Determine whether the piano sheet music is in treble clef, bass clef or both. If the sheet music has two staves and clefs to be played together, it is often helpful for beginners to learn each stave of music separately, then put the two together later.
Determine each note pitch in the sheet music. The white notes of the piano are named alphabetically, with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F and G. On the staves, the notes are shown by circular dots. The note to be played is determined by which line, or space, of the stave the note is placed upon.
Determine whether any of these note pitches are modified by flat (b) or sharp (#) signs. The black notes of a piano keyboard are typically written in sheet music by adding an accidental--a sharp or flat sign--to one of the notes previously mentioned. A sharp sign (#) before a note raises the note's pitch by 1/2 step. On the piano keyboard, this usually means that you would play the black note immediately to the right. The opposite of a sharp is a flat (b), which lowers the pitch of a note 1/2 step. On the keyboard, this usually means that you would play the black note to the immediate left.
Play the notes in order, visually scrolling from left to right as if you were reading text. How quickly or slowly you move through the notes is determined by their notated rhythm. Most music has a steady pulse or beat, similar to the pulse you can feel on your own wrist. How many notes you play in each beat is determined by the note value. Many variations in rhythm are possible, and it is important to keep a steady mental beat while playing piano music.