Understand the two main types of clefs that exist: a bass clef and a treble clef. The clef is the symbol that appears at the beginning of every single line of music, and it determines where specific notes are played. Notes on the treble clef are in higher octaves than notes on the bass clef. Music written for higher instruments, such as the flute, are written exclusively in the treble clef. Lower instruments, such as the baritone horn, have music written entirely in the bass clef. Instruments covering a broader range of pitches, such as the piano, have music written in both clefs simultaneously.
Regard the two numbers that appear on the musical staff after the clefs. These numbers are known as the time signature and instruct the beat of the song. The top number explains how many beats are in one measure, while the bottom number explains what number note the top number is judged by. For example, a 3/4 time signature means that there are three (3) beats in each measure, and the quarter (4) note gets one beat. A 6/8 time signature means that there are six (6) beats per measure. and the eighth (8) note counts as one beat. In some cases, a "C" will appear in the time signature. This stands for "common time," which is 4/4 -- there are four (4) beats per measure, and quarter (4) notes get one beat. Other times, a "C" with a line through it appears. This stands for "cut time," which is the same as 4/4 but every note is cut in half. This means a half note acts as a quarter note, a quarter note acts as an eighth note, and so on.
Familiarize yourself with the various types of notes that appear on a musical staff. A whole note is simply an empty circle on the staff. This note lasts the entire measure -- assuming the time signature is 4/4, the whole note would last four beats. A half note is an empty circle with a vertical line coming out of it. This note lasts half the measure, so in this example that would be two beats. A quarter note looks like a half note, except the circle is filled in black instead of being empty. This lasts one quarter of the measure, or one beat. An eighth note looks like a quarter note, except eighth notes are connected with a long, black bar. An eighth note by itself will have a small loop off the end of the note. This would last an eighth of a measure, or half a beat in common time. A sixteenth note looks like an eighth note, except the bars that connect the notes are double bars, instead of single bars. These notes last one-sixteenth of a measure, or one-half of an eighth note.
Know the idea of a "rest" and how it affects the sound of the music. Numerous types of rests exist on a musical staff to instruct someone to stop playing briefly. A whole rest looks like a rectangular black box hanging downward from the staff. This means the musician should not play anything for a full measure. A half rest looks like a small black hat sticking up off a musical staff. It instructs a musician to not play for half the measure. A quarter rest is a black, squiggly line that tells a musician to rest for a quarter of a measure. The eighth rest looks like a dotted, slanted line. It means one should rest for an eighth of a measure, the same length as an eighth note. A sixteenth rest looks like the eighth rest, but has two dots instead of one. It instructs a musician to rest for the same amount of time as a sixteenth note.
Learn what notes correspond to what sounds. Every note symbol on a musical staff corresponds to a specific pitch or tone. As notes move higher on the staff, the pitches also get higher, and vice versa. Explore the concept of a natural note, a flat and a sharp. A flat is the note a half-step lower in pitch than the written note, while a sharp is a half-step higher than the written note. For example, a D-flat is one half-step lower than a D natural, while F-sharp is one half-step higher than F.