How to Read a Piece of Music
Canvass music, the written grade of music notes, may appear very complex to the untrained eye. While reading notes for music is like learning a whole new language, it is actually much less complicated than yous may think. This commodity will discuss how to read music notes. Check out our article "Acquire How to Read Sheet Music: Rhythms" for information on music notation values, time signatures, counting rhythm and more.
Staff
The foundation of the written musical language is the staff. It is made up of v lines and four spaces, as seen below. The lines are numbered one-5 starting from the bottom line. The spaces are numbered i-iv starting with the bottom infinite (in betwixt lines ane and 2).
Clefs and Note Names
Each line and space of the staff correspond to a musical pitch, which is determined by the clef. Music notes are named subsequently the get-go vii letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, Chiliad. The two clefs that are primarily used are the treble clef and bass clef.
The treble clef, pictured below, is also known as the 'G-clef'. This is because the curve in the clef encircles the second line of the staff, which is called a 'G' on the treble clef staff. The treble clef is used by instruments that have college registers, similar the flute, violin and trumpet. The college registers of the pianoforte are notated in the treble clef as well. For commencement pianists, notes on the treble clef staff will exist played with the right manus.
The note names on the spaces of the treble clef spell out F-A-C-Due east.
The notation names on the lines of the treble clef are Due east-G-B-D-F. Some mnemonics to help you remember this are "Every Good Boy Does Fine", "Every Adept Boy Deserves Fudge", or "Elvis'south Guitar Broke Downwards Friday". Come up with your own and let u.s.a. know in the comments!
The bass clef, pictured in the examples below, is also known equally the 'F-Clef' because the fourth line of the staff passes between the two dots. The note located on this line of the bass clef staff is an 'F'. In early on music notation, hundreds of years ago, this clef sometimes moved effectually. The 'F' was located on whichever line passed between the two dots. In other words, the F might take been on the tertiary line instead of the quaternary line! Today, the 'F-Clef' does not move around and is known interchangeably every bit the bass clef.
As its proper name indicates, the bass clef is used past instruments with lower registers, similar the cello, trombone or bassoon. The lower registers of the pianoforte are notated in the bass clef. For beginning pianists, notes on the bass clef staff will exist played with the left manus.
The note names on the spaces of the bass clef staff are A-C-E-G. Some helpful mnemonics to remember this are "All Cows Eat Grass" or "All Cars Swallow Gas".
The note names on the lines of the bass clef staff are M-B-D-F-A. Some helpful mnemonics to jog your memory are "Expert Boys Do Fine E'er" or "Proficient Boys Deserve Fudge Always". Allow u.s.a. know what you come up upward with!
Ledger Lines
Ledger lines are used to notate pitches below or above the regular lines and spaces of the staff. 'Eye C', one of the offset notes start music students learn, is located on a ledger line between the bass clef and treble clef staffs. Y'all can run across how information technology is notated in both of these clefs in the examples below.
Ledger lines are used sometimes in music notation because it makes the notes easier to read than constantly changing betwixt clefs. There tin can exist an space number of ledger lines to a higher place or below any staff, but information technology can exist hard to read the music if there are more than three. At that point, it is commonly wise to modify clefs. For example, writing the following on the treble clef staff
is the same as writing
.
Accidentals
In Western music, an "accidental" may exist added in front of the note to alter the pitch by a semitone, or one-half-step.
The symbol pictured beneath is a flat sign. As its name suggests, this symbol is used to signal that the pitch of the note should exist lowered by a semitone. The notation pictured here is a B-flat.
The symbol that looks like a pound sign or hashtag is a precipitous sign. It indicates that the note it precedes should be raised by a semitone. The note in the case is a C-precipitous.
If a precipitous or flat precedes a note at the offset of a measure, that note remains sharp or flat for the entirety of the measure out. For example, instead of writing 
it is much easier to write 
. When played, these two measures would audio exactly the aforementioned.
Even if in that location are other notes in the measure, the note that is preceded by a precipitous or apartment remains sharp or flat in that measure. The notes in the example below read B-flat, C, A, B-apartment, even though the terminal note does not have the flat symbol earlier it.
If the note is no longer supposed to sound sharp or flat, it volition exist preceded by a natural sign. The note in the following example is an E-natural.
If nosotros take Example 1a above and wish to brand the 2d B-flat a B-natural, it would await like Example 1b below, which reads B-flat, C, A, B-natural.
Call back, accidentals simply use within the given measure. Measures are separated by bar lines, a thin, vertical straight line that passes through the iv spaces of the staff, as pictured beneath. (There volition be more nigh measures and bar lines in a hereafter article "Learn How to Read Music: Rhythms".)
