How to write note names on sheet music

Writing the letter above each note is one of the oldest tricks for learning a piece. Here are the ways to do it, from a pencil to automatic, and how to wean yourself off the letters.

1. Pencil on paper

Print the page and write the letter above or below each note, in pencil so you can rub it out later. Writing them yourself is good practice in its own right. The cost is time: a two-page piece can have several hundred notes. Do the first line, then try reading the next line without writing.

2. Markup on a PDF

On an iPad you can write on a PDF with Apple Pencil: open it in Files and use Markup, or use a score reader with annotation tools. It is the same work as pencil, but the clean copy stays clean.

3. Let an app name every note

Note Names does the labelling for you. Import a sheet-music PDF from Files, or take a photo of a printed page, and it reads the page on your device and puts the letter on every note: right on the notehead, or in small tags above the treble notes and below the bass notes. It reads treble, bass, alto and tenor clef, applies the key signature and accidentals, and if a letter is ever wrong you tap it and fix it.

Minuet in G with the letter printed inside each notehead — Letters on the notes.

The same bars with small letter tags above and below the staff — Letters above and below, noteheads clear.

Is it cheating?

Only if the letters never come off. Use them to get a piece under your fingers, then remove them as it becomes familiar. In Note Names the How many letters setting does this: every letter, then only the tricky notes, then none. Pair it with the treble clef and bass clef landmarks and you will need fewer letters each week.

Where to find sheet music to try

Public-domain scores are free on IMSLP and the Mutopia Project. Or start with our pieces with note names, which are also in the app's Verified library.

Questions

Is there an app that writes note names on sheet music?

Yes. Note Names for iPhone and iPad reads a sheet-music PDF or photo and puts the letter name on every note, on the notehead or above and below the staff.

Is writing letter names on sheet music bad?

Not as a starting point. The risk is never taking them off. Remove letters as a piece becomes familiar, starting with the notes you know.

Can I add note names to a PDF?

Yes, by hand with a markup tool, or automatically with an app such as Note Names, which reads the PDF on your device.