A big part of becoming a skilled musician is being able to understand and write musical notation.

Reading and writing music is important no matter what your area of musical study is – singers, guitarists, pianists and all other kinds of musicians rely on this skill to practice and perform effectively.

You might, for example, have to play a song you’ve never actually heard before, or haven’t found a recording of – your only guide is the written song itself. In this case, you can’t just imitate what you’ve heard before. You need to be able to read the music and understand how the song is supposed to sound.

These skills are also helpful for making edits or leaving notes for yourself in a written piece of music. It’s easier to understand exactly which notes you’re supposed to hit, mark wherever you might be making mistakes or having trouble, and more.