HOW TO READ MUSIC

PA RT O N E A N D T W O
NOTES

Presented by Tegan Peemoeller as part of a Vancouver Public Library Event.

Notes are taken from the Singer’s Guide to Reading Music Volume One
 PITCH AND DURATION

As a musician, when you are handed a new score there are likely two burning questions you
are seeking answers to in the printed music in front of you:

a) What am I supposed to be singing/playing?

b) When?

Those questions relate to two main aspects of sound:

a) pitch — how high or low a sound is (the ‘what’).

b) duration — the length of a sound or a silence (the ‘when’).

While much other useful information can also be on o er in the score at large, we will be
focusing our initial e orts on demystifying as much as possible the joys of pitch and
duration.

2
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 The half note or m
H similar (they both h
4
THE
&4 w w
h
BASICS —
w w
stems
AN O V E R Vthat
w
I E Wcan poin
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• Music is written on a framework of ve lines and four spaces called a stave (or sta )

The quarter note o

Q
9

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Up
looks exactly the s
q
Behold! Gathered here in N
all O T Eglory
their S are some of the most common note
notehead has been
encounter,
Notes along
represent sounds. with
Their their
shapes cannames.
give us valuable clues as to one of our primary
• Notes represent sounds, and can be made of up to three types of main components: a
Down
& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
objectives:
13 duration
notehead, a stem, and a tail (also known as a ag).
NoteExample
shapes are versatile!
1 Here’s a diagram of potential parts:
d! Gathered here in all their glory are some
Beam of the most common note shape
ofThe eighth note or
eE
athered here
withintheir
all their glory arenote
some the most common noteyou
s
ŒÂ
nter, along names.
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w
along with their names.
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d! Gathered ∑here in all ∑their glory ∑are some of
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∑ the most∑ common ∑note shapes ∑
24

&
you’l
ple 1 encounter, along with their names. together.
nter, along with their names.
The half note or minim is half the value of a whole
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Notehead
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w
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Example
ple 1 regularly (unless
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of early music).
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whole note. It has a secon
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read from note
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aislot
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filled5 regularly sing
(unless you singearly
a lot music).
of early
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H
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notehead),
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• Pitch (how stems
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high or low a notehead
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ishalf
indicated by aor
note’s
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that canThe has been
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is half half the
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(they both have a hollow notehead), upbut
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h w
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these
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stems that can point either up or
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is the
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Lower pitches
notehead
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or exactly is same
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notehead has
note
notehead
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filled in.note or semiquaver is half the value
looks
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as aflag, half andnote, except that to t
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E TailsOR(alsoŒÂ
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frequently
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 4 w w w w w
&4 w w w w
• Duration (how long or short a sound is) is indicated by a note’s shape.

j r
Shorter
11 Longer

&w ˙ œ œ œ
Hollow Adding a stem Filled noteheads are Adding a tail makes a Keep adding tails to make
noteheads are makes a note shorter than hollow note shorter notes even shorter. The more tails,
the longest shorter ones the shorter the note!

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
16

&

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
26

&

∑
34

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4
©
 T H E S TAV E

Score
A stave (or sta ) is a name for the ve lines and four spaces that not only provide a handy
place to keep music notes but also help inform us about a note’s pitch.

Staves are very useful things. Notes can be stashed away on their lines:

4 w w w
&4 w w w
Or they can sit snugly in the spaces:

w & ww w j w ∑ ∑
9

w w˙ wœ œ

j ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
17
You might have heard mention of a note being in “second space” or the “top line” (if not

&
œ exampleœbelow so you'll know what’s what. The top line is number 5, and the
yet, doubtless your time is coming). To avoid confusion, these have been numbered in the
infamous
bottom line is number 1.

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑∑ ∑∑ ∑∑ ∑ ∑
25

&

∑ ∑ ∑
Now to relate this to the world of pitch:
∑ ∑

w w w w
Higher pitches

w w w w
w
Lower pitches

5
ff
fi
The lower a note is on the stave (the closer to the bottom line), the lower in pitch it will be.

The higher a note is on the stave (the closer to the top line), the higher in pitch it will be.

4 ˙
Let’s see this in action!

One of these notes is lower in pitch than the other.1 &4 ˙

This note is higher

Which one? In this example, the rst of the two notes is

4 ˙ ∑
nearer to the top of the stave, so if we follow our rule

&4
that should mean the second note is lower in pitch (and
indeed it is).
˙

This note is lower

1 But how much lower? Since we can’t know an exact pitch without a clef (and we haven’t
got to those yet) we will assume a genial generality for these exercises and carry on blithely
while we get the idea of the thing.

6
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 Behold! Gathered here in all their glo
NOTES
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with their note
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longestnoteh
h
note or semibreve is the note
Example 1
w regularly stems that
(unless you can point
sing a lot ofeither
early up or down.
music).
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H
When it comes to note shapes, adding more detail halves the note’s value.3

similar
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or asemibreve
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wh
whole note is the longest no
stems that can point either up or down.
regularly (unless you sing a lot of early music).
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note or minim isthehalf the value of is ahalfwho
H Q
consisting of only a hollow notehead are longest.
similar (they looks both have athe
exactly hollowsamenotehead), as a half but note t
h q
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singleThestems quarterthatnotehead
cannote point
or has either
crotchet been upis orhalf
filled down. in.
the value of a
Q
hollow notehead.
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H
looks the same as a half note, that
q notehead with
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notehead with (theya stembothattached have a
is half the hollow
length notehead), bu
of a hollow

h
notehead has
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been filled in.
stems that can point either up or down.
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lled-in notehead without hasa atail. flag, although groups of eighth
notehead
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note been filled in.is half the value of a qu
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notes half are the valu
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together.
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too
w w
the more
together. a note’s shape resembles lost game hangman (the
4 Take a moment
w w w
nowtoto
w
stop and admi
&4 w w
w has a flag, although groups of eighth notes are
more little details it has), the shorter in duration it is in relation the other note

e E x X ŒÂ ØË
shapes. Take The a eighth
moment sixteenth note
now orstop
notes,
to quaver and
and isthen
admire half comparethe double
the valueito

x X OR ØË single
OR ORsixteenth
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notes, beam
and orofsemiquaver
then the eighthitnotes.
compare iswith halfthe themor va
note.together.
beam
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a second flag, notes.and that can be beamed
Should you feel so inclined, you could
j r
Shorter
11 Longer

