GRADE 2

MUSIC
CULTURE
KNOWLEDGE
PERFORMANCE
CREATION
Philippine Copyright 2021 © by Magnus Creative Music, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

or used in any manner without written permission of the
copyright owner.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
01 U N I T 1 RH Y T H M A N D M E LODY
R h y th m . . . . . . . . . . . 1
N o t e s & Re s t s . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Te mp o . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Drills 1-5 . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Drills 6-10 . . . . . . . . . . . 11
M e l od y . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Drills 11-15 . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Drills 16-20 . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Comp osi t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . 21

24 U N I T 2 H A RM O N Y
Paral l e l Ha r m o n y . . . . . . . . . . . 27
C h o rd s . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Drills 21-25 . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Drills 26-30 . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Comp osi t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . 33

38 U N I T 3 F O RM A N D DY N A M I C S

For m . . . . . . . . . . . 37
A B Fo r m . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Pi e c e # 1 . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Dy nami c s . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Pi a n i ss i m o &
Fo r t i ss i m o . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Comp osi t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . 48

53 U N IT 4 T IM BRE A N D T E X T U R E

Ti mb re . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Musical Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Tex tu re . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Ho m o p h o n y . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Pi e c e # 2 . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Comp osi t i o n . . . . . . . . . . . 65
UNIT 1
RHYTHM A ND MELODY

L E SSO N 1 R HYTHM

L E SSO N 2 T E M P O

L E SSO N 3 M E LODY

L E SSO N 4 CO MPOSITION

RHYTHM AND MELODY ARE ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN MUSIC.

THEY TELL US THE TUNE AND BEAT OF THE MUSIC WE HEAR.

IN THIS CHAPTER, WE WILL LEARN THE DIFFERENT VALUES OF NOTES

A N D R E ST S , T H E D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N S LO W, M O D E R AT E , A N D FA ST
TEMPOS, AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PITCHES FROM DO TO DO8.
WE WILL ALSO LEARN ABOUT MUSICAL SYMBOLS INCLUDING
TIME SIGNATURES.

1
 Le sson 1
RHYTHM
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify and compare the sounds of whole notes,

half notes, and quarter notes, eighth notes

Identify and perform simple rhythms using the piano

How do we define rhythm in music?

How do we identify the
tempo of a song?

Let's play
“The Name Game”

2
 I CAN KEEP T H E B EAT !
THE NA ME GA ME

1. Establish a steady rhythm. For example: Tap, Tap, Clap!

2. Once a steady rhythm is established, take turns stating your names in time with
the rhythmic pattern.

This activity can be varied to keep you thinking and keep the activity fresh each
time. You can say your favorite food, favorite color, what you had for breakfast, etc.

Example: First Names

Beat: TAP TAP CLAP PAUSE

Student 1: Anne
Student 2: Kris - Tine
Student 3: Ben - Ja - Min

TAP, CLAP, CLAP - !

3
 RHYTHM A ND BEAT
Music is a series of notes and rests. Each note and rest in
music has their own beat or time value.

As we talk about rhythm, it is important

to learn the purpose of the beat.

The beat of music is the pulse of music

that keeps rhythm together.

It is steady and does not change. The steady pulse moves

repeatedly like our heartbeat or like the ticking of a clock.

4
 NOTE & REST VALUES
Notes on a staff represent what pitch to play and for how long.
Rests are musical symbols used to tell you when
to pause and not play.

For us to understand notes and rests, let's have a short exercise. Press
middle C on your piano up to the given number of beats below.

1. WHOLE NOTE - press middle C up to 4 beats, WHOLE REST - rest for 4 beats

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

2. HALF NOTE - press middle C up to 2 beats, HALF NOTE - rest for 2 beats

1 2 3 4

3. QUARTER NOTE - press middle C up to 1 beats, QUARTER NOTE - rest for 1 beats

1 2 3 4

3. EIGHTH NOTE - press middle C up to 1/2 beats

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Single Beamed
Eighth Eighth
Note Notes

5
 Le sson 2
TEMPO
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify and compare slow, moderate

and fast tempos

Perform rhythmic patterns in slow, moderate

and fast tempos

What is andante?

How do I know if a song is

slow, moderate or fast?

