Note Names Music is written down on 5 lines and 4 spaces called a staff or stave
At the beginning of each stave, a sign called a treble clef is written. This tells the musician where on their instrument they are supposed to play the notes.
Notes are written on the stave, on the lines and in the spaces. Notes on the lines
E
G
B
D
F
An easy way to remember this is by b y using the phrase
Every Good Boy Deserves Football Notes in the spaces
F
A
The notes in the spaces spell out the word
C
E
FACE (which rhymes with space!)
It is very important to draw the notes carefully onto the stave – if the note is meant to be on a line, the line should run exactly through the middle of the note. If it is meant to be in a space, it should fill the space and not overlap the line.
QUESTIONS 1. Write down the names of the notes below. The first two have been completed for you.
A
D
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
semibreve (which 2. Draw the correct notes on the stave. Make each note a semibreve lasts for 4 beats). beats). The first two have been been completed for you.
F
B
G
C
A
E
F
D
3. Try to solve the puzzles by filling in the missing notes and letter names. (CLUE: they all make up words.)
a) Clue: You sleep in it
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
b) Clue: Opposite of good
c) Clue: Birds can be kept in it ___
d) Clue: A chicken might lay one
____
____
____
E
Accidentals In some pieces of music it is necessary to use the black notes (on the piano). There are different symbols to show the musician which note to play. These are known as accidentals.
b #
Flat
Lowers the note
Sharp
Raises the note
Natural
Restores the flat/sharp to the original pitch
If the symbol is written before a note then the note must be played according to the sign. What this means is that if there is a flat sign before the note A, then instead of playing A, the musician must play the black note immediately below it:
Ab
A If the composer writes a sharp sign before the note C then the musician must play the black note above it.
C#
C Sometimes the composer might want a certain note to be sharp and then to be played normally. To do this a natural sign is placed before the note, which restores the flat or sharp to it’s “natural” pitch.
QUESTIONS 1.
Which sign means to lower the note? _____________________________
2.
Draw the symbol for a natural. _______
3.
Draw the symbol for a sharp. ______
4.
Which sign means to restore the note to it’s original pitch?______________
5.
Draw the symbol for a flat.
6.
Which sign means to raise the note? ______________________________
7.
Name the following notes. The first one has been completed for you.
_________
C sharp
8.
_______
_________
_________
__________
________
Draw the following notes on the stave.
G sharp
B flat
F natural
D sharp
C natural
E flat
NOTE VALUES In music, the lengths of notes change depending on the piece. There are different symbols to show the different notes. It is important that you learn what the different notes look like because it will help you to play pieces properly.
Symbol
Name
Duration
semibreve
Lasts for 4 beats
dotted minim
Lasts for 3 beats
minim
Lasts for 2 beats
dotted crotchet
Lasts for 1 ! beat
crotchet
Lasts for 1 beat
quaver
Lasts for ! beat
Semi - quaver
Lasts for " beat
If you have two or even four quavers together you need to join the stems. The same rule applies for semi-quavers.
+
=
=
QUESTIONS 1. 1. Draw a crotchet.
__________
2. What is a 4 beat note called?
__________
3. How many beats does a dotted minim last for?
__________
4. Draw a quaver.
__________
5. What is a 2 beat note called?
__________
6. How many beats does a semi quaver last for?
__________
7. Draw a pair of quavers.
__________
8. How many beats does a dotted crotchet last?
__________
9. Try to work out the answers to these puzzles by drawing in the note value of the sum. Be careful to check whether it is add or subtract – or both! a) +
=
+
=
-
+
=
+
+
=
-
-
=
b)
c)
d)
e)
RESTS Every note value you have learned so far has an equivalent symbol which indicates a silence. This is called a rest. Look at the table to learn the different symbols then answer the questions below.