&w ˙ time
Should
Take The a you
œ For
time
moment
sixteenthfeel so
halving
now
note œ then
inclined,
to theorstop you
value and
semiquaver could
of
œon,
the
admire keep
note
is the adding
half —dougo
the

xX
halving
sixteenth the
notes, value
the and of
sake the note
of —
brevity,
compare go itcan don’t
however,
with let m
the
ØË
note. It has a second flag, and that be beam
For
OR are makes a notesingleshorter
Hollow
noteheads
Adding a stem the beam sake
semiquavers
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than
of
of the eighth
are
hollow
brevity,
Adding a tail makes a however,
fornotes.
note shorter thisnotesbook. we’ll
Keep adding tails to make be
even shorter. The more tails,
sto
the longest shorter semiquavers ones for this book. the shorter the note!
Take a moment now to stop and admire the d
&Note∑stems — a∑style Should ∑sixteenth ∑ feel ∑ so and ∑ then ∑ you ∑ ∑keep ∑t
16

xX
you notes, inclined, compare could it withad
OR ØË time halving
single
guide beam theofvalue the eighth
For the sake of brevity, however, we’ll be
of the notes. note — go on, don’t
As a general rule, single semiquavers
notes written below for thethis
middle book.
Should you feel so inclined, you could keep
(third) line of the stave have stems

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ —∑ go on,in∑do
26 which attach to the right of the notehead and point upwards. Those written above the the

& Whether
third line tend toyouhave time
prefer
stems which halving
the attach the
mathematical leftvalue
toapproach
the of the of
notehead the
approach and note
point common
down. A
hether you prefer the mathematical common in America (with w
For the sake of brevity, however, we’ll
would
ould rather stay rather stay
on a first-name on a basis
semiquavers first-name thebasis
likethis
for British
book. like thesemibreves
(with British (with andse
3 By detail, I am referring here to ags, beams, stems, or lling in noteheads.
ea to learn
ideaboth sets of
to learn names.
both sets There really There
of names. aren’t that many,
really and
aren’t it will
that manygiv
∑ be musically bilingual.
34
8
hievement (perhaps even superiority?) to
fi
fi
fi
fl
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 term ‘measure’ is used instead, probably because during Prohibition conductors didn’t wish to
Bar:make
Where
the to find orchestral
players break downmusicians whenever
at the mention they‘bar’.
of the word are not actually playing…In America the
termAntony Hopkins,
‘measure’ Downbeat
is used Music
instead, Guidebecause
probably (1977) during Prohibition conductors didn’t wish to
BARS
make the players break down at the mention of the word ‘bar’.
Antony Hopkins, Downbeat Music Guide (1977)
While not all music uses them (plainchant and contemporary music we’re looking at you...), most
music is divided up by vertical lines called bar lines.
While not all music uses them, most music is divided up into sections by vertical lines
called bar lines.
While not all music uses them (plainchant and contemporary music we’re looking at you...), most
music is divided up by vertical lines called bar lines.
Score
Double bar line Double barbar
Final line
line
Single bar line
(end of section) (end(end
of piece)
of piece)

4
&4 œ
Score œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ ˙ œ ˙ ˙
Now
4last Single
at& 4 ∑ barfound
I've
line
∑the bar! ∑
Double bar line
(end of section)∑
Make mine ∑a dou ∑- ble. ∑
Double barbar
Final
(end(end
line
of piece)
line
of piece)

4 œ canœ eitherœ stay happily œ ˙ œ ˙ œ ˙

& 4 œ Bar lines œ single, ˙
at&can
8
4 ∑ a∑new
∑4(indicating ∑the∑ ofAthebar! ∑∑ baror Make ∑and ∑ a (signalling
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or be doubled. A double bar can either have two equal
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Nowthin lines
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found music),
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thin a thick
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mine equal thin lines - end
(indicating
ble.
piece).
new section of the music) or a thin and a thick line (signalling the end of a piece).

BarThe
Bar space
lines canbetween
numberseither two
are tiny
stay bar lines
numbers
happily that (where
live at
single, the
orthe
be notes
top of thelive)
doubled. is usually
stave, called
A double baraatbar. These
the beginning
can bars
either haveof can
two be
each equal
∑ finalscores ∑ frombar
∑aresince ∑ snarky ode∑ to orchestral
∑ useful ∑a handy ∑ musicians:∑
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∑likeend ∑
8 16

& & many

counted,
thin line. Theyand
lines (indicating athis
incredibly
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suchwhen way
ofnavigating
the music), describing
pieces
or athat
thin and where
more
a thick in line
the piece
a few long, such
(signalling the to of a
start,
as these include
few bars numbers.
a rather
piece).
Bar numbers are tiny numbers which grace the top of the stave, usually at the beginning of

w
Bar number

œ a few bars long, such

Bar numbers are are
tiny incredibly
numbers that livewhen
at thenavigating
top of the pieces
stave, that
usually
areat the beginning
than a fewof each
œ useful
œ awhen œ more
24
each line. They useful more bars
& œ are incredibly
∑ œan extract∑ œ navigating
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∑ piecesœthat
∑ œ than ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
16

&
line. They
long. Here’s from piece about are
life:
as these final- ing
Count few bars
bars from
it a rather
ne - snarky
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ends, what am musicians:
I to do?

Bar 24 Bar 25 Bar 26 Bar 27

w
Bar number

œ œ œ œ
24

&œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ
Count - ing bars it ne - ver ends, what am I to do?

Bars are also sometimes referred to as measures.

