How to Read Sheet Music for Guitar

The vast majority of guitar players don’t learn to read sheet music, however you can give your playing a significant boost if you do learn to read. If you are considering becoming a professional guitar player then sheet music is an invaluable tool.

Many guitar players rely only on tablature, however this isn’t the greatest way to learn music. One of the main reasons for this is because tablature, in most cases, is not accurate.

Here are some great aspects of learning to read:

• Better understanding of music and increased musicianship;
• Opens you up for live and studio session work;
• The ability to play music from other instruments;
• The ability to learn music a lot faster;
• Improve your rhythm guitar playing chops;
• Play classical and jazz guitar.

The Hal Leonard Classic Guitar Method book was a huge help for me when I got started with sheet music and I highly recommend it to anyone. The book covers everything you need to know for basic first position reading. Not only that, but you will be learning classical guitar pieces at the same time that will have a strong benefit on your playing and musicianship as a whole.

Once you’ve learned basic reading from the above book, then you may want to get your hands on the Hal Leonard Easy Pop Melodies book. It contains some great music for you to play along to, including The Beatles, Queen, Elton John, The Police, Nirvana and more.

If you want to take your music reading further, my recommendation would be to get yourself a reputable music teacher (which I highly recommend you do). This is a skill that you don’t want to learn too much about on your own, just in case you pick up bad habits that can only be noticed by a teacher. Also if you find yourself struggling to learn on your own when using the above resources, then a teacher is definitely the way forward.

For some insight in to the mechanics of guitar sheet music, watch this video from JustinGuitar:

And here’s an example of sheet music in practice: