How to read letter notes
No music theory required. If you can read the alphabet, you can read these. Here’s the whole system.
Read left to right, stacks together
Each line of letters is played from left to right, like reading a sentence. When two or more letters sit in the same column (stacked vertically), you play them at the same time — that’s a chord.
Lowercase = white keys · UPPERCASE = sharps
Lowercase letters (a b c d e f g) are the natural notes — the white keys. Uppercase letters (A C D F G) are the sharps — the black keys, i.e. A♯ C♯ D♯ F♯ G♯.
The number is the octave — each has a colour
The number in front of each line tells you which octave to play in. Higher number = higher pitch. To make melodies easy to follow, every octave gets its own colour, on the page and on the keyboard below.
Dashes are time; hands are optional
The dashes - - - between letters are spacing in time — roughly 5–6 dashes ≈ one second at normal speed. Press play and slow the tempo down if you need to; your ear will do the rest.
Some sheets label lines RH / LH (right hand / left hand). If you only want the tune, play the right-hand melody lines — the left hand is usually just the bass.
The live sandbox
Edit the notation below — change letters, add dashes, stack a chord — then hit Rebuild and press play. This is exactly how every piece in the library works.