9

9
 The bottom number = what kind of beats
TIME SIGNATURES

Here’s that same example again, this time on a

Is this a fraction I see before me? I’m sure by now you will have noticed that music
frequently has what look like fractions at the beginning of a piece (and even sometimes

3
scattered throughout). If you haven’t, do your best to contain your excitement.

&4 œ œ œ
Time signature (not a fraction)
œ
STRONG weak weak STRONG w
Those numbers at the beginning of a piece are in reality time signatures. These numbers
inform us of the repetitive pattern of beats (strong and weak pulses) in music.4

& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
As a rule, the strong beats in a bar tend to com
There’s a good chance that if you’re reading this you have a heartbeat, and as it happens
most music has a heartbeat of a sort too. It’s this time signature that tells us what to expect
downbeat. 6
on the beat front in the piece of music before us. To decode that message, we’ll need the
Time Signature Rule of Thumb:

The Time Signature Rule of Thumb

6That’s a conducting reference, and refers to w
down. This downbeat
Top number happens
= how many beats in a bar at the beginning
which isBottom
thenumber
last =beat of the bar (indicated by th
what kind of beats

& 4
∑ ∑ ∑
Not sure about beats? Think of it this way: we have heartbeats and music does too. Like a
clock ticking, or an annoying tap indicating with each steady drip an impending visit from
the plumber, a beat is a single tick of an underlying regular pulse.

10
 half note or minim
The quarter note Hollow
is half the Filled
or crotchet valueis of halfa whole
the value note. of Ita looks
half note. It
The quarter note or crotch
Q
ar (they
looks both havethe
exactly a hollow
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notehead),
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notes
that
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crotchet is and
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QQ
The quarter note or crotche
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The eighth note or quaver is half
e E
Thenote quarter
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issame crotche
cro
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in.UpThe quarter of aor crotchet half
q
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sixteenth notes, and then uscomp

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looks inexactly the same as asamehalf ofnote,
qq down. qq q
alf
alf note
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or or
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both half
us the
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exactly
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Here’s that same example again, this time on
h
nt up or down.
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both kind of note
have a value
hollow makes up eachnotehead
notehead), beat,but
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together.
does
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In this example, the top number 3 indicates that we have three beats per bar. The 4

3
The
quarter note quaver
note or crotchetis half the value of a quarter note. It
is half the 5value of a half note. Itor semiquaver
Â
Filled
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n indicates
has athe that
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as agroups of eighth notes Thearethe frequently
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eE
s exactly half note, except that crotchet
Should ŒÂ you feel so inclined, you
note. It has a second flag, that c

&4 œ œ œ œ
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&
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reference, and bilingual.
achievement
achievement refers to when a conductor’s hand moves straight down
(perhaps
(perhapsevenevensuperiority?)
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be m
achievement (perhaps even superiority?) to be musi
for the rst beat of the bar. It also has an opposite called an upbeat, which is the very last
beat of a bar (indicated by the conductor’s hand going up).
4 notes
hematical approach common in America (with whole and half
11
fi
fi
fi
fi
re
The top number = how many beats per bar
Let’s try another one, in 4/4 time:

4
The bottom number = what kind of beats

&4 œ Here’san
Here’s that same example
example showing
œ
again,
howthis
œ
time
that
œ
on a staveemphasis
downbeat
œ
and with the strong
would
œ œ
and weak beats marked:
sound:
œ œ
3
&4 œ œ œ œ
STRONG weak Medium weak
œ œ œ
STRONG weak
œ
Medium weak
œ œ
STRONG w
œ

œ œ œ œ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
STRONG
The top numberweak weakfour beats
4 indicates STRONG weak
per bar, weak
and the bottomSTRONG
number 4weak weak
that those STRONG
beats are we
quarter note beats.

∑ There is∑still a strong

∑ first beat, ∑
but 4/4 also∑has a medium
∑ strength∑pulse halfway
∑ through∑the bar ∑
As a rule, the strong beats in a bar tend to come on the first beat of the bar, which is known as the
downbeat.6
TRONG
weak
Medium weak
(not all
Not as time
strong as the firstare
signatures beat,
the but notand
same, as weak assignature
a time the others).
can change at any point in a piece
so6 keep
That’syour eyes peeled!
a conducting
7
reference, and refers to when a conductor’s hand moves (ideally) straight

∑2 ∑ ∑ 3∑ ∑ ∑
The timeThis
down. signature canhappens
downbeat changeatatthe
any point in of
beginning a piece,
the bar,so keep
and has your eyes peeled!
an opposite called an upbeat,

4 5
which is the last beat of the bar (indicated by the conductor’s hand going up).

& 4∑ œ œ∑ 4 œ ∑œ œ œ ∑ 4 œ œ∑œ 4 œ∑ œ œ œ œ∑
10

Useful though it is to know where the strong and weak beats are in a bar, we often refer to beats

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
œ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ
It’s not all about In
therehearsals
top number,
and the bottom
you number in aphrases
time signature
like ‘startcan
on vary too. Tobeat’
go

œœ œ
by their number. lessons might hear the second

œœ œ œ w
any further
theinto thattothough,
an N onwe’ll needbeat’.
to become a little moreout
conversant withbeat
our happens
note

œ
or ‘close vowel the third How do we figure what number

˙
shapes
where?and their names.

ount
Count - Enter
-ingingour hero,
barsbars it signature.
the time itne -neAsver
- already
you ver ends,the what
ends, know, what
top number tells usam I beats
howI many to
∑ ∑ ∑ œ œ œ œ
am todo?
œ œ œ œ œ œ
signature, we’d know there would be two quarter note beats in˙a bar.
are in a bar, and the bottom number tell us what kind of beat. If we were looking at a 2/4 time

ends, what am I to
To work out the beats, we would need to realise that whatever notes we’re dealing with in the

w
music, the first beat lasts only for a quarter note, and then it becomes the second beat (also only
a quarter note). Sometimes you have to add up note values to work out your beats, sometimes
you’ll have a long note that is held on for several beats. Rather conveniently, the example REALLY
o? MUST FORMAT THESE has notes of the same value indicated by the time signature, so let’s use
7our
I’venew-found
been usingknowledge and have
quarter notes a crack
in these at deciphering
examples thebut
for clarity, beats in
don’t the bar. fool you!
let them
What is important is what you see in the time signature. Look to the time signature and
Exercise
don’t get distracted by how many notes of what kind are in the bar (out in the real world
this can and will vary wildly).

