For you who don't read, but think that you have tried--

The problem that most people have who never quite learn to read music is simple--they try to fudge their way through the music and guestimate what it says--often trying to deal with complex pieces when they can't deal with the easiest stuff (It is the same problem that a lot of self-taught players have, as well--no patience for the basics, so they move on to more complex stuff that they try to fake their way through)

It is much easier to sit down and start from scratch--really learn the basic stuff--and build on it-- memorize the names of the lines and spaces!! Learn to read the key and time signatures--read through the piece, note by note and stop to figure out each of the rhythmic cadences--learn to recognize the beginning and end of phrases--

The critical thing is to stay focussed on the page-- *Play the music as it its written on the page* Keep at it until you can play it smoothly, and you have got all the awkward parts worked out--After you've got it down completely, then you can begin to memorize, interpret, and arrange it--

The best practice for reading is to get a book of instrumental excercises --For guitarists, if you can't find a guitar techique book with single note lines, a clarinet book can work pretty well, because the range is approximately the same--

You could work with melodies in a song book, but excercise books start with the basics and develop them--so they are much easier to start with, and will take you much farther--