So … music notation is just another way of showing the 12 notes of the chromatic scale. Which means we are—yet again—back to square one (or circle one … pardon the pun). You see, nothing has changed about the 12 notes in this pattern. It’s just that we now have the advantage of being able to read any note pattern in music notation—and then play those notes right on our instruments.

It’s simple. Just like before, we can see each note (and every interval) using color. And we can break down the chromatic scale using the two basic intervals of half-steps and whole-steps. You know how it works—each half-step interval is played moving from one note to the next. So on the piano keyboard (and the staff), this interval pattern is: square … circle … square … circle … square … circle … and so on.

And like before, whole-step intervals are played by hitting every other note in the chromatic scale. So all the square notes are spaced at whole-step intervals … and all the circles are, too.

Music notation also makes it easy to pick out our old, familiar friend—the major scale. For example, try playing through the C major scale, one note at a time. Starting with the left hand (which usually plays notes on the bass staff), hit notes 1, 2, 3, 4. Then with the right hand, play notes 5, 6, 7, 8. As you hit each note, the colored shapes clearly show the C major scale pattern of half-steps and whole-steps.

Next, try playing the G major scale. Starting on G, move one finger at a time—hitting notes 1, 2, 3, 4 … 5, 6, 7, 8. As you might expect, nothing is new here. We’re just playing through the same patterns as before. Only now, we’re actually reading each scale using music notation.

Finally, try playing through all the other major scales. As you go through each of the following patterns, your eyes, ears, and hands will get even smarter. Each scale should definitely look familiar by now. Only, instead of just looking at our instruments, we’re actually reading the notes in music notation. (And just think … it takes some people years to understand this stuff!)

With all this extra target practice, we’re getting way ahead of the curve. Just like that, we already know how to read notes on the staves. And once we get a feel for things, we can start playing actual melodies, progressions, and songs. But before we jump right in, let’s take a quick look at a little something musicians call “key signatures.”