12
 The
counter,Example half note or minim The
Thatis half
half
h note
the value or mo
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along with their can
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 Rhythm Practice
Let’s look at those same time signatures again, this time with the beats shown in their
respective
Score
note values: Score Score
Score

 = 60  = 60  = 60  = 60

3 j j j3     3       3        

 
 
∑
&8 œœœ 4 œ œ œ 2 ˙ ˙ ˙ 1 w w w
                         
 
18 2 3 1 28 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
  
8 8

2 ÓlittleÓcaveats
∑  Two ˙ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
2
about time signatures.
              
         
   before, you may have
 learned that a quarter note equals one
16 16 16 16

1) If you’ve studied music

beat. That is only true when a four is on the bottom of the time signature, and that is

             24               
not24 always going to 24be the case. It is an easy way to explain note values however,
 is why it is so commonly
  but as you can see from the variety of
24

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
which used in teaching,
time signatures here it is not the most accurate.

2) Note value relationships do not equate to time signature relationships. A quarter note
may be half the value of a half note, but that doesn’t mean that a piece in 3/4 is any
faster or slower than a piece in 3/2. Reserve your judgements, and instead follow the
tempo instructions the composer indicates. In the above example, the indicated beat
for each time signature is 60 beats per minute (the same speed as a ticking clock) so
each bar of beats (be it an eighth note beat or a whole note beat) would take the
same amount of time to play.8

All of that is a fancy way of saying that despite how di erent they look, each of those bars
above sounds identical to the others.

©
© ©
8 Don’t worry if these caveats don’t make complete sense just yet. Strictly speaking©there’s
no need to bring it up this early in your musical career, but I just couldn’t help it. These
points are not often discussed, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I sent you out
into the world without at least mentioning them.

14
ff
 hold! Gathered here in all their glory are some of the most common note
hold! Gathered
counter, along heretheir
with in all their glory are some of the most common no
names.
Example 1
counter, along with their names.
Behold! Gathered here in all their glory are some of the most commo
The whole note or semibreve is the lo
w
ample 1 A N O T E B Y A N Y O T H E R N A M E
encounter, along with their names.regularly (unless you sing a lot of early m
ample 1
The whole note or semibreve is the longest note you
w 1(both in relationThe
Convenient though it may be to use a naming system which gives blatant hints about note
regularly (unless you sing a lot of early music).
whole note semibreve
orsignatures), we now is the longest note
w
Example
values to each other and to time come to learn that
Theto byhalf note or minim is half the valu
H
regularly
note shapes are also commonly (unless
referred youformal
more sing a lot
titles: of early music).
similar (they both have a hollow noteh
h
The whole note orcansemibreve is theoflongest non
w
The half note stemsor minimthat is halfpoint theeither
valueup or down.
a whole
H regularly
similar (they (unless
both have you a sing
hollow a lot of early but
notehead), music).these
h
A whole note is also known a semibreve.
The half note or minim is half the value of a who
H
stems that can point either up or down.
similar (they both have a hollow notehead), but t
h Q
A halfstems
noteThe that The
can quarter
point eithernote up
half note or minim is half the value of a
or
or crotchet
down. is half

H
is also known as a minim.
looks exactly the same as a half not
q
Thesimilar (they
noteboth have a hollow notehead),
value of bu
h
quarternotehead or crotchet
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Q looks stemsexactly thatthe cansame pointas either
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q A quarter
The note is also
notehead quarter known
has been
noteas a crotchet.
filled in.
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Q looks exactly the same as a half note, except t
q The been eighth note or quaver is half the
Qe E
notehead has filled in.
ŒÂ
The quarter note
An eighth note is also known as a quaver. or crotchet is half the valu
Thelookseighthexactlyhas
notea or flag, although
quaver
sameisas half groups
a the
halfvalue of eighth
ofexcep
a qun
e E OR ŒÂ has
OR the note,
q notehead together.
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eighth notes are freque
together.
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quaver is half the value of a
eE
A sixteenth is also known

OR ŒÂ has a flag,The
The sixteenth
together. note.
sixteenth
although
note It has
groups
or semiquaver
note
a second flag,
or semiquaver
of eighth notes are fre
is half
andthe thatvalue
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 RESTS
After all the vigour of time signatures, it’s time for a rest. Several of them in fact.

While notes indicate sounds, rests indicate silences. They do this in the same way as notes,
by their shapes.

A whole note or semibreve rest. This rest sits under the fourth line on the
stave.

A half note or minim rest. This rest sits on top of the third line.

A quarter note or crotchet rest.

An eighth note or quaver rest.

A sixteenth note or semiquaver rest.

Take a good look at the whole and half note rests. Although they are both bar shaped, the
whole note rest sits under the fourth line of the stave, and the half note above the third
line.9

Rests unfortunately rarely offer an opportunity to completely relax, and need to be

approached as precisely as the pitched notes.

9 One memory tip is to think of the whole note rest as a hole under the fourth line.

16
 CLEFS AND PITCHED NOTES
While up until now we’ve had only a very nebulous concept of pitched notes, in this very
chapter you will be dealing with notes of a pitch so exact you can name it, as well as the
clefs that make this possible!

Exciting stu I know, but before we dive in, let’s have a spot of revision. Here’s a refresher
extract from the section on staves:

“You might have heard mention of a note being in “second space” or the “top line” (if not
yet, doubtless your time is coming). To avoid confusion, these have been numbered in the
example below so you'll know what’s what. The top line is number 5, and the infamous
bottom line is number 1.

