Identify the key signature and time signature of the sheet music you want to read. Both are located at the beginning of the sheet music. The key signature is a series of sharp or flat signs on the music staff that tell you the notes in the sheet music that will be played sharp or flat. The time signature tells you how many beats there will be per bar of music. A 4/4 time signature is common time and indicates there will be four quarter-note beats per measure. These four beats are made up of any combination of note and rest values that equal four beats.
Read through the sheet music to get an idea of the melody and chords. Music staff paper has a series of graphs (usually 10 or 12 per sheet) consisting of lines and spaces. Each line or space represents a note. On the treble clef, the lines are E-G-B-D-F and the spaces are F-A-C-E. On the bass clef, the lines are G-B-D-F-A and the spaces are A-C-E-G. Notes going higher on the staff continue through the musical alphabet going forward; notes below the music staff follow the musical alphabet backward. The musical alphabet contains 12 notes and repeats itself. The notes are C-D-E-F-G-A and B. Each of these notes can be sharp or flat except for E and F and B and C, which gives you the 12 tones.
Identify note rhythms (how long you play each note) by the note values. There are several note values, including whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. Whole notes are white, indicated as a circle placed on the music staff. A whole note tells you to play the indicated note and hold it for the full beat of the measure. A half note looks like a whole note except it has a tail on it. A half note tells you to play the indicated note and hold it for half the measure. Write quarter notes like half notes, but color the note head in. A quarter note is worth a quarter of the measure, which means you will play each note indicated and hold it for a count of one.
Read chords in one of two ways. While chords are written out on the music staff in notation, many pieces of sheet music include chord names above the staff. Many guitar players will play a piece of music simply by glancing at the chords and improvising the rhythm of the songs. Some chord indications you might see over the music staff include C, Dm, E7 and Asus.
Practice reading notes by purchasing simplified piano music. These sheets often have arrangements that feature simple rhythms and use fewer notes than full arrangements. Starting with something simple like this can help you begin reading sheet music more easily. Becoming proficient at reading music can take anywhere from months to years, but the more you practice, the better you become. You can find simple sheet music online at no charge.