Music Basics

1. Music Basics Being comfortable with music as a Song Leader

2. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. The Staff: • Five lines and four spaces, indicating which pitch to play • Vertical lines break the staff in to sections, called measures

3. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. The Clefs: • A symbol that determines the range of notes played on the staff • Found at the beginning of every staff • Two main clefs: Treble and Bass

4. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. The Clefs: Treble • Indicates higher notes, the top half of a piano • Called the G clef

5. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. The Clefs: Bass • Indicates lower notes, the bottom half of the piano • Called the F clef

6. Treble Clef + Bass Clef =Grand Staff The Grand Staff • When the Treble Clef and the Bass Clef are linked together you have a Grand Staff

7. Treble Clef + Bass Clef =Grand Staff The Grand Staff • Here is another look at a Grand Staff

8. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. Note Names • Each line and space in a staff has a name, corresponding to a certain note • Names differ between Treble and Bass clefs

9. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. Note Names: Treble • Lines: E, G, B, D, and F (Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge) • Spaces: F, A, C, and E (FACE)

10. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. Note Names: Bass • Lines: G, B, D, F, and A (Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always) • Spaces: A, C, E, and G (All Cows Eat Grass)

11. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. Other Clefs: Percussion • Used for percussion instruments, on a single line staff, or sometimes a five line staff too

12. Five Lines and a Clef Sign:That’s it. Other Clefs: C clefs • Called the movable clef • Whichever line is in the middle of the clef symbol, that line is middle C

13. Circles for the Lines Notes • Symbols used to designates pitches and rhythms in music • Position in staff determines pitch • Shape of note determines rhythm (duration)

14. Circles for the Lines Notes: Types • Whole Note: four beats • Half Note: two beats (half of a whole note)

15. Circles for the Lines Notes: Types • Quarter Note: one beat (quarter of a whole note, half of a half note) • Eighth note: half a beat (hopefully by now you see the pattern

16. Circles for the Lines Notes: Types • Notes continue in to sixteenth and thirty-second notes, but we don’t sing anything beyond a sixteenth note.

17. Circles for the Lines The Dot! Dotted notes • Adding a dote to a note multiplies its duration by 1.5 • Add half of the notes value to itself w w. w h = 4 beats = + h h. h = 2 beats q = + q = 1 beat q. q e = + e = ½ beat e. e x = + x = ¼ beat

18. Notes and Corresponding Rests Rests • Just like a note, but stand for silence instead of a played pitch

19. Now We Add Some Numbers… Time Signature • A set of stacked numbers that determines the meter of the music • Top Number: number of beats in a measure • Bottom Number: size of a note that determines what a single beat is

20. Now We Add Some Numbers… Time Signature: Denominator explained • Bottom number is the note determining the beat (pulse) • Common time: bottom number is a 4, so a quarter note equals the beat • So, if the bottom number is 8, an eighth note is the pulse/beat of the music

21. What Does It Sound Like? Keys and the Circle of Fifths • Key is an arranged pattern of notes that correspond to a tonic pitch • 12 major keys, 12 minor keys

22. Key Signatures are made up of Sharps and Flats or Accidentals Key Signature • Symbols that indicate what they key of the music is • Designated by sharps or flats at the beginning of every staff • Sharps raise a pitch, flats lower a pitch # = raise b = lower n = undoes a sharp or flat

23. The Law of Accidentals Sharps and Flats last for every note in the measure. When a new measure begins, the accidental is deactivated. You have to know this as a singer

24. Do You Have the Key? Sharps and Flats • Order of Flats: B E A D G C F • Order of Sharps: F C G D E A B Key of C# Major Key of Cb Major

25. Do You Have the Key? Sharps and Flats • Order of Flats: B E A D G C F • Order of Sharps: F C G D E A B

26. Understanding the Key Signature How the sharps and flats are supposed to help you read the music The key of C has no sharps or flats

27. Understanding the Key Signature When you put the song in the key of G everyF in the music will automatically be sharp or raised a ½ step. The key of G has one sharp ---- F# # #

28. Understanding the Key Signature Without the key signature the sheet music would appear very busy From this To this

29. Understanding the Key Signature Examine “Singing I Go” The key of C has no sharps or flats

30. Understanding the Key Signature When you put the song in the key of G everyF in the music will automatically be sharp or raised a ½ step. The key of G has one sharp ---- F# # #

31. Understanding the Key Signature Without the key signature the sheet music would appear very busy From this To this

32. Understanding the Key Signature Now lets put the song in it’s original hymn book key of A flat The key of A flat has 4 flats ---- BbEbAbDb

33. Understanding the Key Signature Without the key signature the sheet music would appear very busy From this To this

34. We Have Music Now? Put it all together (staff, clef sign, notes, measures, key signature, time signature), and you have some simple music.