Now to relate this to the world of pitch:

The lower a note is on the stave (the closer to the bottom line), the lower in pitch it will be.

The higher a note is on the stave (the closer to the top line), the higher in pitch it will be.”

w w w w
Higher pitches

w w w w w
Lower pitches

Text

17
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 4
CLEFS

lto
rano & 4
& 44 ∑∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
Useful things though they are, on their own staves can’t give you exact information ∑ ∑
regarding pitch without a clef. Clefs are symbols added to the stave which give us speci c
details as to the exact pitches we are to sing.

44 ∑∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
Alto
nor &
V44 Treble clefs are used for higher pitches, useful for soprano and alto lines.
∑

4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
enor
ass
?
V 44
4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
Bass clefs are used for lower pitches, and used (you guessed it) for bass lines.

?4 ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
Bass 4
∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
EASY AS A B C… D E F G

& Note names are alphabetical, and go forward through the alphabet going up in pitch and

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
8
Score
&
backward going down. Only seven letters are used, so if you get to G and want to keep going
up, you just start again with another A. You can see this in action in the example below:

& ∑ ∑
Going up the stave = forward through the alphabet ∑ ∑ ∑
& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
? w w w w
w w w w
V ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
V ∑ ∑A B C ∑D E F ∑G A ∑ ∑

? ?
3
18
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 Score

Going down the stave = backward through the alphabet

?w w w w w w
w w
A G F E D C B A

?∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
2

BASS CLEF

core
?
4
The bass clef is where you’ll nd the lower end of the pitch spectrum. It’s also known as the
F clef, and starts its coil around the F line. There are a pair of dots on either side of that F
line too, and while they may look a bit like the repeat dots we came across earlier, they are
merely a decorative part of the bass clef.

??
w w w w
12

w w w w
w
G A B C D E F G A

?
20

?∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
There it is, the bass clef in all its glory!

While it’s good to remember that the clefs do indeed have their notes arranged in

?
alphabetical
28 order, there is an easier way to work out what note you’re dealing with quickly.

19
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 DIVIDE AND CONQUER!

If you look at the note names in terms of lines and spaces, that’s only ve lines and four
spaces to remember. Not only will it be much easier to split them up than to take on all nine
at once with no di erentiation, but it will improve your accuracy too (for example, if you
know C doesn’t appear on any of the stave lines in the bass clef, you won’t even be tempted
to mislabel a line with a C).

Trust me, a little concerted e ort on learning this now will be well worth it, and much less
annoying and time consuming in the long run than a more haphazard approach.
Score

BASS LINES

? w w
w w w ∑
Score
Good Birds Don't Fly Away

?∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
2
BASS SPACES

? w w ∑ ∑ ∑
w w

?
4 All Cows Eat Grass

?∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
2

20
12
ff
ff
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 THE TREBLE CLEF

w w w w w
&w w w w
E F G A B C D E F

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
2

&
Keeper of higher pitches and a joy to behold, the treble clef is in alphabetical order too, but
with a di erent set of letters to remember. Its other name is the G clef, as it starts its scroll
Score around the G line.

4 TREBLE LINES

& w
&w w w w 10

core Every Good Boy Does Fine

12

&
&∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
TREBLE SPACES

w w
20 &w w
&
& F A C E

&∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
28

&
2 10 This one always reminds me of my dog. He is a very good boy indeed, this one’s for you

&
Finn. x

21
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 Score THE GRAND STAFF AND LEDGER
LINES

w w w w
& w w w w www
w www
w w w
Middle C

? w w ww w (same note)

w w
wwwww
C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F G A B C

31

&
The grand sta (aka great stave) is made when two staves are joined together, and is
especially useful for keyboard players and harpists (who have a wide range of notes to
?cover). It is also an excellent way to see the connection between the bass clef and the treble
clef.

In the example, middle C appears twice, once in each clef. I know those are two very
di erent clefs, but the pitch of that note is exactly the same. The higher bass notes do in fact
end up in treble clef territory, and the lower treble clef notes wander into bass clef territory.

While I’m sure you’ve already gured this one out, it’s a handy reminder that no clef is an
island, and that despite their outward di erences they do in fact have some common ground
on the pitch front.

22
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 LEDGER LINES

As we inch toward middle C11 in the example above, we appear to run out of room on the
stave to put it. After all, you’ve covered the notes on the stave for both treble and bass, and
middle C wasn’t there. But there it most de nitely is in the example, sitting placidly on its
very own personal line. The cheek of it! It’s almost as if someone just made up some extra
lines and spaces for the notes spilling over above and below.

That’s exactly what happened.

Thanks to the cunning use of ledger lines (aka leger lines), we can extend ourselves above
and below the stave, creating not just extra lines, but extra spaces too. If you see a note
above or below the ve stave lines that doesn’t have a line directly through its middle then
it’s in a space.

Score
How do you work out ledger lines? If it’s below the stave, then just step backwards through
the alphabet. Look at this bass clef example:

Bass clef ledger line example

?
w w w w w
G F E D C

?
14
The bottom line is a G, so to work out the notes below, you just go backwards
alphabetically.

11 Middle C is the mid point between the staves. At one time (before the music notation
world was created and chaos reigned) this was all one big expanse of lines, until clefs and

?
17 separate staves came along, bringing with them ledger lines and the glory of middle C.

23
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 G (bottom line of the stave), F (space under stave), E (line), D (space), C (line). And on and
on… You can keep going on as far as you have notes and patience.

Now for an example above:

Score

Treble clef ledger line example

w w w w w
&
F G A B C

14

& This is the same idea, but since we’re going up in pitch we need to go forwards
alphabetically.

17

&
F (top line of the stave), G (space above), A (line), B (space), C (line). Here too one could
keep going (and certain sopranos can and will), but I’m sure you get the idea.

25

&

24
 DY N A M I C S

While we have now unravelled some of the mystery surrounded the worlds of pitch and
duration, there is yet another aspect of sound we haven’t touched on yet: volume.

