If you are interested in really learning violin music then you should learn how to read violin sheet music. Some might say that that is unnecessary, but if you really want to learn how to play the greatest musical pieces ever created then learning how to read music on a sheet is a must.
First of all musicians who are classically trained start their learning process by studying how to read musical sheets. There is no getting around that initial step. But even if you are not into classical music it is still going to be a tremendous advantage on your part if you can learn how to read musical sheets. If you can learn to play by ear then that is a great talent that you should work on, but if you want to make any progress and become a professional musician someday then you better start to study reading notes and understanding them. Some have likened knowing how to play music without knowing how to read sheets to knowing how to speak a language but being ignorant of how to read or write it.
There are some teachers who tell their students that it is going to be better if they learn to play wholly by ear. Their reservation lies in the fact that some players who learned how to play through sheets can sound robotic. This stems from the fact that they become focused on trying to copy exactly what’s written down and lose touch with the style and tone while doing so. This problem should only be temporary because as you learn more you need not focus all of your attention on what is written on the violin sheet music and you can start working on your style.
Learning sheet music takes time and like anything that is connected with music you need to practice a lot in order to master it. Don’t be discouraged by the amount of work that lies ahead of you. Remember that the greatest musicians in the world had to go through the same situation that you are in before they became masters. Here are some tips that can help you in your aim of learning to read violin sheet music or any sheet music for that matter:
Symbols- The different symbols used for musical notations might look to be the same to you, but you need to know the difference between them in order to make any progress.
Clef- The clef is the first symbol placed on the staff, or the five lines where the notes are written. The function of the clef is to identify the notes that are associated with each line.
Sharp or Flat- To the right of the symbol for the clef you might find symbols that indicate whether the signature of the key is flat or sharp. If there are no symbols for this before the notes start then they key signature is neither flat nor sharp.
Time- After the key signature, if there is one, you should find the time signature. This is also called the meter signature. It can vary or it can stay constant throughout the musical piece. It is easy to identify since it looks like a fraction.
Metronome- Use a metronome when you are starting out in learning to read music to help your timing.
These are just a few of the things to keep in mind. Once you have an understanding of the elements that make up sheet music then it is only a matter of time and practice before what was foreign starts looking like an old friend to you.