Learn the note names of the treble clef. Notes are written on a staff of five lines. The treble clef (G clef) curls around the second line from the bottom, which is named G.
Count up and down from the G line to find the name of a note. There are only seven note names, from A through G. The space above G is A, the line above that is B, the space above that is C, etc. Below G, the space is F and the bottom line is E.
Remember the treble line names from bottom to top (EBGDF) with the sentence "Every Good Boy Does Fine". The treble note spaces spell the word FACE from bottom to top. Notes written above or below the staff use extra lines called ledger lines, like the first note in this illustration. Below E is a space, D, and the first ledger line below that is C.
Learn to recognize the different shapes of music notes. All notes have a note head, which is either a white circle or a black dot. Notes may also have a vertical line, called a stem. Stems may have one or more short lines on them, called flags.
Learn how each shape is counted. The shape of a note determines how many beats it is held. This is called its note value. The top row of this illustration shows: half note (2 beats), quarter note (1 beat), eighth note (1/2 beat), sixteenth note (1/4 beat), two eighth notes beamed together. A whole note (4 beats) is at the bottom near the middle.
Learn about measures and time signatures. Vertical lines on the staff mark the measures (or "bars"). A time signature at the beginning of the piece uses two numbers to tell how many beats and notes each measure must contain. The top number denotes the number of beats per measure, and the bottom number indicates which note value receives one beat. For example, 4/4, the most common time signature, means there are four beats in a measure and the quarter note gets one beat. There are a wide variety of time signatures, and learning how to understand them will help you read music.
Put the knowledge of note names (pitch) and note values together to read music in the treble clef. Start with tunes that you already know. Look at the music and practice the notes and the counting to see how they combine.
Learn notes on the bass clef if it would be useful to you. Piano players play music that uses both the treble and the bass clef. Vocal parts for men are usually written in the bass clef, as is music for low instruments, like the trombone and the cello.
Learn chromatic symbols. A flat looks like a lowercase "b" and lowers the note pitch. A sharp looks like the sign for number (#) and raises the note pitch. The illustration below shows note values and symbols. The bottom row of this illustration shows: bass clef, flat, sharp with whole note below it, treble clef.
Practice reading, singing and playing music. Get help from another musician or from a theory book to learn each new musical symbol that you see.