Symbol
Name
Duration
semibreve
Lasts for 4 beats
dotted minim
Lasts for 3 beats
minim
Lasts for 2 beats
dotted crotchet
Lasts for 1 ! beat
crotchet
Lasts for 1 beat
quaver
Lasts for ! beat
semiquaver
Lasts for " beat
Rest
QUESTIONS
1. Draw a crotchet rest.
_________
2. How many beats does a dotted minim rest last for?
_________
3. Draw a semi quaver rest.
_________
4. How many beats does a quaver rest last for?
________
5. Draw a semibreve rest.
__________
6. How many beats does a dotted crotchet rest last?
__________
7. Try to work out the answers to these puzzles by drawing in the rest value of the sum. Be careful to check whether it is add or subtract – or both! A
+
=
+
=
-
+
=
+
+
=
B
C
D
STEMS You have now learned the symbols to show the different note lengths and where on the stave the symbol goes to show the different notes. Lets think about what the symbol actually looks like.
Note head
Stem
Dotted minims (3 beats), minims (2 beats), crotchets (1 beat) and quavers ( ! beat) are all made up from a note head which is the round part, and a stem.
It is very important that the stems go in the correct direction. This will depend on which note is being written. Look at the example below.
All the notes that are below the middle line have a stem which is on the right of the note head and points up . All the notes that are above the middle line have a stem which is on the left of the note head and points down . The note on the middle line can have a stem which goes up or down .
QUESTIONS 1. Look at the examples below. Write whether the note has been drawn correctly or not and if you think it is incorrect, draw the note correctly. The first 2 have been completed for you. a) Answer: Correct
b)
Answer: Wrong
c)
Answer: ______________________
d)
Answer: ______________________
e)
Answer: ______________________
f)
Answer: ______________________
BARS, BAR LINES & SIMPLE TIME SIGNATURES If you look at a piece of music, you will see that it is divided into equal sections. These are called bars and the lines that show where the bars start and end are called bar lines. There should also always be a double bar line at the end of the piece of music. At the beginning of a piece of music you will find two numbers called a time signature. Look at the example below.
Merrily we roll along Treble Clef Time Signature
Bar line
Double bar line
The top number of the time signature tells us how many beats are in each bar and the bottom number tells us what kind of beat they are. Some of the most common time signatures are:
2 4
means 2 crotchet beats in each bar
3 4
means 3 crotchet beats in each bar
4 4
means 4 crotchet beats in each bar
QUESTIONS 1. Fill in the missing time signatures at the beginning of each melody.
a)
b)
c)
d)
2. Fill in the missing bar lines. (Don’t forget to put in a double bar line at the end.) a)
b)
c)
Repeats Repeat lines. If there is a section of the music that needs to b e repeated, then repeat marks are used. They look like this:
and
1st & 2nd time bars: This is a sign to show that when playing a repeat, a different ending is needed. The signs look like this:
The is drawn before the repeat sign and is played only the 1st time, then follow the repeat sign.
The
is drawn after the repeat sign and is played the 2nd time only.
This is the same as the following:
QUESTIONS 1) "## !"#"$% '()*' $% &'(& )(*$ +,- %. &'/ 01$23 (*/ */4/(&/# (5# .252$' 62&' ( #%1)7/ )(* 725/8
How many bars of music will be heard when the music is played in full? __
2) Look at the music and insert a 1
st
nd
Time Bar and a 2
Time bar.
How many bars of music will be heard when the music is played in full? __
st
3) Look at the music and insert a 1
Time Bar and a 2
nd
Time bar.
How many bars of music will be heard when the music is played in full? __
PATTERNS To repeat a section of music means to play exactly the same thing again. Here is an example of repetition.
A sequence copies a pattern or shape at a different pitch. Here is an example of sequence . The second pattern of notes is two notes higher than the first pattern.
Here is another example of sequence
The second pattern of notes is one note lower than the first pattern.
QUESTIONS
1. Repetition: Copy each group of notes into the space provided and also name the notes.
2. Sequence: Write the following sequences ONE NOTE HIGHER.
3. Sequence: Write the following sequences ONE NOTE LOWER.
TONES AND SEMITONES
A semitone is the smallest distance between two notes. On a keyboard there is a semitone between any two notes which are next to each other.
Remember- some notes can have the same two names, for example:
F# and Gb
Examples of Semitones
There is a semitone between B and C
There is a semitone between F and F#
There is a semitone between Bb and A
A tone is two semitones. Examples of Tones
There is a tone between C and D
There is a tone between E and F#
There is a tone between Bb and Ab
QUESTIONS 1. Write a note one semitone higher than the note given. The first example has been answered for you. Use the keyboard to help you.