It’s a subtle point, but it can make a huge di erence to your performance. These are some
common dynamic markings ranging from the softest to their loudest. As you can see,
they’re really just variations of the two terms piano or π, and forte or ƒ.

Italian name Symbol Meaning

pianississimo ¬ Very soft indeed

pianissimo ø Very soft

piano π Soft

mezzo-piano Δ Moderately soft

mezzo-forte ∑ Moderately loud

forte ƒ Loud

fortissimo ∂ Very loud

fortississimo µ Very loud indeed

Nothing like a nice chart of dynamics!

If that’s not enough variety for you, there are also the infamous ‘hairpins’, which work in
much the same way. If your hairpin starts out small and gets wider < that means you should
gradually increase the volume, and if it’s wide to small > then you should gradually
decrease. The key word here being gradual — try to follow the shape of the hairpin and
increase or decrease your volume through the passage indicated by the sign.

25
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 Here they are in action:

& 44 Œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑A C
∑ C∑ I D∑ E ∑N T∑ A∑L S∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
3

An accidental is a type of symbol that a ects the pitch of notes. There are three kinds of
∑ ∑ naturals,
∑ and sharps.
∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
22

&
Score
accidental: ats,

Here we have an A at, and A natural, and an A sharp.

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
31

&

& bw nw #w ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
40

& flat natural sharp

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
8

&
∑ ∑ ∑
49
How do they work?
&

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
16 Flats lower the pitch by a semitone (aka a half step).

& Naturals cancel out the e ects of other accidentals.

Sharps raise the pitch by a semitone (aka a half step).

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
24

& Small changes, but they can make a big di erence if you forget one!

26
fl
fl
ff
ff
ff
 KEY SIGNATURES

As well as appearing on their own and scattered throughout a piece, sharps and ats also
like to appear in formation. It’s like an information package presented to the observant
reader, and the current key signature is repeated (much like an important news bulletin) at
the beginning of each musical line.

When they’re in formation at the beginning of a line accidentals are referred to as a key
signature, and are always written in the same order and location on the stave.

Twinkle, Twinkle Litt

4 œ œ ˙
Moderato

Voice b
& 4 œ œ œ œ œ
p Twin - kle, twin - kle litt - le star, how

b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
5

& ˙
Up a - bove the world so high, like a

œ œ œ œ ˙
&b œ œ œ
9

œ
Twin - kle, twin - kle litt - le star, how I

27
fl
 TIES AND SLURS

2
&4 œ œ œ œ œ œ
tie slur

& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
∑
4 While the curved lines in the rst two bars may look very similar, they actually indicate
quite di erent things.

The rst bar has a curved line connecting two notes that are the same pitch.12 This is a tie, a
tie that binds two notes together (if not in holy matrimony, at least in terms of rhythmic

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
28

&
value).

A tie combines the value of two (or sometimes more) notes. If you have two quarter notes
tied together, they would be equal in value to a half note. Tie two half notes, and you’ve got
a sound equal in value to a whole note.

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
37

& When you come across a tie, you are to keep singing your original note until you reach the
end of the combined value of the notes tied together. No rearticulation either, which means
that you don’t have any breaks or restarting of the pitch, you just keep hanging on for dear
life and hope you don’t turn blue by the end.

∑ ∑
46

& In the example above, two crotchets13 are tied together. The tie means that you’d combine
their value, and simply hold onto the pitch for dear life for two beats. If an innocent listener

12 Notes of the same pitch like these two are so identical that their own mother couldn’t tell
them apart. Or to put it another way: were you to play these two notes on a piano keyboard,
you’d only need a single key in order to do it.
13 Quarter notes. If you honestly didn’t remember then it’s time to head back to the chapter
A Note by Any Other Name for a spot of revision.

28
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 didn’t have the music in front of them, it would sound to them as if you were simply singing
a single minim note in this bar.

Ties can be between notes of any duration, and can go over barlines — you’ll sometimes see
several bars of tied notes, one after another.

The second bar also has a curved line connecting two notes, but these notes are di erent
pitches. This is a slur, and indicates that notes are to be sung legato (which means to move
from note to note smoothly — often our default articulation as singers).

A slur can also connect multiple notes, or be used to indicate phrasing.14 For singers this
often coincides with a sentence or phrase of text from our lyrics. Even so, being rather on
the large and lengthy side, phrase lines are pretty easy to spot.

As singers, we usually spot slurs when two or more notes are to be sung to the same
syllable. This is known as melisma, which is a rather charming term for making a syllable
extra fancy.15

14 A phrase is a kind of musical thought, almost like a musical sentence (by which I mean
words not punishment). For singers, it usually coincides with a sentence or phrase in our
lyrics.
15 If you ever hear the term ‘melisma’ bandied about at a choir rehearsal now, you can feel
con dent (perhaps even a little smug) that you know what it means: one syllable sung over
two or more notes. Music in this style is referred to as melismatic.

Bonus: Initiative test

Smoothly sneak the word ‘melismatic’ into two or more conversations this week.

29
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 Q
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 REPEATS

With multiple verses and repeating refrains it’s hardly a surprise that so much music is
positively littered with repeats. Repeats can save you a lot of paper and page turns, but they
can be an embarrassing trap for the unwary.
Score

Backward repeat

& 44 ˙
Backward repeat

˙ ˙ ˙ .. w
Laun - dry, laun - dry day.

& ÓHere’s
Œ œ an.. œexample œ œ .. w repeat.
œ œ œ œofœa backward ∑ This∑ looks∑ very like
∑ a ∑nal bar∑ line,∑except that it
4

has two dots (one in the second space and one in the third space of the stave). When you
I do a load of laundry
- and I rest!
see one of these in the wild, simply sing up to it as normal, sing everything again (unless

∑ it. ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
15
there’s a forward repeat — more on that in the next example) and then continue blithely on
& past

Backward repeat how to guide:

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
23

& To sing through this example, you’d go merrily through bars one and two, take one look at
the backwards repeat and jump back to the beginning. Sing bars one and two again, and
then nish with bar three.

