MUSIC BASIC THEORY
1.1. Pitch
The Staff
People were talking long before they invented
writing. People were also making music long
before anyone wrote any music down. Some
musicians still play "by ear" (without written
music), and some music traditions rely more
on improvisation and/or "by ear" learning. But
written music is very useful, for many of the
same reasons that written words are useful.
Music is easier to study and share if it is
written down. Western music specializes in
long, complex pieces for large groups of
musicians singing or playing parts exactly as
a composer intended. Without written music,
this would be too difficult. Many different
types of music notation have been invented,
and some, such as tablature, are still in use.
By far the most widespread way to write
music, however, is on a staff. In fact, this
type of written music is so ubiquitous that it
is called common notation .
There
Staff
The staff (plural staves ) is written as five
horizontal parallel lines. Most of the notes of
the music are placed on one of these lines or
in a space in between lines. Extra ledger lines
may be added to show a note that is too
high or too low to be on the staff. Vertical
bar lines divide the staff into short sections
called measures or bars . A double bar line,
either heavy or light, is used to mark the
ends of larger sections of music, including
the very end of a piece, which is marked by a
heavy double bar.
Figure 1.1. The Staff
The five horizontal lines are the lines of the
staff. In between the lines are the spaces. If
a note is above or below the staff, ledger
lines are added to show how far above or
below. Shorter vertical lines are bar lines. The
most important symbols on the staff, the clef
symbol, key signature and time signature,
appear at the beginning of the staff.
Many different kinds of symbols can appear
on, above, and below the staff. The notes
and rests are the actual written music. A note
stands for a sound; a rest stands for a
silence. Other symbols on the staff, like the
clef symbol, the key signature, and the time
signature, tell you important information
about the notes and measures. Symbols that
appear above and below the music may tell
you how fast it goes (tempo markings), how
loud it should be (dynamic markings), where
to go next (repeats , for example) and even
give directions for how to perform particular
notes (accents , for example).
Figure 1.2. Other Symbols on the Staff
The bar lines divide the staff into short
sections called bars or measures. The notes
(sounds) and rests (silences) are the written
music. Many other symbols may appear on,
above, or below the staff, giving directions for
how to play the music.
Groups of staves
Staves are read from left to right. Beginning
at the top of the page, they are read one staff
at a time unless they are connected. If staves
should be played at the same time (by the
same person or by different people), they will
be connected at least by a long vertical line
at the left hand side. They may also be
connected by their bar lines. Staves played by
similar instruments or voices, or staves that
should be played by the same person (for
example, the right hand and left hand of a
piano part) may be grouped together by
braces or brackets at the beginning of each
line.
Figure 1.3. Groups of Staves
(a)
(b) When many staves are to be played at
the same time, as in this orchestral score,
the lines for similar instruments - all the
violins, for example, or all the strings - may
be marked with braces or brackets.
Clef
Treble Clef and Bass Clef
The first symbol that appears at the
beginning of every music staff is a clef
symbol . It is very important because it tells
you which note (A, B, C, D, E, F, or G) is
found on each line or space. For example, a
treble clef symbol tells you that the second
line from the bottom (the line that the symbol
curls around) is "G". On any staff, the notes
are always arranged so that the next letter is
always on the next higher line or space. The
last note letter, G, is always followed by
another A.
Figure 1.4. Treble Clef
A bass clef symbol tells you that the second
line from the top (the one bracketed by the
symbol's dots) is F. The notes are still
arranged in ascending order, but they are all
in different places than they were in treble
clef.
Figure 1.5. Bass Clef
Memorizing the Notes in Bass and
Treble Clef
One of the first steps in learning to read
music in a particular clef is memorizing
where the notes are. Many students prefer to
memorize the notes and spaces separately.
Here are some of the most popular
mnemonics used.
Figure 1.6.
(a)
(b)
You can use a word or silly sentence to help
you memorize which notes belong on the
lines or spaces of a clef. If you don't like
these ones, you can make up your own.
Moveable Clefs
Most music these days is written in either
bass clef or treble clef, but some music is
written in a C clef . The C clef is moveable:
whatever line it centers on is a middle C .
Figure 1.7. C Clefs
All of the notes on this staff are middle C.
The bass and treble clefs were also once
moveable, but it is now very rare to see them
anywhere but in their standard positions. If
you do see a treble or bass clef symbol in an
unusual place, remember: treble clef is a G
clef ; its spiral curls around a G. Bass clef is
an F clef ; its two dots center around an F.
Figure 1.8. Moveable G and F Clefs
It is rare these days to see the G and F clefs
in these nonstandard positions.
Much more common is the use of a treble
clef that is meant to be read one octave
below the written pitch. Since many people
are uncomfortable reading bass clef,
someone writing music that is meant to
sound in the region of the bass clef may
decide to write it in the treble clef so that it
is easy to read. A very small "8" at the
bottom of the treble clef symbol means that
the notes should sound one octave lower
than they are written.
Figure 1.9.
A small "8" at the bottom of a treble clef
means that the notes should sound one
octave lower than written.
Why use different clefs?
Music is easier to read and write if most of
the notes fall on the staff and few ledger
lines have to be used.
Figure 1.10.
These scores show the same notes written in
treble and in bass clef. The staff with fewer
ledger lines is easier to read and write.
The G indicated by the treble clef is the G
above middle C , while the F indicated by the
bass clef is the F below middle C. (C clef
indicates middle C.) So treble clef and bass
clef together cover many of the notes that are
in the range of human voices and of most
instruments. Voices and instruments with
higher ranges usually learn to read treble clef,
while voices and instruments with lower
ranges usually learn to read bass clef.
Instruments with ranges that do not fall
comfortably into either bass or treble clef
may use a C clef or may be transposing
instruments.
Figure 1.11.
Middle C is above the bass clef and below
the treble clef; so together these two clefs
cover much of the range of most voices and
instruments.
Exercise 1.2.1. ( Go to Solution)
Write the name of each note below the note
on each staff in Figure 1.12 .
Figure 1.12.
Exercise 1.2.2. ( Go to Solution)
Choose a clef in which you need to practice
recognizing notes above and below the staff
in Figure 1.13 . Write the clef sign at the
beginning of the staff, and then write the
correct note names below each note.
Figure 1.13.
Exercise 1.2.3. ( Go to Solution)
Figure 1.14 gives more exercises to help you
memorize whichever clef you are learning.
You may print these exercises as a PDF
worksheet if you like.
Figure 1.14.
Solutions to Exercises
Solution to Exercise 1.2.1. ( Return to
Exercise)
Figure 1.15.
Solution to Exercise 1.2.2. ( Return to
Exercise)
Figure 1.16 shows the answers for treble and
bass clef. If you have done another clef, have
your teacher check your answers.
Figure 1.16.
Solution to Exercise 1.2.3. ( Return to
Exercise)
Figure 1.17 shows the answers for treble
clef, and Figure 1.18 the answers for bass
clef. If you are working in a more unusual
clef, have your teacher check your answers.
Figure 1.17.
Figure 1.18.
Pitch: Sharp, Flat, and Natural
Notes
The pitch of a note is how high or low it
sounds. Pitch depends on the frequency of
the fundamental sound wave of the note. The
higher the frequency of a sound wave, and
the shorter its wavelength , the higher its pitch
sounds. But musicians usually don't want to
Maoni
Chapisha Maoni