Listen to
Drill 1 in 60 bpm
Drill 1 in 80bpm
Drill 1 120bpm

6
 IDENTIFYING THE S PEED
Tempo is the speed of the song. It might be slow, fast, or in-between,
but tempo is one of the most important ingredients for making music.
We would not play parade music very slowly, nor would we play a
funeral song at an upbeat or fast tempo. So, over time, musicians have
developed tempo markings, allowing them to quickly know the
tempo of a song.

Here are some tempo markings that you will come cross in this whole course.

Largo means “slow”. You can think of

40-60 BPM
(Beats Per a turtle when we see “largo” to
Minute) remind ourselves of a slow speed.

Andante means “at a walking 80-106 BPM

pace” or moderately slow. (Beats Per
Minute)

Allegro means “fast” or quickly.

109-132 BPM You can think of a cheetah when
(Beats Per
we see “allegro” to remind ourselves
Minute)
of a fast speed.

7
 READING MUSIC

DID YOU KNOW?

Music is not just simply hearing. In formal music lessons,
reading music is equally important as hearing it.
Below are musical symbols that you need to learn
as you go on this lesson.

The Staff consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces.

This is where music symbols are written.

Tempo
indicates the speed
of music Bar Line Bars
divides the staff
are subdivided
into smaller groups
groups of a staff
= 60

WHOLE Note
lasts for 4 BEATS
EIGHTH Note
HALF Note each note lasts
lasts for 2 BEATS for 1/2 beat
Time Signature
indicates a total of
4 beats in a bar HALF Rest QUARTER Rest
silence for 2 BEATS silence for 1 BEAT

QUARTER Note
last for 1 BEATS

8
 PI ANO DR IL L S | WARM U P

1. Position your fingers according to the illustration. Make sure your fingers
are curved all throughout the drills.
Do Re Mi Fa Sol

1 2 3 4 5

2. Play and sing each note four times as a warm-up before the drills.
Make sure to follow the correct finger position indicated beside the notes.

Do Re Mi

3
1 2

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Finger Position
1 = thumb
Rhythmic Fa Sol
2 = index
Pattern
3 = middle
Counting
4 = ring
5 = pinkie 4
5

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

3. Play the drills in 60, 80 and 120bpm.

9
 D R I L L S 1-5 | D O TO MI

D r ill 1 | D o, Re, M i - Wh ole Note a n d Ha lf Note

D rill 2 | D o, Re, M i - H alf No t e a n d Qu a rte r Note

D rill 3 | D o, Re, M i - Qu a rt er N ote a n d Ei gh th Note

D rill 4 | D o, Re, M i des c en din g - Ei gh th Note a n d Qu a rte r Re st

D rill 5 | D o, Re, M i - E igh t h N ote , Qu a rte r Note a n d Ha lf Re st

10
 D R I L L S 6-10 | MI TO SO L

D r ill 6 | M i, Fa, S o l - Wh ole Note a n d Ha lf Note

D rill 7 | M i, Fa , S o l - H alf No te a n d Qu a rte r Note

D rill 8 | M i, Fa , S o l - Qu a rt er Note a n d Ei gh th Note

D rill 9 | M i, Fa , S o l des c en din g - Ei gh th Note a n d Qu a rte r Re st

D rill 10 | M i, Fa, S o l - E igh t h Note , Qu a rte r Note a n d Ha lf Re st

11
 Le sson 3
MELODY
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Read and identify the different pitches

Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Ti.

Perform melodies with a group and to

create your own.

How do we read notes on the staff?

How to play a melody on the piano?

Let's sing
The More We
Get Together!

12
 SING THE SONG!

The More We Get Together

Let’s discover how high or low this song can be through a Pitch Path
activity. After listening to the song, draw a line that goes up and down
following the direction of the pitch of the song.

Example 1.

The more we get together, together, together,

2.

The more we get together, the happier we’ll be!

3.

For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends,

4.

The more we get together, the happier we’ll be!

One of the core values of Filipinos is being sensitive to individual, social, and
cultural differences. They show respect for all, and offer help to others in times
of need. Pakikisama is a typical trait of Filipinos, meaning “getting along with DID YOU
others”. Group harmony and unity are valued among Filipinos. People want
to get along rather than stand out. If success is achieved, it is for the KNOW?
entire group andno one should be left behind.

13
 MELODY A ND PITCH

Do you ever wonder why there are certain songs

that just keep running through your mind?
The melody of a song is what you keep
hearing over and over again.

