Level 2 (like Grade 2) · Unit 10 of 24

Reading a melody

Put it all together: read a whole tune – its key, its rhythm and its shape – and write it down.

By the end you will be able to:

• read the notes of a short tune
• follow the shape of a melody (steps, skips and leaps)
• copy a tune neatly and pick a tune you hear

Learn

Before you play: look first

Before reading a new tune, spend ten seconds looking: the clef, the key signature (which notes are sharp or flat?), the time signature (how many beats in a measure?), the highest and lowest notes, and any tricky rhythm.

Steps, skips and leaps

Read the SHAPE, not just letters. A step moves to the next line or space (the next letter). A skip jumps from a line to the next line, or a space to the next space. Bigger jumps are leaps. Most tunes move mostly by step, so once you know the first note you can often follow the rest.

Read rhythm, then pitch

Clap or tap the rhythm while counting, then add the notes. Keep going at a steady speed even if a note goes wrong – that is how musicians read.

Your turn

Watch and listen, then practice with new questions every time – reading questions, and writing tasks you answer on the staff. Take the check when you are ready: 80% passes the unit.

Level 2 is like Grade 2 music theory. These are Classfern’s own levels, not an exam board’s. Questions are made and graded by rules in your browser.