Lecture 1: August 28 th , 2013

1. Classical Voice Conservatory: Theory I Lecture 1: August 28th, 2013

2. Solfege Syllables and Hand Signs Grand Staff Landmark notes: Treble G, Middle C, Bass F The Musical Alphabet Rhythm: Quarter, Half, and Whole notes Musical Structure: Bar Lines, Double Bar Activity: Composition with rhythm! :D Today’s Topics Will Include

3. Epic Music Quote of the day “It’s easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself.” Johann Sebastian Bach

4. Classical Voice Conservatory: Theory I Solfege Syllables and hand signs

5. Solfege is a system of syllables and hand signs used in the study of music. This system has been used in Western music (basically Europe) since the Middle Ages. It is used to help us sing pitches more accurately. What is solfege?

6. The first syllable establishes the tonic, or first pitch, and is called: DO You basically make a fist. Solfege Syllables and Hand signs

7. The next syllable establishes the second pitch, and is called Re: You just tilt your hand at an angle. Solfege Syllables

8. The next syllable represents the third pitch, and is called Mi: You just lay your hand flat. More Solfege

9. The fourth syllable of solfege is Fa. You shape your hand like you’re going to boo someone. Still More Solfege

10. The fifth syllable is called So(l). (Some people say sol, either way is fine.) The hand symbol is basically Mi flipped over. We’re not done yet!

11. The sixth syllable is La. You just curve your hand, kind of like a claw. You get the Picture at this point…

12. The seventh syllable is called Ti. (Some people also prefer Si, but we’re going with Ti.) You point in a diagonal direction. Almost Done!

13. That will bring us back to……

14. Do! :D

15. All together now!

16. So you’re probably wondering where these syllables and hand signs came from, and the truth is that solfege is a system that is hundreds of years old. Solfege

17. The solfege system originated with a monk named Guido de Arezzo, who used them to help teach the other monks chant music used in the Catholic Church. These syllables were derived from words in Latin, specifically from this hymn dedicated to St. John the Baptist: Solfege: The syllables

19. It is unknown whether Guido de Arezzo actually wrote this chant or not. Ut was later changed to Do. (That’s a whole other story.) Si was also something that came later (yet another story.) The hand signs were developed by an English nobleman and minister named John Curwen. Solfege: A History

20. Classical Voice Conservatory: Theory I Notes and Rhythmic Value

21. It goes without saying that music functions on a special notation system. This system consists of symbols that represent different amounts of beats, or counts. Notes and Rhythm

22. Notes are made of at least two parts: a notehead and a stem. The quarter note is made of a note head and a stem, and the note head is colored in. Quarter notes are worth 1 count each. Quarter note

23. Half notes are very similar to quarter notes, except that the notehead is not colored in. A half note is worth twice as many counts as a quarter note. It’s worth two counts, or two quarter notes held together. Half Notes

24. Eighth notes have a third component: a flag. They are worth half a count, so two eighth notes added together are worth one quarter note. Eighth notes

25. It’s the combination of these notes that creates rhythm, and makes music more interesting. Let’s practice these new notes by speaking them in rhythm! Rhythm

26. Practice Rhythm • First, we are going to speak quarter notes by saying “Ta.” We are going to speak them evenly, without speeding up or slowing down. • Let’s do the same with half notes and eighth notes! • Quarter note = Ta • Half note = Longer Ta • Eighth notes = Ti Ti

27. Come up with your own rhythms! You can compose them in groups of 4 counts or groups of 3 counts. Draw lines to separate these groups and keep them organized! Be prepared to share them with the class! Any ones we don’t get to please save and we’ll use them another day! In class assignment

28. Classical Voice Conservatory: Theory I The Grand Staff

29. A single staff is always made up of five lines and four spaces: Notes can either sit on a line or a space. Lines and Spaces

30. Sometimes (more often than not, actually,) some notes will be too high or too low and won’t fit on the five lines and four spaces of the staff. That’s okay! We just add more lines! These are called LEDGAR LINES. They are convenient when we run out of lines and spaces. (More on these later.)

