chapter 4 notation

rhythm

eighth note, quarter note, and half note are all used to notate what aspect of music?

grand staff

Combination of the treble and bass staves, used in keyboard music to encompass the wide range of pitches produced by both hands.

beam

Horizontal line connecting the flags of several eighth notes or sixteenth notes in succession, to facilitate reading these notes.

the number of beats per measure

In a time signature, the upper number indicates what?

adding a dot using a tie

What are two ways of lengthening the value of a note?

rest

in notation of rhythm, a symbol to indicate that duration of silence in the music

tie

in notation of rhythm, an arc between two notes of the same pitch indicating that the second note should not be played but should be added to the duration of the first

triplet

in notation of rhythm, three notes of equal duration grouped within a curved line with the numeral 3, lasting only as long as two notes of the same length would normally last

note

in notation, a black or white oval to which a stem and flags can be added

staff

in notation, a set of five horizontal lines between or on which notes are positioned

dotted rhythm

long-short rhythmic pattern in which a dotted note is followed by a note that is much shorter

ledger lines

short, horizontal lines above or below the staff, used to indicate a pitch that falls above or below the range indicated by the staff

natural sign

symbol used in notation of pitch to cancel a previous sharp or flat sign

notation

system of writing down music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated

false

true or false: the higher a note is placed on the staff, the lower its pitch

treble clef

Notation on a staff to indicate relatively high pitch ranges, such as those played by a pianist's right hand.

middle C

Note C nearest to the center of the piano keyboard, notated as the pitch on the ledger line below the treble clef and above the bass clef.

dotted note

Note with a dot to the right of it. This symbol increases the note's undotted duration by half.

clef

Symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to show the exact pitch of notes placed on each line and space.

sharp sign (#)

Symbol that notates a pitch one half step higher than the pitch that would otherwise be indicated—for example, the next higher black key on the piano.

flat sign (b)

Symbol that notates a pitch one half step lower than the pitch that would otherwise be indicated—for example, the next lower key on the piano.

time signature (meter signature)

Two numbers, one above the other, appearing at the beginning of a staff or the start of a piece, indicating the meter of the piece.

stem

Vertical line on a note indicating how long that note is to be held relative to the notes around it.

flag

Wavy line attached to the stem on a note, indicating how long that note is to be held relative to the notes around it.