Notation

The Staff A set of five horizontal lines and four spaces, on which note symbols are placed to indicate their pitch.

Letter Names *The pitches are referred to by the first seven letters of the alphabet

Clefs 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 *Treble Clef *Bass Clef *C Clef

Treble Clef a.k.a the G clef f ga b cde f Lines = Every Good Boy Does Fine Space= FACE

Bass Clef a.k.a the F clef Lines = Great Big Dogs Fight Animals Space= All Cows Eat Grass

Leger Lines Go beyond the limit of the staff

C Clef The C clefs are a set of movable clefs that designate middle c Where the “intendish” part is, that’s middle C

Octave Identification Alternate system of octave identification: Each octave is numbered beginning with A0 for the lowest 3 notes on the piano extending go C8 for the highest note <- Standard

Accidentals Symbols that are placed to the left of the note heads to indicate the raising or lowering of a pitch # : Sharp – raises pitch by a half step : Natural – cancels previous accidental : Flat – lowers pitch by a half step : Double Flat- lowers pitch 2 half steps : Double Sharp – raises pitch 2 half steps

Intervals The relationship between two tones ½ is the smallest Count the note you start on and the one you finish on Take the key you’re in into consideration Ex. The interval between C and E is a major third The interval between A and F is a minor sixth

Enharmonic Equivalents Tones that have the same pitch but different names ex. F and E# C# and Db

Notation Duration

The Tie A curved line that connects two adjacent notes of the same pitch into a single sound with a duration equal to the sum of both note values

The Dot A dot lengthens the note by half its value A double dot lengthens the note by half the value of the second dot

Meter Recurring patterns of strong and weak beats Indicated by meter signature (Time Signature) Top number = number of beats in a measure *Bottom number = what type of note gets one beat The C stands for common time which means 4/4

Compound Meter Each pulse is a dotted note which is divided into groups of three parts. 6/8, 9/8, 12/8

Asymmetrical Meters When the pulse cannot be divided into equal groups 5/4, 5/8, 7/4, 7/8

Syncopation If a part of the measure that is usually unstressed is accented

Dynamics Indicate the general volume or level of intensity Crescendo (cres.) to gradually get louder Decrescendo (decres) gradually get softer Sudden accent on a single note or chord

Direction of Notes If the note is above the middle line the stem goes down If the note is below the middle line the stem goes up When the note is in the middle the stem generally goes down except when the notes around it are opposite. When notes are on leger lines the stems extend to the middle line

Beams When a note is connected by beams the beams are slanted to cross no more than one line of the staff When two melodies share the same staff the beams and stems go in the opposite direction Group the beats together to make reading the music easier