INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY Unit 1 Review

1. INTRODUCTIONTO MUSIC THEORYUnit 1 Review Friday, September 14, 2012

2. UNIT 1 EXAM Monday, September 17, 2012 during class

3. EXAM TOPICS: Treble clef (G clef) note names Bass clef (F clef) note names The grand staff Rhythm identification; note values 2/4, 3/4, & 4/4 time Measures/bar lines/double bar lines Musical math Fill in missing beats (notes & rests) Writing beats under pitches Dots Slurs/Ties

4. EXAM TOPICS: “Balanced musical equations” Repeats signs & 1st and 2nd endings Stems, flags, & beams Dynamic, Tempo, Articulation symbols & meanings D.C., D.S., Coda, & Fine Sharps, flats, & naturals (accidentals) Enharmonic notes Half steps & whole steps Tetrachords Major scale construction

5. THE STAFF, NOTES, & PITCHES: • Music is written on a STAFF. • 5 lines with 4 spaces in between • Music NOTES are oval–shaped symbols that are placed on the lines and in the spaces. They represent musical sounds, called PITCHES. • The lines of the staff are numbered from bottom to top (1–5). • The spaces between the lines are also numbered from bottom to top (1–4) • If notes appear higher on the staff, they sound higher (of course!). If notes appear lower on the staff, they sound lower (seriously!).

6. THE TREBLE CLEF: Music notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). CLEF signs help to organize music on the staff so notes can be easily read. The TREBLE CLEF is used for notes in the higher pitch range. The TREBLE CLEF is also called the G CLEF because is evolved from a stylized letter G. The curl on the treble clef circles the line on which the note G is placed. This G is above MIDDLE C (the C nearest the middle of the keyboard.

7. THE TREBLE CLEF – NOTE NAMES: In the treble staff, the names of the notes on the lines (from bottom to top) are: E, G, B, D, F. The names in the spaces from bottom to top are: F, A, C, E.

8. THE BASS CLEF: The BASS CLEF (pronounced “base”) is used for notes in the lower pitch ranges. The BASS CLEF is also called the F CLEF because it has evolved from a stylized letter F. The two dots of the bass clef surround the line on which the note F is placed. This F is below middle C.

9. THE BASS CLEF – NOTE NAMES: In the bass staff, the names of the notes on the lines (from bottom to top) are: G, B, D, F, A. The names in the spaces from bottom to top are: A, C, E, G.

10. THE GRAND STAFF: When the treble and bass staffs are connected by a brace and a line, they combine to form a GRAND STAFF.

11. LEDGER LINES – MIDDLE NOTES: LEDGER LINES are short lines which are added to extend the range of the staff when notes are too low or too high to be written on the staff. The notes in the middle range of the staff are: B, C, and D. They can be written on ledger lines in both the treble and bass staffs.

12. LEDGER LINES –LOW & HIGH NOTES: More than one LEDGER LINE may be added to extend the lower and upper ranges of the GRAND STAFF. The next higher notes on the treble staff are: G, A, B, & C. The next lower notes of the bass staff are: F, E, D, C Remember, the musical alphabet goes up as pitches go up and down as pitches go down.

13. THE COMPLETE GRAND STAFF:

14. THE RHYTHM HIERARCHY:

15. RHYTHM – NOTE VALUES: While the placement of notes on the staff indicates the pitch, the DURATION of the note (how long the note is held) is determined by the NOTE VALUE. A WHOLE NOTE is drawn with an open oval. Two HALF NOTES equal the duration of one whole note. Four QUARTER NOTEs equal the duration of 2 half notes or 1 whole note.

16. STEMS & STEM DIRECTION: STEMS extend downward on the left side when the note appears on or above the 3rd line of the staff. STEMS extend upward on the right side when the note appears below the 3rd line of the staff. The STEM LENGTH should continue to the space or line with the same letter name, above or below.

17. RHYTHM – REST VALUES: Music is not only made up of sounds, but also the silence between sounds. The duration of musical silence is determined by the value of the REST. A WHOLE REST means to rest for an entire measure. A HALF REST is equal to half of a whole rest. A QUARTER REST is equal to one quarter of a whole rest.

18. RHYTHM – REST VALUES: • A WHOLE REST hangs down from the 4th line. • A HALF REST sits on top of the 3rd line (it looks like a top hat). • In 4/4 time: • Whole rests = 4 beats • Half rests = 2 beats • Quarter rests = 1 beat

19. ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT…

20. HOW MUSIC IS ORGANIZED: Music is divided into equal parts by BAR LINES. The area between two bar lines is called a MEASURE or a BAR. A DOUBLE BAR is written at the end of a piece of music. It is made up of one thin and one thick line, with the thick line always on the outside. On a GRAND STAFF, the bar lines and the double bar pass through the entire staff.

