Music Theory Notes 1
(I have the Posted and Updated parts because I if I read something that pretains to these I will just add to them and I know Panda was using this for her music theory class and Save_whoever might also. This first one is just from the first chapter of my new music theory book, just basics on how to read music, so shall the next few but I plan on doing one a day! I am also combining them with the notes from the other book that are not mentioned but since only a few from that book apply here only a few are on here. I am way past this in the book but I was not taking notes so I am just re-reading it to take notes.)
Posted: 10/25/04
Updated: Not
Music Theory:
Music is the organization of sound, the mind searches for patterns and if the patterns are not found then we become bored with the song. Music theory is how pitch and groups of pitches are organized.
Tones:
The basic building blocks of music are tones (or notes). A tone is a sound played or sung at a specific pitch. Higher tones are referred to as higher pitched; lower tones are called lower pitched (obviously…). Different instruments have different ranges of tones, such as how a piano can produce a larger range of tones than most other instruments. Usually the larger the instrument the lower the tone (compare the large bass strings on the piano to the high treble strings.)
Here are the main qualities of musical tones:
*Length
*Loudness
*Color (basically which instrument)
*Pitch
*How sharply it ends or begins, whether it wavers, etc.
Some instruments do not actually produce a specific note, instead these are called unpitched or nonpitched. They can be higher or lower but they do not have a specific note pitch (like a drum.)
Pitch: Specific frequency or tuning of a tone.
Frequency: How quickly the air molecules are vibrating. The faster the vibrations the higher in pitch the note will be. These are measured in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz.).
These tones need names, since using the number of hertz is not very easy to do. Therefore notes with large intervals within their frequency were used and were arranged within a scale. A note on an octave above the same note vibrates at twice the previous, such as the A4 is set to 440 Hz while A3 vibrates at 220 Hz (440 A is the standard). In western music scales are 8 notes, with the end note being the same as the first note but only one octave higher.
To name these notes Solfège (sometimes Solfeggio) was developed to give each note in a scale a specific name.
1: Do
2: Re
3: Mi
4: Fa
5: So (or Sol)
6: La
7: Ti
8: Do
The first note in a scale when using Solfège is always Do, which is repeated at the 8th note (the 8th note being one octave higher than the first) and is a very relative musical naming system. This is relative because it does not matter which tone you start with in a scale, the first tone is always Do.
Solfège: Pronounced Sol-fezh, is a method of naming notes using a set of syllables, the first 6 coming from the first syllables of the first six words to the Hymn to St. John, the seventh comes from St. John’s name in Latin.
To give each tone in a scale a specific name was given to each tone using the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. Unlike Solfège, a note is absolute and a scale may start on any note (such as an A is always an A no matter where it lies on the scale.) There are of course multiples of each letter, since all 8 are in one octave and repeated in the next (i.e. C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C two octaves with their notes!)
On a keyboard the white key below a set of two black keys is always a C while the white key below a set of three black keys is always a F. On a piano the first key is an A and is below one black key and the last key is a C that is next to no black keys.
Since each note is in each octave how do we know which note is which? All notes may be described as its position to Middle C as in the “A above middle C” or the “B below middle C.” On a piano the keys are sometimes numbered by their position on the keyboard: The lowest C is C1, then C2, C3, C4 (middle C), C5, C6, C7 and finally C8. The A & B below C1 on the piano are A0 and B0.
Staff:
Music is written on a staff, 5 lines and 4 spaces. What each note written on the staff means is determined by the clef at the beginning of the staff. A treble clef marks the second line of a staff as G by wrapping around it and crossing through it like a crosshair. A bass clef marks the fourth line as F by starting on it and having two dots, one below (E) and one above (G) the F line. One these two clefs Middle C is one ledger line off of the staff (below for treble and above for bass.) Higher pitched instruments use the treble clef while lower pitched instruments use the bass clef.
The grand staff links two staves together, usually the bass and treble staff and generally each apply to one hand, but not always. Piano music uses the grand staff. Middle C is written on both staves and a few other notes may be crossed over but generally a composer will make both staves the same clef if they both use mostly bass or treble.
Alto Clef: This marking makes the middle line of the staff (the third line) middle C and is most commonly used with the viola.
Bass Clef: Pronounced base, not bass like the fish! This clef assigns the fourth line as the F below middle C.
Grand Staff: Two staves connected for one instrument (such as for the piano.)
Ledger Line: Ledger lines are small lines added either above or below a staff for only one note for notes that go beyond the staff (such as Middle C on a bass or treble clef).
Octave Clef: This looks like a normal treble or bass clef but with an 8 either above or below it to show that the notes are played as if they were one octave higher or lower than written. If the 8 is above the staff it the notes are played an octave higher, below means they are played an octave lower.
Percussion Clef (or indefinite pitch clef): With this clef a staff does not actually have notes but instead different instruments are written upon each line or space showing when they are to be sounded (such as drums or hand claps.) There are no actual rules on what percussion instruments may be assigned to which line but it would be good to consult drummers on better ways to use the percussion clef.
Staff: A drawing of 5 lines and 4 spaces on which musical notes or written.
