Identify the clef. The clef is the large symbol at the beginning of the staff, and it identifies which lines and spaces on the staff correspond with which musical notes. There are two commonly used clefs: the treble and bass clefs. Most instruments, including trumpets, guitars and violins, use treble clef. Lower-pitched instruments like trombones and bass guitars use bass clef.
Label the notes on the staff. The staff consists of five horizontal lines. Each line and each space correspond to a different note, and the lower notes on the staff have a lower pitch. Notes are labeled with the letters of the alphabet, A through G. If you are reading treble clef, the bottom line on the staff is the E note, and the bottommost space is, therefore, the F note. An easy way to remember the notes associated with each line on the staff, beginning at the bottom, is to use the acronym "Every Good Boy Does Fine." The notes associated with the spaces, beginning at the bottom, spell FACE.
Identify the notes that extend above and below the staff. These continue the pattern established on the staff, with notes in both the spaces and on the lines. Remember that the bottom line of the staff is the note E. Therefore, the first space below the staff is D, the first line below the staff is C, the space below that line is B, and so on.
Locate the time signature. This is found beside the clef and consists of two numbers that look like a fraction. For example, the most common time signature is 4/4. The time signature communicates two important pieces of information. The top number tells you the number of beats per measure. Using the time signature 4/4, we see that there are four beats per measure. The bottom number tells you the type of note that receives a full beat. This is a more advanced concept and, when just beginning to read music, you should try to stick with time signatures where the bottom number is four, meaning that the quarter note receives a full beat.
Identify the types of notes by shape. The shape of the note tells you how many beats it receives. For example, a whole note looks like a small oval, and it receives four full beats, meaning that you count to four when you play it. Half notes add a stem to the whole note and receive two beats. The oval is darkened for a quarter note, which receives a single beat. Flags are added to the notes as their durations become shorter. An eighth note has a single flag, a sixteenth note has a double flag, and so on.
Count the rhythm of the music. First, set a beat for yourself using a metronome or tapping your foot. Start slowly when you're learning. In 4/4 time, each beat equals a quarter note, so if you had a measure with four quarter notes, you'd count that measure as 1-2-3-4, with each note falling on a beat. A measure with two half notes would be counted 1-(2)-3-(4), where the notes in parenthesis are beats that you hold on your instrument. Most musicians count eighth notes by adding an "and" between each beat. For example, a measure with eight eighth notes would be counted 1-and-2-and-3-and-4-and where the numbers correspond to the beats and the "and" is played between the beats.