21. SOME EXAMPLES:

22. TIME SIGNATURES: The TIME SIGNATURE appears at the beginning of a piece of music immediately after the clef sign. A TIME SIGNATURE contains two numbers, one above the other. The upper number tells how many beats (or counts) are in each measure. The lower numbers tells what type of notes receives one beat.

23. 4/4 TIME: In 4/4 time, the top number means there are 4 beats in each measure. In 4/4 time, the bottom number means that the quarter is receiving one beat. 4/4 time is also called “common time.” In 4/4 time, a QUARTER NOTE is equal to one beat. In 4/4 time, a HALF NOTE is equal to two beats. In 4/4 time, a WHOLE NOTE is equal to four beats.

24. 2/4 TIME: In 2/4 time, the top number means there are 2 beats in each measure. In 2/4 time, the bottom number means that the quarter is receiving one beat. In 2/4 time, a QUARTER NOTE is equal to one beat. In 2/4 time, a HALF NOTE is equal to two beats. In 2/4 time, a WHOLE REST is used for a full measure of rest, even if there are only 2 beats in each measure. A HALF REST and a WHOLE NOTE are never used in 2/4 time.

25. 3/4 TIME: In 3/4 time, the top number means there are 3 beats in each measure. In 3/4 time, the bottom number means that the quarter is receiving one beat. In 3/4 time, a QUARTER NOTE is equal to one beat. In 3/4 time, a HALF NOTE is equal to two beats. In 3/4 time, a WHOLE REST is used for a full measure of rest, even if there are only 3 beats in each measure. A HALF REST and a WHOLE NOTE are never used in 3/4 time.

26. HOW TIME SIGNATURES LOOK:

27. DOTS IN RHYTHM: • The use of a dot in music notation dates back at least to the 10th Century, although the exact amount of augmentation is disputed. • A dot after a note increases its duration by half of the original value. • EXAMPLE: half note • In 4/4 & 3/4 time, a half note is usually worth 2 beats. • If you add a dot after a half note, the dot is worth 1 beat (half of 2 is 1). • Adding that dot to the half note gives it a new value of 3 (2+1=3).

28. MORE ABOUT DOTS: If the note to be dotted is on a space, the dot also goes on the space, while if the note is on a line, the dot goes on the space above (this also goes for notes on ledger lines). The dots on dotted notes, which are located to the right of the note, are not to be confused with the dots which indicate staccato articulation, which are located above or below the note. Theoretically, any note value can be dotted, as can rests of any value. If the rest is in its normal position, dots are always placed in third staff space from the bottom. Dots can be used across bar lines. More than one dot may be added; each dot adds half of the duration added by the previous dot.

29. TIES: A TIE joins two notes of the same pitch by a curved line over or under the notes. Each note joined by a tie is held for its full value but only the first note is played or sung. The tied note’s value is added to the value of the first note. A tie should always be written on the opposite side of the note stems.

30. SLURS: A SLUR smoothly connects two or more notes of different pitches by a curved line over or under the notes. With a slur, there is no break in sound between pitches. A slur is sometimes also referred to as LEGATO singing or playing. (More on this later…) When all the stems are in the same direction, the slur is written on the opposite side from that of the stems. When stem direction is mixed, the slur is written above the notes.

31. EIGHTH NOTES: • When you add a stem to a quarter note, it becomes an eighth note. • Two or more eighth notes are connected by a beam. • In 2/4, 3/4, & 4/4 time, an eighth note is equal to one–half count. • Two eighth notes equal 1 quarter note. • Four eighth notes equal 1 half note. • Eight eighth notes equal 1 whole note.

32. EIGHTH NOTES: • Eighth notes can be drawn as: • a single quarter note with a flag attached to the stem • with a beam/in pairs • with a beam/in fours

33. EIGHTH RESTS: An eighth rest is equal to half the value of a quarter rest. In 2/4, 3/4, & 4/4 time, an eighth rest is equal to one–half count of rest. Two eighth rests equal 1 quarter rest. Four eighth rests equal 1 half rest. Eight eighth rests equal 1 whole rest.

34. DOWNBEATS & UPBEATS: Notes or rests that fall on numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) are considered on the beat (downbeat). Notes or rests that fall on the “&” are considered off the beat (upbeat). 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &        

35. DOTTED QUARTER NOTES: Remember: a dot increases a note by half of the note’s original value. In 2/4, 3/4, & 4/4 time, a quarter note receives one beat. Because a dot following a quarter note increases its duration by ½ beat, the value of a dotted quarter note is 1½ beats. A dotted quarter note is almost always followed by an eighth note. A dotted quarter note = 3 eighth notes.

