Locate the clef and time signature on the first stave of a music composition's sheet music. These symbols and numbers provide valuable information concerning the piece. The two numbers dictate how many beats are in a bar of music and what rhythmic value will be used to beat time. For example, in "common," or 4/4, time, there are four beats in a measure and a quarter-note receives one beat. In 3/8 time, however, there are three beats in a measure, and the eighth note receives one beat. Depending on the style of the clef, the position of notes on the staff changes. If the music uses a treble clef (see in the references section), the note C4 on the piano will be located one ledger line below the lowest line on the staff. If the music uses a bass clef, C4 will be located one line above the highest ledger line on the staff.
Determine the rhythm of the piece you are studying by analyzing the rhythmic notation used. The majority of Western music is divided into whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes and sixteenth notes. Each value represents a subdivision of the time signature. For example, in 4/4 time, four quarter notes must be used to fill an entire bar of music. In 3/8 time, six sixteenth notes are equal in duration to three eighth notes. The rhythmic value of notes can be determine by analyzing the number of bars or flags on the stem of the note. Quarter notes use no bars or flag, while eighth notes use one and sixteenth notes are marked with two. Whole notes are not marked with any stem.
Determine the pitch of a note by analyzing its position on the staff and checking for any additional symbols. On the treble clef, the note names assigned to the five ascending staff lines are E,G,B,D,F. On the bass clef, the notes assigned to the same staff system are G,B,D,F,A. In the musical alphabet, the letters A through G are are assigned consecutively and repeated. For example, the note G is immediately followed by the note A, which is followed by the note B, etc. The "#" or "b" symbol can be placed before a note head to raise or lower the pitch of the note one semitone. For example, the note C can be raised to C# and lowered to Cb. These symbols are labeled "sharp" and "flat" respectively.
Refer to the key signature on the first staff system to discover which notes in the piece will continually be raised or lowered by semitone. This system of pitch modulation is used to determine the tonality or "key" of a piece. Although they may be unmarked throughout the piece, any notes marked with "#" or "b" symbols in the key signature will perpetually be raised or lowered unless otherwise noted.
Use a music dictionary to translate any terms or markings that you do not understand. As the majority of music terminology is written in Italian, many companies sell music dictionaries that can be used to quickly decipher unknown words.