Tenor Clef: This marking looks just like the Alto Clef but points to the 4th line of a staff, making it Middle C. Sometimes used for bassoons, bass violins, and tenor trombones.
Treble Clef: Marking the 2nd line as the G above Middle C.
Posted: 10/25/04
Updated: Not
Music Theory:
Music is the organization of sound, the mind searches for patterns and if the patterns are not found then we become bored with the song. Music theory is how pitch and groups of pitches are organized.
Tones:
The basic building blocks of music are tones (or notes). A tone is a sound played or sung at a specific pitch. Higher tones are referred to as higher pitched; lower tones are called lower pitched (obviously…). Different instruments have different ranges of tones, such as how a piano can produce a larger range of tones than most other instruments. Usually the larger the instrument the lower the tone (compare the large bass strings on the piano to the high treble strings.)
Here are the main qualities of musical tones:
*Length
*Loudness
*Color (basically which instrument)
*Pitch
*How sharply it ends or begins, whether it wavers, etc.
Some instruments do not actually produce a specific note, instead these are called unpitched or nonpitched. They can be higher or lower but they do not have a specific note pitch (like a drum.)
Pitch: Specific frequency or tuning of a tone.
Frequency: How quickly the air molecules are vibrating. The faster the vibrations the higher in pitch the note will be. These are measured in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz.).
These tones need names, since using the number of hertz is not very easy to do. Therefore notes with large intervals within their frequency were used and were arranged within a scale. A note on an octave above the same note vibrates at twice the previous, such as the A4 is set to 440 Hz while A3 vibrates at 220 Hz (440 A is the standard). In western music scales are 8 notes, with the end note being the same as the first note but only one octave higher.
To name these notes Solfège (sometimes Solfeggio) was developed to give each note in a scale a specific name.
1: Do
2: Re
3: Mi
4: Fa
5: So (or Sol)
6: La
7: Ti
8: Do
The first note in a scale when using Solfège is always Do, which is repeated at the 8th note (the 8th note being one octave higher than the first) and is a very relative musical naming system. This is relative because it does not matter which tone you start with in a scale, the first tone is always Do.
Solfège: Pronounced Sol-fezh, is a method of naming notes using a set of syllables, the first 6 coming from the first syllables of the first six words to the Hymn to St. John, the seventh comes from St. John’s name in Latin.
To give each tone in a scale a specific name was given to each tone using the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A. Unlike Solfège, a note is absolute and a scale may start on any note (such as an A is always an A no matter where it lies on the scale.) There are of course multiples of each letter, since all 8 are in one octave and repeated in the next (i.e. C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C two octaves with their notes!)
On a keyboard the white key below a set of two black keys is always a C while the white key below a set of three black keys is always a F. On a piano the first key is an A and is below one black key and the last key is a C that is next to no black keys.
Since each note is in each octave how do we know which note is which? All notes may be described as its position to Middle C as in the “A above middle C” or the “B below middle C.” On a piano the keys are sometimes numbered by their position on the keyboard: The lowest C is C1, then C2, C3, C4 (middle C), C5, C6, C7 and finally C8. The A & B below C1 on the piano are A0 and B0.
Staff:
Music is written on a staff, 5 lines and 4 spaces. What each note written on the staff means is determined by the clef at the beginning of the staff. A treble clef marks the second line of a staff as G by wrapping around it and crossing through it like a crosshair. A bass clef marks the fourth line as F by starting on it and having two dots, one below (E) and one above (G) the F line. One these two clefs Middle C is one ledger line off of the staff (below for treble and above for bass.) Higher pitched instruments use the treble clef while lower pitched instruments use the bass clef.
The grand staff links two staves together, usually the bass and treble staff and generally each apply to one hand, but not always. Piano music uses the grand staff. Middle C is written on both staves and a few other notes may be crossed over but generally a composer will make both staves the same clef if they both use mostly bass or treble.
Alto Clef: This marking makes the middle line of the staff (the third line) middle C and is most commonly used with the viola.
Bass Clef: Pronounced base, not bass like the fish! This clef assigns the fourth line as the F below middle C.
Grand Staff: Two staves connected for one instrument (such as for the piano.)
Ledger Line: Ledger lines are small lines added either above or below a staff for only one note for notes that go beyond the staff (such as Middle C on a bass or treble clef).
Octave Clef: This looks like a normal treble or bass clef but with an 8 either above or below it to show that the notes are played as if they were one octave higher or lower than written. If the 8 is above the staff it the notes are played an octave higher, below means they are played an octave lower.
Percussion Clef (or indefinite pitch clef): With this clef a staff does not actually have notes but instead different instruments are written upon each line or space showing when they are to be sounded (such as drums or hand claps.) There are no actual rules on what percussion instruments may be assigned to which line but it would be good to consult drummers on better ways to use the percussion clef.
Staff: A drawing of 5 lines and 4 spaces on which musical notes or written.
Tenor Clef: This marking looks just like the Alto Clef but points to the 4th line of a staff, making it Middle C. Sometimes used for bassoons, bass violins, and tenor trombones.
Treble Clef: Marking the 2nd line as the G above Middle C.