Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you have a hard time reading music? Have you ever wondered if color coding the music notes would help? Read more to find out the answer to the question, “Is there a color code for music notes?”
This article uses music terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Mobile users: for best results reading the music, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Is There a Color Code for Music Notes? Yes, But There’s a Catch!
Video: Figured Notes
Is there a color code for music notes? Yes, however color coding for the notes is not standardized. So, there are many, many color coding systems.
For example, you have the figured notes system (see the video above).
Or you can read about Margaret Hubicki’s system in this book:
And you have extensive color used in this little kids’ piano series:
Of course, you also have colored stickers that can be applied to instruments or even colored instruments themselves:
Finally, you have my teaching system that uses color coding to help students read the score:
- Color Coding Music for Success
- Playing the Piano with Color Coded Notes
- Playing Piano with Color Coded Left Hand Notes
- How to Color Code Guitar Tab
While all these color systems color code either the sheet music or the instrument, none of them uses the same arrangement of colors for the notes. This means that if you want to, say, use the color coded stickers for guitar, they’d be colored different from how it’s shown on this site.
Therefore, if you wanted to use the teaching strategies from this website, you’d need to adjust the colors to work with the guitar stickers, or the piano stickers, or the Music for Little Mozarts books.
However, you couldn’t make them work for all three. The following video talks about how color coding can be an effective music teaching aid.
Video: How Effective is the Color Coding?
There Is a Color Code for Music Notes: Notation Software
There is a color code for music notes, and you can find music notation software that will color the notes for you.
The videos below give you a couple of examples of music notation software that will color the notes for you.
For a more detailed discussion of how this works (including more notation programs) read:
Video: Color Coding Notes with Sibelius
Video: Color Coding Notes with Musescore
Concluding Thoughts to “Is There a Color Code for Music Notes?”
There is a color code for music notes, and this multisensory strategy can help anyone to read the score better. However, it will be especially helpful for students with LD, ADD, ASD, and special needs.
The color coding acts as a bridge to reading an un-adapted score. With time, most students will be able to graduate from the colors:
- How to Graduate from Color Coded Music Notes: Part I
- How to Graduate from the Color Coded Sheet Music: Part II
- How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Score: Part III
- How to Graduate from the Color Coded Music Notation: Part IV
© 2023 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
Glossary
Do I Need Talent to Write Music and Compose Lyrics?
Do you need talent to write music and compose lyrics for a song? Or can you get by using music theory and compositional techniques? We’ll talk about that and a whole lot more in today’s post. Click to answer the question, “Do I need talent to write music and compose lyrics for a song?” Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Read More
How Chords in Supplemented Equal Temperament Work
Are you frustrated that your synth chords sound out of tune? Supplemented Equal Temperament is designed to play chords that sound more in tune than the regular piano tuning: equal temperament. Learn how to better tune your chords in Supplemented Equal Temperament tuning. Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
How Common are Mistakes While Practicing and Playing Guitar?
Do you worry about making mistakes when you perform? Do you want to be able to fix errors quickly during your practice time? Everyone slips up, at least occasionally. Don’t worry about it. Errors have an important role to play in the process of learning. Click to answer the question, “How common are mistakes while practicing and playing guitar?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More
Question, How Do I Get Better at Sight Singing?
“What purpose do accidentals serve in reading sheet music?” Sharps, flats, and naturals (collectively called accidentals) grew out of a problem that needed to be fixed in the mediaeval music notation. The music theorists of the time slapped their fix onto the preexisting notation system, and that fix is still with us to this day. However, having confused generations of budding musicians, the results of the fix leave a lot to be desired. Click to answer the question, “What purpose do accidentals serve in reading sheet music?” Estimated reading time 3 minutes.
Read More