Music is composed on a 5-line STAFF

The staff indicates the range of music sounds Low tones are located lower in the staff High tones are located higher

The lines of the staff are ordered from low to high

5 4 3 2 1

The spaces of the staff are also ordered from low to high

4 3 2 1

Musical pitches are name after the first 7 letters of the alphabet
ABCDEFG

There are 88 key on a standard piano keyboard, which represent nearly all of the possible tones found in Western music.

Lets try some key ID

CLEF signs are used to indicate the letter names of the lines and spaces of the staff. The two most used clefs are treble clef and bass clef.

TREBLE CLEF

BASS CLEF

Lets practice drawing treble and bass clefs.

The lines of treble clef are:

E G B D F

The spaces of treble clef are:

F A C E

When we combine the names for the lines and spaces, the result is alphabetical order

Lets practice naming notes in treble clef.

The lines of bass clef are:

G B D F A

The spaces of bass clef are:

A C E G

When we combine the names for the lines and spaces, the result is also an alphabetical set

Lets practice naming notes in bass clef.

When we combine the two clefs~ treble on top, bass on bottom, The result is called the GRAND STAFF

We can add in the missing link letter names to complete the alphabetical set of the Grand Staff

INTERVAL- the distance between two musical notes

Basic Intervals: WHOLE STEPS AND HALF STEPS

ACCIDENTALS Two new musical symbols: SHARP and FLAT

The sharp symbol raises a musical pitch by a half step. The flat symbol lowers a musical pitch by a half step.

ACCIDENTALS
Natural sign
The natural symbol cancels the affect of the sharp or flat symbols.

The result of the natural symbol is a natural note (white note on the piano keyboard)

When a natural follows a note that was previously flat, the result is a note that sounds a half step higher.

When a natural follows a note that was previously sharp, the result is a note that sounds a half step lower.

CHROMATIC HALF STEPS vs. DIATONIC HALF STEPS

Chromatic half steps are spelled using the same letter name. Examples: F F#; A A

Diatonic half steps are spelled one letter name apart. Examples: D Eb; F G

Solfege
The notes of the basic scale are sung using solfege syllables

do re mi fa so la ti do
doe ray me fah sew lah tee doe

do re mi fa so la ti do C D E F G A B C

Zoltan Kodly

RHYTHM TREE

TIME SIGNATURE

Time Signatures organize the beats of music into measures.

The top number of the time signature Indicates the number of beats per measure.

The bottom number of the time signature Indicates what type of rhythm equals one beat.