36. REPEAT SIGNS: Two dots placed before a double bar indicate a REPEAT SIGN. It means to go back to the beginning and play or sing the music again. Repeat signs sometimes appear in pairs within a piece of music. The first repeat sign will have two dots places after the double bar. When you get to the second repeat sign, return to the first repeat sign at the beginning of the section.

37. 1st & 2nd ENDINGS: Another way to indicate a repeat is with 1st & 2nd endings. Play or sing through the 1st ending to the repeat sign and then go back to the beginning. When repeating, skip the 1st ending and play or sing to the 2nd ending.

38. ITALIAN TERMINOLOGY: • The Italian language factors into musical notation in many ways. • The words to describe tempo, dynamics, and articulation are traditionally in Italian and number into the hundreds. • When the practice of specifying a particular tempo or volume evolved during the Renaissance period (1400–1600), Italy was the center of musical learning. As many musicians came to study music practices in Italy, they carried such advanced practices back to their own countries, still using Italian terminology. • Centuries later, Italian remains the universal musical language for tempo, dynamics, articulations, and other music terminology.

39. DYNAMICS: • Dynamics = volume • From softest to loudest: • pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff • From loudest to softest: • ff, f, mf, mp, p, pp • Crescendo = gradually get louder • Decrescendo = gradually get softer • Decrescendo is the same as diminuendo

40. TEMPO: • Tempo = speed • From slowest to fastest: • largo, adagio, andante, moderato, allegro, vivace • From fastest to slowest: • vivace, allegro, moderato, andante, adagio, largo • Ritardando= gradually slower (rit.) • Accelerando = gradually faster (accel.)

41. ARTICULATION: Articulation = the manner in which a note is played or sung Staccato = short and detached Legato = smooth and connected Accent = play/sing a note louder and with emphasis Sforzando = a sudden, strong accent Tenuto = hold the note for its full value Fermata = Hold the note longer than its normal value

42. D.C., D.S., CODA, & FINE: Da Capo (D.C.) = repeat from the beginning Dal Segno (D.S.) = repeat from “the sign” Fine = THE END! Coda = An added ending

43. THE PIANO KEYBOARD:

44. ACCIDENTALS: • An accidental is a symbol that alters the pitch of a given note. • The most common accidentals are: • Flats • Sharps • Naturals • Other accidentals include: • Double flats • Double sharps

45. ACCIDENTALS: Flats, sharps, and naturals are called “accidentals”. Flats lower the pitch of a note (by one ½ step). Sharps raise the pitch of a note (by one ½ step). A natural sign cancels out a previous sharp or flat. An accidental sign affects the notes written on the line or space following it for that measure ONLY! A bar line cancels accidentals from the previous measure, unless a note is tied across the bar line.

46. FLATS: The FLAT sign (b) before a notes lowers the pitch of that note by one half step. When speaking of flatted notes, the word “flat” comes after the letter name, (ex. A flat). However, in written music, the flat sign comes before the note. When a flat sign is attached to a line note, the flat is centered on the line. When a flat sign is attached to a space note, the flat is centered in the space. A flat is in effect for an entire measure.

47. SHARPS: The SHARP sign (#) before a notes raises the pitch of that note by one half step. When speaking of sharped notes, the word “sharp” comes after the letter name, (ex. C sharp). However, in written music, the sharp sign comes before the note. When a sharp sign is attached to a line note, the sharp is centered on the line. When a sharp sign is attached to a space note, the sharp is centered in the space. A sharp is in effect for an entire measure.

48. NATURALS: The NATURAL sign before a note cancels a previous sharp or flat. When speaking of natural notes, the word “natural” comes after the letter name, (ex. B natural). However, in written music, the natural sign comes before the note. When a natural sign is attached to a line note, the natural is centered on the line. When a natural sign is attached to a space note, the natural is centered in the space. A natural is in effect for an entire measure.

49. HALF STEPS & WHOLE STEPS: The distance from any key on the keyboard to the very next hey above or below is a HALF STEP. The distance from any key to the key two keys above or below is a WHOLE STEP. When ASCEDNDING from one key to the next on the piano, use sharps (C – C#). When DESCENDING from one key to the next on the piano, use flats (D – Db).

50. ENHARMONIC NOTES: Notes that sound the same but are written differently are called ENHARMONIC notes. The enharmonic note for E if Fb. The enharmonic note for F is E#. The enharmonic note for B is Cb. The enharmonic note for C is B#.