For example, remember when you learned your ABCs?

Most of us remember that melody and can jump right
back into singing our ABCs, no matter what age we are.
In music, the melody is the tune, or musical line of notes,
that our brain hears as one unit. A melody is made up of
two parts: rhythm and pitch.

14
 PITCH

Pitch is the highness or lowness of a sound and this is determined by

the arrangement of the notes on the staff. The notes may be
placed on one of the lines or spaces of a staff.

When you put a row of notes together they create a melody or tune.
Try to sing the tune of this song and observe how the notes in this
melody move up and down from line to space, space to line:

15
 PITCH

If you were to write some of these notes on the staff,

you would put a Treble Clef at the start of the staff.

The treble clef is placed at the beginning of the

staff to indicate that the notes on the staff are high.

Here are the notes of the treble clef with the corresponding piano keys:

Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do

16
 PI AN O DRILL S | WARM U P

1. Position your fingers according to the illustration, starting with your thumb on Fa.

Middle C
Fa Sol La Ti Do

1 2 3 4 5

2. Play and sing each note four times as a warm-up before the drills.
Make sure to follow the correct finger position indicated beside the notes.

La Ti

4
3

La La La La Ti Ti Ti Ti

Do

Do Do Do Do
(Do 8 or higher Do)

17
 D R I L L S 11-15 | LA TO DO 8

D r ill 1 1 | L a t o D o 8 - Wh ole Note a n d Ha lf Note

D rill 12 | L a t o D o 8 - H alf Note a n d Qu a rte r Note

D rill 13 | L a t o D o 8 - Qu a rt er Note a n d Ei gh th Note

D rill 14 | L a t o D o 8 des c en din g - Ei gh th Note a n d Qu a rte r Re st

D rill 15 | L a t o D o 8 - E igh t h N ote , Qu a rte r Note a n d Ha lf Re st

18
 PI ANO DR IL L S | WARM U P

For Drills 16-20 you will be playing selected notes from Do (Middle C) up to Do 8 (Higher Do).

1. Place your fingers in Middle C Position.

Do Re Mi Fa Sol

2. Move your thumb from Middle C Position to Fa position for higher notes.
Do not forget to follow the finger number positions placed beside the notes
for easier shifting of jumping notes.

Let's have this drill as an example:

Thumb Index Finger Pinkie

19
 DR I L L S 16-20 | D O TO DO 8

D r ill 1 6 | D o t o D o 8 - Wh ole Note a n d Ha lf Note

D rill 17 | D o t o D o 8 - H a lf Note a n d Qu a rte r Note

D rill 18 | D o, S o l, D o 8 - Qu a rte r Note a n d Ei gh th Note

D rill 19 | D o, M i, S o l, D o 8 desce n di n g - Ei gh th Note a n d Qu a rte r Re st

D rill 20 | D o, M i, S o l; D o 8 , L a, Fa - Ei gh th Note , Qu a rte r Note a n d Ha lf Re st

20
 Le sson 4
COMPOSITION
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Create a verse from a rhythmic pattern

Songwriting or composing
music is a great way to express
our thoughts and feelings
through music.

HOW DO WE START?
Let's start with writing a verse.

21
WRITING A VERS E
1. Listen to "Verse 1 Sample Track.” The theme for our composition is “Friends.”

2. On the next page add your own rhythmic pattern on the bars with whole rests,
then write your own lyrics below the notes. Use middle C in writing your new
rhythmic pattern. Here is an example:

I have a____ friend so kind and true. He cheers me up when I'm blue.

I can count on my good friend.

Review Drills 1-5 (page 10) for ideas on different rhythmic patterns.
TIP!

22
VERSE 1

23
UNIT 2
HARMONY

L E SSO N 1 HAR MONY

L E SSO N 2 CHO RDS

L E SSO N 3 CO MPOSITION

HARMONY MEANS PLAYING SEVERAL NOTES TOGETHER TO MAKE A

“ C H O R D ”. A M E L O D Y B Y I T S E L F C A N S O U N D N I C E , B U T I T C A N B E
“HARMONIZED” BY ADDING AN ACCOMPANIMENT OF CHORDS.

