Reading sheet music

[Alan]

Can someone help me please. I've been teaching myself to play the piano for about two years and can now play guite a bit, but am having a problem reading some of the music that I've moved on to. I understand all the notation etc. but on some of the more lengthy sheets am having the following problem. An example is first 8 bars ok then bars 9 and 10 and bracketed together and marked 1 followed by a thick vertical line. Then the next 2 bars are bracketed 2 followed by two thin vertical lines. Then there are say 20 bars with no brackets etc and then the next 3 bars are bracketed 1 again followed by the vertical line then the next 2 bars are bracketed 2 again and have the words 'to the next strain'. then the next 3 bars are bracketed 3 and fine. Followed by 20 bars not bracketed to the end and then marked D.S. al Fine. My problem is understanding what follows what as it dos'nt seem to follow on what ever I do. Hope I've made myself clear,any advice please would be appreciated. Regards Alan

[Gill the Piano]

Gawd...I know what it is, but I'm not sure how to tell you without lots of pointing and hand-waving. I'll see if I can explain... basically, the bracketed bars are part iof a repeat. You play bars 1 - 10, then go back and play bars 1 - 8 again, but carry on to bar 11 and 12 omitting the bracket marked '1'. Then you play the next 20 (or however many bars) and the 2 bars in the bracket marked '1', go back and play those 20 or so bars again but carry on to bracket marked '2', omitting bracket '1'. D.S. al fine means 'from the sign to the end'; in other words, somewhere in all the preceding music there should be something like a skewiff 'S' with two dots in the bendy bits of the 's' somewhere above the music. That's your 'segno' or sign. (Are you still there, or have you got bored and gone into fish farming instead?) So you go back from there to the end.
Easy... There may be a grownup somewhere else on the forum who can explain it better.
If so, good luck. I'm off for a large gin and tonic and a lie down.

[Geminoz]

Well done Gill
I have read the question several times and attempted to answer it and given up each time because I couldn't work how to explain it without the music in front of me to enable the pointing and hand waving you mentioned....and was hoping someone would come along who would take up the challenge.
You are one brave person

[Gill the Piano]

It's amazing what you think you can do after a large glass of chilled white wine...