Practice: Seven Free Music Reading Games
Seven ways to practice reading music, from naming notes at your own pace to writing down what you hear. Each one runs in your browser, with no account and no instrument needed.
- Free
- No account
- Phone, tablet or computer
Not sure where to start?
- New to reading music? Start with Lesson 1. The lessons teach each idea first; these modes are for practicing it.
- Learning the notes? Training, at your own pace, with the notes you miss coming back more often.
- Know them, but slowly? Arcade: it speeds up as you get notes right.
- Want to check yourself? Take the Test, with no hints.
- Working on rhythm? Pulse, then Dictation to write down what you hear.
Read it
Name the notes on the staff, at your own pace or against the clock.
- TrainingName each note as it slides across the staff. There’s no score and no lives: you set the speed, and the notes you miss come back more often.Best for: Learning the notes
- SongsName the notes of a tune you know, like Ode to Joy or Twinkle, Twinkle, and hear the melody come together as you read it.Best for: Reading real tunes
- ArcadeName each note before it reaches the line. Five right in a row makes the notes faster; ten misses end the run.Best for: Getting faster
- TestTwenty notes with no hints and no note names. Score 85% to pass, then move up to the next speed.Best for: Seeing where you are
Write it
Put notes on the staff yourself.
Hear it
Read in time, and write down what you hear.
- PulseNotes arrive on a steady beat and you name each one as it lands: the right note, on time.Best for: Reading while you play
- DictationListen to a short measure, then write it on the staff with the right notes and lengths. Replay it as often as you like.Best for: Training your ear
More ways to practice
- Treble clef practiceTraining on the treble staff only.
- Bass clef practiceTraining on the bass staff only.
- Sight readingHow to read music you’ve never seen, and how to practice it.
Teaching music? Every mode can be assigned in Google Classroom. Free classroom games →
Questions
Which one should I start with?
If you’re new, start with the lessons: each one teaches an idea and then has you practice it. Once you know a few notes, Training is the best everyday practice, and Arcade and the Test show how fast you’ve become.
Are these music theory games?
They cover the first part of music theory: naming notes on the treble and bass staff, reading rhythm and note values, and writing down what you hear. That makes them educational music games for beginners of any age. Keys, scales, intervals and chords aren’t games here yet. The later lessons teach them, the guides explain them with charts, and the free tools let you find and hear any chord.
Do I need an account?
No. Everything is free and runs in your browser. Your progress is saved on your device, in this browser.
Do the lessons and practice share my progress?
Yes. Notes you learn in a lesson also count in Training, which uses your answers to choose which notes to show you next.