IN THIS CHAPTER,YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT HARMONY - HOW IT

D I F F E R S F R O M M E L O D Y, H O W I T I S A P P L I E D I N M U S I C , H O W T O
APPLY IT ON YOUR OWN COMPOSITION, AND HOW TO PLAY DIFFERENT
NOTES TOGETHER TO CREATE CHORDS.

24
 Le sson 1
HARMONY
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Perform harmonies with a partner or group

Play chords on a piano or keyboard

How are chords played?

What is a parallel harmony?

Let’s sing the song

“Be A Good Friend”

25
 BE A GOOD FRIEND
I n t h e t u n e o f " Twin k le , Twin k le L ittle Star"

1. Listen to the following tracks:

• Be A Good Friend Melody Line 1

• Be A Good Friend Melody Line 2

Be a good friend everyday,

cheer someone along the way.
Show some kindness, learn to share.
Friends will smile from all your care.
Be a good friend everyday,
cheer someone along the way.

2. Group yourselves into two.

• Group 1 will sing melody line 1

• Group 2 will sing melody line 2

• Each group will sing their lines, then both groups will sing together.

Does each melody line have the same tune? _____

Philippines are known as one of the world's

friendliest countries. Filipinos are casual, fun
DID YOU
loving, sensitive and hospitable people. KNOW?

26
 PARALLEL HA RMONY
A parallel harmony is the parallel movement of two or more melodic
lines. It adds more depth to a song, but it is not as complex as an
independent harmony.

Notice how the parallel harmony of the song follows the melody
up and down moving on the same pitch distance.

27
 CHORDS
Harmony can be applied when creating chords. Chords are group
of two or more notes played at the same time.

NOTE CHORD

Do Do Mi

The C Chord
Let's start with the C Chord.

• Press Do using your thumb, and press Mi using your middle finger.

• Play the two different notes at the same time to form the C Chord.

Do Mi

28
 THE F CHORD

1. Press Do using your thumb, and press Fa using your ring finger.
Play the two different notes at the same time to form the F Chord.

Do Fa

2. Take note of the difference between C Chord and F Chord.

C Chord F Chord

Do Mi Do Fa

29
 DRILLS 21-25 | THE C & F CHORDS

D r ill 2 1 | C & F C h o rd s - Wh ole Note a n d Ha lf Note

D rill 22 | C & F C h o rds - H a l f Note a n d Qu a rte r Note

D rill 23 | C & F C h o rds - Qu a rte r Note a n d Ei gh th Note

D rill 24 | C & F C h o rds - E ig h th Note a n d Qu a rte r Re st

D rill 25 | C & F C h o rds - E ig h th Note , Qu a rte r Note a n d Ha lf Re st

30
 THE G CHORD

1. Press Re using your index finger, and press Sol using your pinky finger.
Play the two different notes at the same time to form the G Chord.

Re So

2. Take note of the difference between C Chord, F Chord and G Chord.

C Chord F Chord G Chord

Do Mi Do Fa Re Sol

31
 D R I LLS 2 6 -30 | TH E C , F & G C H O R DS

D r ill 2 6 | C , F & G C hords - Wh ole Note a n d Ha lf Note

D rill 27 | C , F & G C h o rds - H a lf Note a n d Qu a rte r Note

D rill 28 | C , F & G C h o rds - Q u a rte r Note a n d Ei gh th Note

D rill 29 | C , F & G C h o rds - Ei gh th Note a n d Qu a rte r Re st

D rill 30 | C , F & G C h o rds - Ei gh th Note , Qu a rte r Note a n d Ha lf Re st

32
 Le sson 3
COMPOSITION
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Create your own melodic line based on a

given chord progression

Creating a melody is very

essential in song composition.
As what composer Gian Carlo
Menotti said, "Melody is a
form of remembrance."

HOW DO WE START?
Let's start by choosing notes
out from the chords
of the piece.

33
MAKING MELODY!
1. Re-write the rhythmic pattern you wrote in Unit 1 on the blank bars.

2. Listen to "Backing Track for Melody", then try to come up with your
own melody for the rhythmic patterns you made in Unit 1.

• Choose notes that fit the chord written per bar.

C Chord - choose from Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do8
F Chord - choose from Do, Re, Fa, Sol, La, Do8
G Chord - choose from Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, Ti

3. Write your own melody on the boxes below the notes. For example:

Do8 Do8 Do8 La La Sol Sol Fa Mi

Re Re Re Mi Fa Mi Re

Fa Fa Fa La Sol

Sol Re

34
 VERSE 1

REMEMBER! Choose notes that fit the chord written per bar.