2. Write a note one semitone lower than the note given. The first example has been answered for you.
3. Write a note one tone higher than the note given. The first example has been answered for you.
4. Write a note one tone lower than the note given. The first example has been answered for you.
5.
Write a S if there is a semitone between each note or a T if there is a tone between each note. The first two have been done for you.
DYNAMICS In a piece of music, the volume often changes to add interest and emotion. These changes in volume are called dynamics. To tell the musician whether the music should be loud or quiet, the composer often uses the following symbols which are written below the stave:
ff f
Fortissimo - means very loud Forte - means loud
mf
Mezzo forte - means moderately loud
mp
Mezzo piano - means moderately quiet
p
Piano - means quiet
pp
Pianissimo - means very quiet Crescendo (cresc.) means to get louder Diminuendo (dim.) means to get quieter
Sometimes the composer may want one note louder than another (in other words one note is more prominent that the others). To show this, the composer uses an accent, which looks like > and appears just above or below the note depending where on the stave the note is (if the stem is going up then the accent goes below the note , if the stem is going down then the accent goes above the note ).
QUESTIONS 1.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to be played loud?_________
2.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to be played moderately quiet?_________
3.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to be played quiet?_________
4.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to get louder?_________
5.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to be played moderately loud?_________
6.
Which symbol is used to show that one note is meant to be played louder that the next?__________
7.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to be played very loud?_________
8.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to be played very quiet?_________
9.
Which symbol is used to show that the music is meant to get quieter?_________
10.
Draw accents on the following notes (remember to check whether they should be above or below the notes):
TEMPO
In many pieces of music, Italian terms are used to indicate the speed or the tempo of a piece of music. Adagio
means slow
Largo
means slow
Andante Moderato
means at a medium (walking) speed means at a moderate speed
Allegro
means quick
Presto
means very fast
Accelerando
means to gradually get quicker
Rallentando (rall)
means to gradually get slower
Ritardando (rit.)
means to gradually get slower
Composers also use various markings to show expression. Staccato
Legato Slurs
Phrasing Accents Pause
shown by a dot over or under a note. It means detached. play smoothly over two different notes or over a group of notes. It means to perform the notes smoothly. shape the music. makes the note sound more prominent pause on a note
Questions 1. What does Allegro mean? __________________ 2. Which Italian term means to play the music slowly? ___________ 3. What does accelerando mean? _________________ 4. On the following note, draw a pause.
5. What Italian term means to slow down? _____________ 6. What does largo mean? ___________________ 7. On the following excerpt, make all the notes staccato.
8. On the following excerpt, indicate that the music should be played smoothly.
QUIZ 1
1. Write the correct time signature at the beginning of the music.
2. Give the meaning of f in bar 1. ________________________
3. What are the names of the notes in bar 3? ___ ___ ___ ___
4. How many beats does the final note last for? _______________
5. What is the name of the note marked *? ________
6. What does this symbol
mean? ______________________
7. How many bars are in this example? _________
8. How many beats do the quavers in bar 2 add up to in total? ________
QUIZ 2
1. What does the time signature mean? ____________________________________________
2. Add a rest in bar 3 to make it up to the correct length. 3. What does this sign mean?
_________________
4. Add bar lines for bars 5, 6 and 7.
5. What is the name of the first note in this example? ___________
6. What does p mean? __________________________
7. How many beats does the final note last for? ___________
8. Add accents to the three crotchets in bar 2.
QUIZ 3
1. Write the correct time signature in the box at the beginning of the stave. 2. Give the meaning of p in bar 1. ______________________ 3. Give the meaning of f in bar 5. ________________________ 4. What does Adagio mean? _________________________ 5. What does this sign mean?
6. What does the sign
_______________
at the end of the extract mean?
____________________________________________ 7. What is the name of the first note? ___________
QUIZ 4
1. Draw the missing bar line in the first stave. 2. The speed is moderate. Write an appropriate Italian word above the first note to show this. 3. There is a sequence at the bracket. Write the two missing notes at * *. 4. What does mf mean? _______________________________ 5. What does this sign mean?
________________
6. What is the letter name of the last note in the excerpt? ______ 7. How many beats does the rest in last bar of the first stave last for? ______________ 8. Is there a tone or a semitone between the first two notes? _______________