On the lyric front: Laundry, laundry (repeat) Laundry, laundry (pass - you’ve completed this
repeat) day.

31
fi
fi
Score

Forward repeat

Forward repeat
4 .. œ œ œ œ .. w
&4 Ó Œ œ œ œ œ œ
I do a load of laun - dry and I rest!

& A∑ forward
∑ repeat
∑ looks
∑ like
∑ a ∑mirror∑ image∑ of the
∑ backward
∑ ∑ repeat,
∑ and∑ when∑ you∑see one
5
Here we have our old friend the backward repeat, with a new addition: the forward repeat!

you can be pretty sure a backward repeat sign is coming up. A forward repeat shows us
where that backward repeat is to go back to (meaning that when we have our backward

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
20
repeat, we only have to go back as far as the forward repeat and sing from there — not the
& beginning of the whole piece). Clear as mud? Let’s try the action commentary for this
example.

Forward repeat how to guide:

Sing bars one, two and three, repeat back to the forward repeat at the beginning of bar two
(not the beginning of the piece!). Sing bars two and three, and continue past the backward
repeat (you’ve already repeated once, you’ve done your bit) to bar four and the end.

Lyrics: I do a load of a laundry and I (go back but only to the forward repeat) do a load of laundry
and I rest!

32
 Score
Forward repeat with di erent lyrics

Forward repeat

& 44 Ó Œ œ .. œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ .. w
I do a load of laun - dry and I rest!
wish I did - n't have to and could

& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
5

Here we have the same example again, this time with di erent lyrics. No big deal here, just
slip down to the second set of lyrics on the repeat. If you were singing this, the lyrics would
go like this:

∑ ∑ ∑ ∑
20

& I do a load of laundry and I (repeat sign, back to forward repeat with the second set of words)
wish I didn’t have to (sail over repeat, we’ve already dealt with it) and could rest!

These forward and backward repeats are handy to know about, and very often you’ll hear a
conductor say ‘add a repeat here’ or ‘skip the repeat’ so it’s useful to know what they’re on
about. Next time you’re asked to add a repeat, you can draw your own repeat signs into your
music. Let’s try a few out now:

Exercise: Backwards repeats

& 44 ..

Copy out some backward repeats on the blank stave above, paying close attention to where
the dots go (be careful with this, or you might get the wrong repeat! Remember: dots on the
left of the lines = backwards repeat, dots on the right of the lines = forward repeat).

33
ff
ff
 First-time and second-time endings

As well as the forward and backward repeats, in this example we have a rst-time ending
and a second-time ending (indicated by the brackets and the little numbers). You do
occasionally see more (and if you do, just follow the numbers) but for the most part
composers tend to stop with the second-time bar.

3
&4 Œ Œ œ .. œ œ j œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj
œ œ œ. œ
The first time I sing this it all seems quite log - i - cal the
next time I sing this the re - peat feels com - i - cal, I'll

œ
&œ œ Œ Œ .. œ œ ˙.
1. 2.

œ j
6

œ œ. œ
œ ˙.
words and di - rec - tion are clear. The sing 'til I'm here!
sing and I'll
D.C. al Fine

& Πdoes
Œ œ all œthatœ mean
œ though?
œ œ The
œ clue ˙
œ œ is in˙ theœ name: j
œ œ œ ending
12

What œ œthe
. œ rst-time ˙ . is what you
sing the The
rst piece
timecaryou
- ries go
on,through that it's
e - ven though section. Follow
too long. thedoindicated
Oh where I go torepeat back to the
from here?!

beginning (or the nearest forward repeat) and carry on until you get to the rst-time
Fine ending.
It no longer being the rst time anymore, you skip that entire bracket of music and hurl
yourself head rst into the aptly named second-time ending (this being found at the end of
our second time round the preceding material).

Let’s try that in action commentary form:

Sing as normal from the beginning, observing that there is a forward repeat and mentally
agging that you’ll need to go back to it later. When you get to bar seven and the rst time
ending, continue until the end of the rst time bracket (at the end of bar nine) and return to
the forward repeat sign.

Sing the second set of words and continue until you get to the rst-time ending at bar 7. DO
NOT ENTER! We’ve already done that, so we skip over the entire rst-time ending and
straight into the second-time ending in bar 10, carrying on until the end.

Lyric order: The rst time I sing this it all seems quite logical, the words and direction are clear. The
next time I sing this the repeat feels comical, I’ll sing and I’ll sing ’til I’m here!

34
fl
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
 C H O O S E YO U R OW N E N D I N G :

If you’re an adventurous type, and tend to learn best when you’re dealing with the examples
at hand, then feel free to skip this chart for now, continue with the chapter, and perhaps pop
back for a spot of review at the end.

If you’re more like me though, you’ll nd few things as refreshing as a lovely chart of music
theory terminology, and since we’ll be seeing these in action shortly I’ll just leave this here
so you two can get acquainted:

Abbreviation or
Name Meaning
symbol

da capo D.C. from the beginning

dal segno D.S. from the sign

segno … the sign

ne the nish

al ne to the nish

coda ˇ ending secition

al coda to the ending section

These terms are often found in combination, such as D.S. al Coda (go back to the sign and
then when directed to the coda), or D.C. al Fine (go back to the start until you reach the
marking ne).

35
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
D.C. al Fine

3
&4 Œ Œ œ .. œ œ œ. j œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œj
œ œ œ
The first time I sing this it all seems quite log - i - cal the
next time I sing this the re - peat feels com - i - cal, I'll

œ
&œ œ ˙.
Fine
œ Œ Œ .. œ
1. 2.

œ j
6

œ œ. œ ˙. œ
words and di - rec - tion are clear. The sing 'til I'm here!
sing and I'll
D.C. al Fine

&Œ Œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œ . œj œ œ œ ˙ .
12

œ œ
The piece car - ries on, e - ven though it's too long. Oh where do I go to from here?!