C Chord - choose from Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do8
F Chord - choose from Do, Re, Fa, Sol, La, Do8
G Chord - choose from Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, Ti

35
UNIT 3
FORM AND DYNAMICS

L E SSO N 1 FO R M

L E SSO N 2 DYN AMIC S

L E SSO N 3 CO MPOSITION

EVERY PIECE OF MUSIC HAS AN ORDER OR STRUCTURE. A SONG MAY

HAVE REPEATED PATTERNS WITH THE SAME TUNE, OR DIFFERENT
T U N E S CO M B I N E D. M U S I C A L S O B E CO M E S M O R E B E AU T I F U L W H E N
PLAYED SOFTLY OR LOUDLY DEPENDING ON THE MOOD OF THE SONG.

IN THIS UNIT,YOU WILL LEARN TWO FORMS OF MUSIC, DYNAMIC

MARKINGS SUCH AS PIANISSIMO AND FORTISSIMO AND HOW TO
USE THEM IN SONGS.

36
 Le sson 1
FORM
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify music in AA and AB Form

Sing and play music in AA and AB Form

How can we differentiate

AA from AB form?

How important is it to know

and understand the structure
of a song?

Let’s sing the song

You Can Count
On Me

37
 YOU CAN COUNT ON ME
I n t h e t u n e o f Rocky, Rocky Mo u n tain

Listen for big changes in the rhythm and melody of the song You Can Count On Me!

Listen for big changes in the rhythm and melody of the song You Can Count On Me!

38
 FORM
Every piece of music has a structure, and this is called form. In order to
identify the form of a piece of music, it is important to understand
the meaning of phrases and sections.

A phrase is a short, musical idea. You can think of it like a sentence,

and it is usually as long as what someone can sing in one breath.

Here is an example of a musical phrase:

A section is composed of combined phrases,

and you can think of it like a paragraph.

Phrase 1 Phrase 1

Section

39
 AA FORM
Form can be labeled through letters. One of the basic musical forms is the
AA Form or the Strophic Form.

A represents a major section (or verse) of a song. AA means there are two
major sections (or verses) in the song with similar melody,
rhythm and harmony.

Some example of songs in AA Form would be “Mary Had A Little Lamb”, or

the popular nursery song “The Wheels On The Bus”.

AB FORM
Another type of musical forms is the AB Form or the Binary Form.

AB means there are two major sections in the song with different melodies,
rhythms and harmonies but is closely related. In a simple binary form, A
section consists the verses of the song, while the B section is the chorus
part of the song which contains the song’s main message and title.

An example of an AB form is the song “It’s A Small World After All”.

40
 BA R LINES

A bar or measure is used in writing music. It is a way of organizing the

written music in small sections.

The bar line is a vertical line written in the music which

separates the bars.

A double bar is two single bar lines drawn close

together. These are simply ways of visually dividing the
music into sections.

A double bar line can be written with one being thicker

than the other. This double bar line shows the end of a
piece of music.

If there are two dots on the left of the double bar line,
this is a repeat sign. The player should go back to the
beginning and start again.

41
 PI E C E # 1 | WARM UP

1. Position your fingers according to the illustration below.

Make sure your fingers are curved all throughout the piece.

Do Re Mi Fa Sol

2. Do not forget to follow the finger number positions placed beside the
notes for easier shifting when jumping notes.

Index Ring Pinkie

Finger Finger

42
PI E C E # 1 | YOU CA N COUN T ON ME

43
 Le sson 2
DYNAMICS
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Distinguish very loud, loud, soft,

and very soft dynamics

Identify and play fortissimo, forte, piano, and

pianissimo dynamics in a piece

How are dynamics used in music?

How do you identify

different dynamics
in music?

Let's listen to
“You Can Count On Me”

44
VERY LOUD OR VERY S OFT?
Le t ' s s i n g t h e s o n g " Yo u Can Cou n t O n Me " with dyn am ics.

Were you able to hear loud and soft parts played in the song?
Underline the phrases which you think are sung “Very Loudly” based on the track.

45
 DYNAMICS

Music sounds better when there's expression, and one of the best ways
to add feelings or emotion to music is by adding dynamics.

