Music fundamentals

Dotted note

A dot to the right of a note head gives that note a longer duration. The dot always increases the time value of that note by one-half.

Treble clef

Also known as G clef (looks like & symbol). Identifies the second line of the staff as the location for the note G that is five notes above the middle C.

The great staff

Also known as the grand staff, consist of a treble clef staff and a bass clef staff joined together by a vertical line and a brace. Primarily used for piano music.

Middle C

Approximately in the middle of the piano keyboard. C4

Tempo

At which a piece of music moves, the note value symbols are proportionately rated to each other. If the quarter note receives one pulse, the half note will receive two pulses and the whole note four pulses. Look at page 7

Rhythm

Concerns the sequence and ordering of the moment to moment events, from steady pulse underlying to the unlimited array of rhythmic patterns riding above it that help to add both UNITY AND VARIETY. Fast, furious, slow or subtle, rhythm always represents a measuring and a parceling out of time. We always talk about how music flows though time when speaking of rhythm.

Whole step

Consists of two half steps.

Pulse

Constant and regular, can be felt when you tap your foot to music.

Timbre

Difference in sound

Triple meter

Divides the pulse into a recurring pattern of one strong and two weak pulses. 3/4 waltz. (think of wedding - good father) Three pulses per measure

Quadruple meter

Divides the pulse into one strong and three week pulses. 4/4 common tune. Four pulses per measures

Double bar lines

Have a special meaning: their two most common uses are to signal the BEGINNING of a new section in a large work and to mark the END of a work.

Form

How an entire piece of music unfolds in time, that is how the various parts or sections go together to create a musical shape that is both RECOGNIZABLE AND PLEASING to the ear.

Duration

How long a note is held

Staff

In western music, pitch is written on a staff. The music staff consist of a group of five parallel lines. Five lines Four spaces

Harmony

Involves the vertical aspect of pitch and various sounds (or chords) go together to create pleasing and interesting combination (or progression).

Melody

Is the horizontal unfolding of pitch over time. It creates the shapes that we identify as songs.

Bass Clef or F clef

Located on the fourth staff (line) up. ➡ F G A G A B C D E F ⬅

Time or meter signature

Made of two numbers, one above the other. It ways appears at the beginning of a piece of music. The sig. gives us two different pieces of information: the top number tells us the meter of the piece; the bottom number identifies the note value that represents the pulse. 3/4 3 - triple meter, three pulses per measures / 4 - the quarter note as the pulse beat.

Bar lines

Occur immediately before the accented pulse.

Duple meter

P. 3 - the pulse is divided into a recurring pattern of one strong and one weak pulse. 2/4 marches. Two pulses per measure

Timbre

Refers both to the sounds of individual instruments and voices, such as trumpet, piano, tenor voice, or guitar, as well as combinations of instruments like rock 'n' roll band, string quartet, Symphony Orchestra, or the church choir. All of these individual instruments and ensembles have their own unique timbre.

Texture

Refers to the number of individual voices, or instrumental lines, a piece of music may contain. When speaking of musical texture we speak thick or thin texture, whether it is monophonic (a single melody line), home phonic (a melody with accompaniment), or polyphonic (two or more equally important melodies, as in a fugue or a round).

Rest

Rest signs are used to indicate duration of silence. Each note value has a corresponding rest sign. Practice symbols, page 8. Whole rest, half rest, quarter rest, eighth rest, & sixteenth rest.

Common simple meters

Simple duple 2/8 2/4 2/2 Simple triple 3/8 3/4 3/2 Simple quadruple 4/8 4/4 4/2

Simple meter

The basic pulse is normally divided into two equal parts.

Meter

The combination of strong and weak pulses forms A recurring pattern known as a meter.

The flags

The flags on eight and sixteenth notes always point to the right, no matter which side of the note the stem is on.

Pitch

The highness or lowest of a sound. The faster the vibration the higher the pitch is said to be.

Interval

The musical distance between two pitches, whether sounded or written on staff.

Half step

The smallest interval on the piano.

Note heads

They are oval more than they are round. Can be on a line or space of the staff.

Left hand & right hand used for what clefs?

Treble staff usually played by right hand. Bass staff usually played by left hand.

Measures

When music is divided into measures with vertical lines called bar lines.

Volume

When sound increases or decreases.

Sharp note

black key on the right of white key

Bass note

black key to the left of white key.

G Clef alphabetical sequence

➡ G A B C D E F ⬅ Starts at second staff (line) up