Lesson 1: Music Notation
1. The Clefs:
a. A clef is a symbol placed at the beginning of a line of music that establishes the
letter names of the lines and spaces of the staff.
2. Treble Clef:
a. The treble clef or G clef is one of the ways of notating music. This clef is
sometimes called the G clef because it resembles a very decorated G. The curved
line of this clef stops on the second line, and so the note on that line is a G.
b. One way to remember the note names of this clef is to use mnemonic devices for
the letter names. For the space notes, remember that they spell the word FACE.
For the line notes, remember the phrase "Elephants Go Bouncing Down
Highways."
3. Bass Clef:
a. The bass clef or F clef is another common clef for notating music. The dots on
the clef are above and below the fourth line, and so the note on that line is F.
b. The mnemonic devices for this clef can also help you to remember the note
names. For the space notes, remember the phrase "All Cows Eat Grass." For the
line notes, remember the phrase "Good Bikes Don't Fall Apart."
4. The Grand Staff:
a. When you combine the treble and bass staves together, they form the grand staff.
The two staves converge on the note C, which is called middle C.
b. The notes that go beyond the limits of the staves are called ledger lines. These
notes are written above and below the staff and are parallel to the staff.
5. C Clef:
a. A C clef can be positioned on any line in order to designate that line as middle C.
There are many types of C clefs, and each has a second name that it is more
commonly referred to.
b. The alto clef designates the third line as middle C. This clef is used for voila
music.
c. The tenor clef designates the fourth line as middle C. This clef is sometimes
found in cello, bassoon, and trombone music.
d. The soprano, mezzo soprano, and baritone clef are not used as much as the alto
and tenor clef, but are still seen in some older music.
6. Accidentals:
a. Accidentals are symbols that are placed before a note that indicate the note needs
to be raised or lowered.
b. Sharp (#) - raises the note by a half step.
c. Flat (♭) - lowers the note by a half step.
d. Natural (♮) - cancels any previous flat or sharp and returns the note back to
natural.
e. Double Sharp (x) - raises the note by 2 half steps.
f. Double Flat (♭♭) - lowers the note by 2 half steps.
7. Enharmonic Equivalents:
a. Enharmonic equivalents or enharmonic notes are two tones that have the same
pitch but have different letter names. Many enharmonic notes are used when
analyzing chord structures.
8. Note Lengths:
9. Ties:
a. A tie is a curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch into a single sound
with the duration equal to the sum of both notes.
10. Dots:
a. A dot lengthens the value of the note by half of its original value. A second dot
lengthens the dotted note value by half of the first dot. The dots are placed to the
right of the note head.
11. Subdivision:
a. A note can be divided or subdivided into any number of equal parts.
b. Subdivision is a technique used by many professionals to help count a tricky
rhythm or to keep a steady tempo during a long passage.
c. An irregular subdivision in music will include a number over the notes to show
the subdivision.
12. Rhythm Counting System:
a. When reading a difficult passage, using a rhythm counting system can help you
practice your rhythm without having to also practice the correct notes. There are a
few ways you can count rhythms, but this is the most widely accepted counting
system.
b. Whole notes will receive 4 counts per note. Some people prefer to bracket their
longer notes together, such as (1234) under a whole note, while others prefer to
use no brackets. Brackets help to show that multiple beats are within one note and
that you play that note only once during those counts.
c. Half notes will receive 2 counts per note. Again, like the whole note, these longer
notes can have brackets around the numbers.
d. Quarter notes will receive 1 count per note. Because it only has one count, a
quarter note does not need a bracket.
e. Eighth notes will receive half a count per note. When you speak eighth notes,
you will say "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and." When written, the "and" becomes a plus
sign. So writing out eighth notes will look like "1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +."
f. Sixteenth notes will receive a fourth of a count per note. When you speak
sixteenth notes, you will say "1 ee and ah 2 ee and ah 3 ee and ah 4 ee and ah."
When written, the "ee" will become one e, the "and" will become a plus sign, and
the "ah" will become an a. So written out sixteenth notes will look like "1 e + a 2
e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a."
g. The bracket system used for whole and half notes is also helpful when you have
ties or dotted notes within a piece. It can help show you the unheard beats that
are tied together during a note.
13. Meter Signature:
a. Meter can be defined as a regular, recurring pattern of strong and weak beats.
This recurring pattern is identified at the beginning of a piece as a meter
signature (time signature).
b. The upper digit indicates the number of notes per measure. It may or may not tell
you the number of pulses within the measure. The lower number indicates a note
value: 2 will mean half note, 4 will mean quarter note, and so on.
14. Simple Meter:
a. In simple meter, each beat is divided into two parts. So the bottom number in
each meter signature is divisible by 2.
15. Compound Meter:
a. In compound meter, each pulse is a dotted note, which is divided into groups of
three. The upper numbers you usually see in a compound meter is 6, 9, and 12. In
compound meter, the lower number refers to the division of the beat while the
number above indicates the number of these division per measure.
16. Duple, Triple, and Quadruple Meters:
a. Both simple and compound meter will have two, three or four recurring pulses.
Meters are identified as duple if there are two basic pulses, triple if there are
three basic pulses, and quadruple if there are four. These designations are often
combined with the division names to describe a meter.
17. Asymmetrical Meters:
a. The term asymmetrical means "not symmetrical" and it typically applies to
meters that cannot be divided into equal groups of 2, 3, or 4. The upper number of
these meters is usually 5 or 7.
18. Dynamic Markings:
a. Dynamic markings indicate the general volume or amplitude of a sound.
Although it is not precise, it denotes the approximately level of intensity.