Dynamics in music means the expression of the song. They are markings
or symbols found in a song and these symbols tell how loud or soft a
song is. From loudest to softest, they are:

or fortissimo meaning "very loud"

or forte meaning "loud"
or piano meaning “soft"
or pianissimo meaning "very soft"

The verse part of the song is played in pianissimo or very softly:

The chorus part is played in fortissimo or very loudly:

46
 PI ECE # 1 | YOU CAN COUNT ON ME

Now let's play “You Can Count On Me” with dynamics on the piano.

1. Press notes very lightly when you see or "pianissimo"

2. Press notes with force when you see or"fortissimo"

47
 Le sson 3
COMPOS ITION
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Add a chorus to your composition to

create a song in AB Form

Songwriters express and expand

their thoughts by writing more lyrics.

HOW DO WE START?
Let's write more lyrics &
melody.

48
WRITING CHORUS
1. Listen to "Chorus Sample Track.” Create your own lyrics based on the rhythmic
pattern of the melody of the track. Write them on the lines below the notes.

2. Create your own melody by changing the notes on the piece. Write your notes
on the boxes. Remember: Choose notes which fit the chords written per bar.

C Chord - choose from Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do8
F Chord - choose from Do, Re, Fa, Sol, La, Do8
G Chord - choose from Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, Ti

Example:

Do8 Do8 La La Sol La Sol Sol Sol La Sol Mi Do

Fa Fa Fa Fa La La Sol Sol Sol

Sol Ti Do

49
CHORUS

50
UNIT 4
TIM BRE A ND TEXTURE

L E SSO N 1 T I M BRE

L E SSO N 2 T E X TURE

L E SSO N 3 CO MPOSITION

EACH MUSICAL INSTRUMENT HAS A DISTINCT SOUND AND TONAL

Q U A L I T Y. M U S I C C A N B E P L A Y E D W I T H O N E I N S T R U M E N T O R W I T H
DIFFERENT LAYERS OF SOUNDS.

IN THIS UNIT YOU WILL LEARN ABOUT TIMBRE AND TEXTURE - HOW
EACH MUSICAL INSTRUMENT SOUNDS DIFFERENT FROM ONE
ANOTHER, AND HOW DIFFERENT LAYERS OF SOUND COMBINED
CREATE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC.

51
 Le sson 1
TIMBRE
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify tonal qualities of musical instruments

Determine which instrument has bright

or dark timbre

What is tonal quality?

Why does each instrument

have a different sound?

Let's listen to
“Y, O and U"

52
 DARK OR BRIGHT

Listen to the melody of the song “Y, O and U” played in different instruments:

1. Vocals 3. Viola 5. Trumpet

2. Piano 4. Clarinet

Underline the instrument which you think has the darkest or lowest sound:

Vocals Piano Viola Clarinet Trumpet

“Y, O and U" is a song about a friend whom you can count DID YOU
on in good or bad times. That friend could be YOU.
KNOW?

53
 TIMBRE

Timbre can be defined as the character of a musical instrument. This

element of music deals with the quality of the sound (round, dark,
sharp, bright) that a musical instrument produces.

Below is an illustration on how instruments vary in timbre:

Low Mid High

Dark Sound Warm Sound Bright Sound

Vocals (Female)
Vocals (Male)

Flute

Clarinet

Trumpet

Violin
Viola

Guitar

Ukulele

Piano
Organ

Kick Drum

Floor Drum

54
 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

STRINGS

VIOLIN
A bowed stringed instrument which is
the smallest and highest-pitched of the
string instrument family.

VIOLA
A bowed stringed instrument after the violin
and produces sounds lower than a violin.
The viola’s body is bigger than a violin.

LUTE

ACOUSTIC GUITAR
A fretted musical instrument that
usually has six strings and played
through plucking or strumming

UKULELE
A small guitar or banjo with four strings.
This instrument is of Portuguese origin and
popularized in Hawaii in the 1880s.

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KEYBOARD

Piano
A large keyboard musical instrument
played by pressing the white and
black keys.

ORGAN
A keyboard instrument with one or more
pipe divisions. This instrument can be
played with the hands on the keyboard,
and with the feet using pedals.

PRECUSSION

KICK DRUM
Also called as bass drum, is the lowest
pitched instrument in a standard drum kit.