31. As you can probably tell, reading ledger line notes is a pain. In order to stay as much on the staff as possible for easier reading, CLEF SIGNS were developed. The grand staff, as well as choral staves, use two: Treble Clef and Bass Clef. Clef Signs

32. The treble clef is actually derived from the letter “G,” and is also called the G clef. It’s also not normally on fire. I just thought it looked cool. This is what it normally looks like: Treble Clef

33. Notice how the large circular part of the treble (or G) clef wraps around the second line of the staff: • This means that any note that sits on the second line OF THE TREBLE STAFF is going to be called G.

34. The bass clef has a similar story to the treble clef; the symbol was derived from the letter “F”, and looks kind of like an F if you use your imagination. Bass Clef

35. The large dot on the symbol and the two little dots next to it emphasize the fourth line of the bass staff. This means that any note that sits on the F line is going to be F. little dot Big Dot little dot

36. So far we’ve learned about some of the parts of the grand staff, but the thing that brings them together is the brace. Brace It’s that curvy thing.

37. Using a brace to combine the treble and bass staves means that instead of reading each line one at a time, you read them simultaneously, at the same time, so both lines are performed together.

38. The grand staff is primarily used by pianists. • A choral staff is going to look a little more like this: There’s the accompanist’s part on the Grand Staff!

39. Classical Voice Conservatory: Theory I The Musical Alphabet

40. If you can say the first seven letters of the Alphabet, then congratulations! You know the Musical Alphabet! That’s right! It’s just A, B, C, D, E, F, and G! The Letters of the Musical Alphabet

41. The musical alphabet is constantly being recycled, going up and down, in musical composition. Not only do you have to know the musical alphabet in order, but it also helps if you know it backwards: G, F, E, D, C, B, A

42. There are a couple of ways to go about reading notes on the staff. The first way is the use of acronyms to help remember the letter names of the lines and spaces. Let’s start with Treble Clef! Reading Notes on the Staff

43. Treble Clef Lines • One acronym is Every Good Boy Does Fine. • Make sure you start from the bottom line upward • Please also note that this acronym is for TREBLE CLEF LINE NOTES ONLY!!!

44. The Treble Clef spaces are actually the easiest to remember; they spell FACE! Also keep in mind that this acronym is for TREBLE CLEF SPACE NOTES ONLY!!! And it’s from the bottom space to the top. Overall, all these acronyms start from the bottom line or space to the top. Treble Clef Spaces

45. Now here’s an acronym for the Bass Clef Line Notes: I actually like this one. :D Also note that this is for BASS CLEF LINES ONLY! The Bass Clef Lines

46. For the spaces, this is a popular one: Once again, for BASS CLEF SPACE NOTES ONLY!! The Bass Clef Spaces

47. To help you learn the letter names of the lines and spaces of the Grand Staff, take some time right now to come up with your own acronym, something personal that you can remember. Activity

48. Acronyms are very useful memorization tools, but not everyone may find them useful when learning the notes of the staff. Some may even find them a hindrance or confusing. An alternative to acronyms are knowing your landmark notes: Treble G, Middle C, and Bass F. Landmark notes

49. Recall earlier how we discussed the origins of the treble and bass clef: they were derived from the letters of the musical alphabet: F and G. As you ascend the staff, you ascend in alphabetical order. As you descend the staff, you descend in a reverse alphabetical order. For example, let’s start with our landmark note Treble G. If any note that sits on that line is G, what is the name of the note that sits in the space above the G line, space 2? (Remember that the musical alphabet goes from A to G and starts over after G.) we know that’s the G line! Answer on the next slide!

50. The same situation can apply to the bass clef. Let’s do another note problem. We know that the bass clef (a.k.a. F clef) marks the fourth line of the staff as F. If the notes that sit on the fourth line of the bass clef are always going to be F, what is the name of the note that sits on the space BELOW F? (Keep in mind that because we are naming the note below F, we are going backwards in the musical alphabet.)