorter than a sixteenth note. A dot after a note adds half its value. For example, a dotted half note is worth three beats.
Understand time signatures.You'll see two numbers, one on top of the other, at the beginning of a piece of music next to the key signature. The top number tells you how many beats in a measure. The bottom number tells you which note gets one beat. The most common time signature is 4/4, also called common time. There are four beats per measure and the quarter note gets the beat. Another time signature you'll often see is 3/4, also known as waltz time.