FLOOR DRUM
Floor Tom or Low Tom is a part of a standard
drum kit that produces low tones.

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WOODWIND

FLUTE
A woodwind instrument that produces its
sound from the flow of air across an opening.

CLARINET
A woodwind instrument that has a singlereed
mouthpiece. The reed is attached to
the mouthpiece that when the player
breathes on it, the vibration produces the
sound of the clarinet.

BRASS

TRUMPET
A brass instrument that can produce sound
when the trumpeter buzzes his lips.
This instrument also has a mouthpiece
made of brass.

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 Le sson 2
TEXTURE
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Identify thick and thin music textures

Understand monophony

Perform a song

How does texture affect

the quality of music?

Does music have

layers of sound?

Let's listen to
different tracks!

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 TEXTURE

In music, texture refers to the overall quality of music. It also describes

the layers of sounds. Rhythm, tempo, melody, harmony and timbre can
all have an effect on texture.

A song may have a thin or thick texture, depending on the layers of sounds.

MONOPHONY Example of Monophony:

Monophony has a thin texture. Singing the national anthem all together
It has a single melodic line, sang
by one person or a group of people.

HOMOPHONY Example of Homophony:

Homophony has a thick
A rock or pop star singing a song while
texture. Similar to monophony
playing guitar or piano at the same time
it has a single melodic line,
but has harmonies and
accompaniments to the melody.

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 PI E C E # 2 | WARM UP

1. Position your fingers according to the illustration below.

Make sure your fingers are curved all throughout the piece.

Do Re Mi Fa Sol

2. Do not forget to follow the finger number positions placed beside the
notes for easier shifting when jumping notes.

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 PI E C E # 2 | WARM UP

3. Now let's practice the left hand part. Put your pinkie on C3, then
position your fingers according to the illustration below:

C2 C3 C4 C5 C6

Middle C

Do Re Mi Fa Sol

1 2 3 4 5

4. Play the following chords on your left hand with the correct finger positions:

1
2
3
5 5 4

Do Mi Do Fa Re Sol

5 3 5 2 4 1

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 PI E C E # 2 | WARM UP

5. Place both right and left hands on the piano.

Right hand - thumb on Do (Middle C)
Left hand - pinkie on Do (C3)

Do Re Mi Fa Sol Do Re Mi Fa Sol

C3 C4 C5

6. Play the vertically-aligned notes together. The upper staff represents the notes on
the right hand, the lower staff represents the notes on the left hand.

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PI E C E # 2 | Y O AND U

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PI E C E # 2 | Y O AND U

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 Le sson 3
COMPOS ITION
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Write your own composition on a music sheet

Music compositions last longer

when they are written. Wolfgang
Amadeus Mozart, one of the greatest
classical composers of all time, has
created and written more than
600 compositions which are
still being played today.

HOW DO WE START?
Let's write our composition to
the music sheet one element
at a time.

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 WRIT ING ON A M US I C S H E E T
Write your composition on the music sheet (page 68) and follow these steps one at a time:

1. Start by writing your verse & chorus notes on the staff.

• A = verse
• B = chorus

2. Write your lyrics below the notes.

3. Put a beginning repeat sign on the first bar, and put an end repeat sign on the last bar.

4. Write the tempo marking above the first bar of the staff which would fit your song.

• Allegro = fast
• Andante = moderately slow
• Largo = slow

5. Put dynamic markings on your song, depending on the feelings you want to relay.

6. Add a title to your song.

See an example of a transcribed composition on the next page.

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M Y CO MPO SITIO N (SA MPLE)

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M Y COMPO SITIO N

68
Acknowledgements

Composers and Arrangers

Education Head Axel Mhar Generalao
Elijah Soriano Jobert Solero
Joed Janry Cruz
Writers
Randyl Barliso
Ma. Renela Fernandez
Ellen Rachel Ingay Video Editors
Jane Claire Magallanes Therese Marie Militante
Jethro Felipe
Transcriber
Airene Cedava
Jowena Christy Fabunan
James Ralf Blancaflor
Mark Stephen Lladones
Graphic Artist
Randyl Barliso
Joshua Orlina
Alan Paul Querequincia
Digital Illustrator
Vocals
Roy Diaz
Karen Gil Tirante
Axel Mhar Generalao