The Staff
The Staff – is made up of five lines and four spaces upon which music notation symbols are placed. The staff will include notes, a time signature, a clef sign, a key signature, and other markings that will affect the tempo and pitch of each note. The Clef
There are a few different clef’s depending on the instrument being played. Since I do not want to make thing complicated, I will only cover the two basics, the Treble clef and Bass clef.
The Treble Clef - is used for most musical voices such as soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and alto. Higher pitched instruments also use the treble clef such as the alto clarinet, the flute, oboe, trumpet, violin and guitar. For the piano, it is used for the melody and the right-hand accompaniment above middle C. 
The Bass Clef - is used for the bass and baritone voices. Lower pitched instruments such as the tuba, trombone, and bass guitar use the bass clef. As for the piano, it is used for the left-hand accompaniment below middle C.Time Signature
The Time Signature – this tells you how many and what kind of notes per measure there are. The top number represents the number of notes per measure, and the bottom number represents what kind of note. The 3 means that there are 3 beats in each measure. The 4 means that every quarter note gets one beat. Other time signatures include: 2/2, 2/4, 6/8 and 4/4 being more common.Repeats
Repeats – can be at the begin and/or end of a music piece. When you reach the second repeat, go back to the first and repeat the music. Grand Staff
Grand Staff - when the bass and treble clef are combined and connected by a brace and lines, they become the grand staff. This increases the range of pitches that can be noted. This staff is often used in piano music.
Measures
Measures – are the vertical lines on the staff mark the measures. Measures are used to divide and help organize the music. The time signature tells us how many beats can be in a measure. The thick double bars at the end mark the beginning and ends of a piece of music.
Ledger Lines
Ledger lines - can be above and below the staff. These line allow higher or lower notes to be shown that would not otherwise fit on the staff. These lines follow the same musical alphabet pattern as the normal staff.
Notes and Rests
Whole note - Four beats equal one whole note.
Half notes - Two half notes make a whole.
Quarter notes - Two quarter notes make a half note. Four quarter notes make a whole note.
Eighth notes - Two eighth notes make 1 quarter note.
Sixteenth notes - Two sixteenth notes make one eighth.
Thirty Second note - Two 32nd notes makes one sixteenth note.
Sixty fourth note – Two 64th notes makes one sixteenth note.
Whole rest - Worth 4 beats, just like the whole note.
Half rest - Worth 2 beats, just like the half note.
Quarter rest - Worth one beat, just like the quarter note.
Eighth rest - Worth half a beat, Just like 1 eighth note.
Sixteenth rest - Worth a half an eighth rest.
Thirty second rest - Worth half of a sixteenth rest.
Sixty fourth rest – Worth half of the thirty second rest.
Beams
Beam - two or more eighth notes that are connected together by a single horizontal line at the bottom or top is called a beam.
When sixteenth notes are connected, it's with two beams, not one.
Thirty seconds have 3 beams and sixty fourths have 4 beams.
Dotted Note
Dotted note - a dot next to the note or rest means that it should be lengthened by half of the note's normal duration. A dot next to a half note means that the note should be held for the duration of 3/2 of a half-note, it would be three beats.
Slur and Tie
Slurs and Ties - connect two or more notes together. Slurs connect notes of a different pitch, while ties connect notes of the same pitch. Basically, slurs and ties form longer notes. The notes are played without breaks. The first set of notes above exhibit a tie. The second show a slur.
Articulation
Articulation - refers to the direction or performance technique which affects the transition or continuity on single note or between multiple notes or sounds.
Staccato - Means to play the note very short, almost like a quick tap.
Accent - Means to hit the note harder and louder.
Tenuto - Hold the note for its full value.
Marcato - Almost a combination of staccato and accent, provides a sharp sound.
Fermata - Hold the note longer, almost twice its value or until conducted to stop.
Accidentals
Accidentals – can modify the pitch of a note by increasing or decreasing it by one half step.
Flats - lower a pitch by one half a step and are played for the entire measure.
Sharps - raise the pitch by one half a step and are played for the entire measure.
Naturals - cancel out any previous sharps or flats in which the pitch returns to normal.
Dynamics
Crescendo - means to gradually become louder. Decrescendo - means to gradually become softer.
This symbols can extend through multiple measures.
Other dynamic symbols are as followed:
pp - Pianissimo, means play very softly.
p - Piano, means play softly.
mp - Mezzo Piano, means play moderately soft.
mf - Mezzo Forte, means play moderately loud.
f - Forte, means play loudly.
ff - Fortissimo, means play very loudly
Being able to read notes is easy. All you need to know is the first seven letters of the alphabets - A, B, C, D, E, F, G, the trick is knowing what order they need to be in.
Lets start with the treble staff.
The staff has 5 lines and 4 spaces in which each has a note. Starting from the bottom line, the line notes are E, G, B, D, and F. One of the most easiest ways to remember these notes is to remember this common phrase: Every Good Boy Does Fine. For the spaces, starting from the bottom space, the space notes are F, A, C, and E. The most easiest way to remember these notes is to remember what it spells: FACE.
The bass staff can be leaned in the same fashion with two simple phases.
Starting from the bottom line, the line notes are G, B, D, F, and A. One of the most easiest ways to remember these notes is to remember this common phrase: Good Boys Deserver Fudge Always. For the spaces, starting from the bottom space, the space notes are A, C, E, and G. The most easiest way to remember these notes is to remember what it spells: All Cows Eat Grass.
*REMEMBER
Ledger lines - can be above and below the staff. These line allow higher or lower notes to be shown that would not otherwise fit on the staff. These lines follow the same alphabet pattern as the normal staff.
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