Action commentary:

Sing from the beginning until bar 9. The rst-time ending repeats back to the forward repeat
in bar 2, so go there…18and continue blithely on until the end of bar 6. Skip over the rst-
time ending, and go straight into bar 10 and on.

Observe the Fine marking, but don’t panic — it doesn’t have its moment until later. Sing
through the piece to the last bar. Follow the D.C. al Fine (go from the top until the nish),
and return immediately to the start of the piece.

Sing through, repeating at the end of bar 9 back to the forward repeat. Continue on into the
second-time ending (skip over the rst-time ending) and stop at the end of the bar marked
Fine.

Lyric order: The rst time I sing this it all seems quite logical the words and direction are clear. The next
time I sing this the repeat feels comical, I’ll sing and I’ll sing ’til I’m here! The piece carries on, even though
it’s too long. Oh where do I go to from here?! The rst time I sing this it all seems quite logical the words
and direction are clear. The next time I sing this the repeat feels comical, I’ll sing and I’ll sing ’til I’m here!

18 … and await my instructions (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

36
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
fi
D.S. al Coda

%
& 43 Œ Œ œ ‰ œj
To Coda

œ œ j œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ. œ œ
1. The first time I sing this it all seems quite log - i - cal the
2. The next time I sing this the re - peat feels com - i - cal, I'll
3. last time I sing this won't come near - ly soon e - nough, I'll

œ
&œ œ ˙.
Fine
œ .. œ
1. 2.

œ j
6

œ œ. œ ˙.
words and di - rec - tion are clear. try not to swear!
sing and I'll

&Œ Œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œœ œ ˙ œ œ œ . œj œ œ œ ˙ .
11

œ œ
The piece car - ries on, e - ven though it's too long. Oh where do I go to from here?!

3 D.S. al Coda fi Coda

Œ Œ œ &œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙. ∑
19 23

&
3. The try to hang on to the end.

And lo, a trundling behemoth appeared! Let’s just skip straight to the action commentary
and try to make some sense of this.

Sing from bars 1 through 8, then follow the repeat in the rst-time ending back to the
beginning of the piece (no forward repeat in this version).

Sing bars 1 through 6 again, and skip over to the second-time ending in bar 9.

Sing on from bar 9 through 22 (don’t forget to count the multimeasure rest!) and follow the
direction D.S. al Coda (go back to the sign, and then to the coda).

Where is the sign? Bar 2, so sing on from there right through to the end of bar 5 and the To
Coda indication.

Jump all the way from bar 5 to the coda (the big target sign is a dead giveaway as to where it
is, codas as a rule live at the end of pieces), and the nal four bars.

Lyric order: The rst time I sing this it all seems quite logical the words and direction are clear. The next
time I sing this the repeat feels comical, I’ll sing and I’ll try not to swear! The piece carries on, even though
it’s too long. Oh where do I go to from here?! The last time I sing this won’t come nearly soon enough, I’ll
try to hang on to the end.

37
fi
fi
fi
 N O T E R E A D I N G P R A C TName:_________________________
ICE SHEETS

Bass Lines (50)

Bass Line Exercise:
Write the letter name of each note.
Write the letter name of each note.

?4 w w w
4 w w w w w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w
11
w w w w w w w
w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w
w w
21

w w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w w
w
31

w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w
w w
41

w w w w

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com
38
Bass Space Exercise:
Bass Spaces (50)
Write the letter name of each note.
Fill in the blanks.

?4 w w w w w
4 w w w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w
w w
11

w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w
w w w
21

w w

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w w
w w
31

w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w
w w
41

w w w

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com

39
Treble line exercise:
Treble Lines (50)
Write the letter name of each note.
Fill in the blanks.

4 w w w w w w
&4 w w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w
w w
11

& w w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w
& w w
21

w w w w

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w
& w w
31

w w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w w
& w w
41

w w w

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com

Treble Space exercise:

40
 Treble Spaces (50)
Fill in the blanks.
Write the letter name of each note.

4 w w w w w w
&4 w w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w
& w w w w
11

w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w
& w w w w w
21

w w w

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w w w w
31

& w w w
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w
& w w w w w
41

w w

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com

41
 Name:_________________________

ANSWERS
Bass Lines (50)
Write the letter name of each note.
Bass Line Exercise:

?4 w w w
4 w w w w w w
w
G B D F A F D B G D
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

?
11
w w w w w w w
w w w
B A F D G F B A D F
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

?w w w w
w w
21

w w w w
D A G D B A F B D G
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

?w w w w w w
w
31

w w w
D A F G B F D A F G
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

?w w w w
w w
41

w w w w
F D B A G D A F B G

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com

42
 Write the letter name of each note.

?4 w w w w w w w w
4 w w
A C E G E C A G C E
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w w w
11

w w w
A G C G E A C A G E
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

?w w w w w
w w w
21

w w
G C E C A C A G E C
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w w
w w
31

w w
A G C G E A E C G E
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

? w w w w w w w
41

w w w
A C A E G E C A G E

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Bass Space Exercise:

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com

43
 Treble Lines (50)
Write the letter name of each note.
Treble Line Exercise:

w w
& 44 w w w w w w w w
E G B D F D B G E F
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w
&w w w w w
11

w w w w
D B E G E D B F G D
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w
&w w
21

w w w w
B E B F D G E F D G
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w
&w w
31

w w w w
B E F G D B F E D G
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w w
&w w
41

w w w
B F D G D B E F G D

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com

44
 Treble Spaces (50)
Treble Space Exercise:
Write the letter name of each note.

w w w
& 44 w w w w w w
w
F A C E C A F E C E
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w
&w w w w
11

w w w
A F A C F E A C A F
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w
&w w w w w
21

w w w
C A E C F A F E C F
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w w w
w w
31

& w w w
E A C F E F C A F E
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

w w w
&w w w w w
41

w w
C A E F C A E F E C

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

©The Harp Room 2014

www.theharproom.com

45