Take a wait at Example 2a below. Because there is a bar line separating the fourth notation from the fifth notation, the fifth note is really a B-natural, non a B-flat. The six notes below read B-flat, C, A, B-flat, B-natural, C.
Sometimes a composer or arranger may put a "courtesy" natural (or sharp or apartment) at the beginning of the measure out, as in example 2b below. This is a friendly reminder that the previous accidental no longer applies. Both examples 2a and 2b would audio exactly the aforementioned when played.
Key Signatures
In many cases, a composer or arranger may wish for certain notes to be flat or sharp throughout a whole piece, unless otherwise indicated by a natural sign or other accidentals, of course! They will communicate this in sheet music by utilizing a central signature. A key signature defines the key of the music and thus what flats or sharps are supposed to exist played throughout the slice. This helps reduce the need for accidentals (i.e. placing a flat or sharp earlier a notation in the music every time it occurs). Now, there are some important rules to know nearly key signatures. A central signature is made upward of sharps or flats, not a combination of the two. Flats and sharps are added in a particular social club, as outlined below.
Flats in the fundamental signature lower the pitch of notes on the corresponding line or space by a half-stride (or semitone). This transfers to all octaves. Dissimilar keys are defined past the number of flats (or sharps) in the central signature, starting with the leftmost and moving to the right. Flats are added to a key signature in the following society: BEADGCF. For instance, if there is only one apartment in the key signature, it will always be B-flat. If there are three flats, they will always be B-apartment, E-apartment and A-flat, and and then on.
Sharps in the key signature raise the pitch of notes on the corresponding line or space by a half-step. Dissimilar keys are divers past the number of sharps (or flats) in the key signature, also proceeding from left to correct. Sharps are added to a key signature in the post-obit order: FCGDAEB. For example, if you lot i sharp in the key signature, it will e'er exist F-abrupt. If you have four sharps, they volition always exist F-sharp, C-sharp, Thou-sharp and D-sharp, and so on.
A helpful way to remember the order in which flats and sharps are added to a key signature is to recognize that they are the reverse of each other. Equally you can meet in the prototype below, flats are added to the notes from left to right and sharps are added to the notes from right to left.
Pianoforte Keyboard
Many musicians frequently get their start playing the piano or keyboard. In fact, students who continue to study music in higher are required to have a piano proficiency grade. It is helpful to accept an agreement of the pianoforte keyboard, peculiarly when we discuss scales, in the next section.
This pattern repeats several times on a keyboard. There is a half-step between every key on the piano, whether you are moving from a white key to a black key or a white key to a white key. Even though at that place is no black key between E and F or between B and C, each pair is still only a half-step autonomously. Because there is a black betwixt C and D, D and E, etc., nosotros call the distance between those pairs of notes a whole-pace.
Remember how we discussed earlier that a sharp raises the pitch of a note by a one-half-step and a flat lowers the pitch of a note by a half-step? The black keys perform this function on a pianoforte. For example, the black key y'all see between C and D sounds a C-sharp or a D-flat. Visually, it makes complete sense because the black key is positioned in a higher place the C and below the D. The note between D and E is a D-sharp or an E-flat, and and then on.
At present that yous have a basic understanding of the piano keyboard and the distance betwixt the notes, let's talk about scales!
Scales
The order in which flats or sharps are added to a fundamental signature is so important because, in Western music, much of the melody and harmony of a piece is built using the notes of a unmarried scale. Scales are a set up of notes ordered by a combination of whole steps and one-half steps. There are several types of scales in the musical language; this article will focus on major and minor scales.
Major Scales
First, let'due south accept a wait at the written C-major calibration. This item scale has no sharps or flats. It would too be played solely on the white keys of a keyboard.
All major scales are comprised of the following pattern of tones: whole-step, whole-step, half-step, whole-step, whole-pace, whole-step, one-half-step.
If you were to start the scale on a note other than C, you would demand to add sharps or flats to maintain this pattern of tones. Allow's take a look at the F-major scale.
As you now know, at that place is a whole-step between A and B, but in a major scale, that altitude needs to exist a half-step. Therefore, we lower the pitch of the B by a half-step to B-apartment. (For the tape, in a written scale, you never have two notes containing the same letter name. In the F-major scale, you would never see the B-flat written as an A-sharp.)
Now that we've looked at a calibration with a flat, permit's take a look at a abrupt scale.
The altitude betwixt the second and third notes of a major scale is a whole-step. Since there is but a half-stride between E and F, nosotros need to heighten the F by a half-step to an F-sharp. The same is true betwixt the sixth and seventh notes of the calibration, which is why there is a written C-sharp.
Small Scales
Every major scale has a relative minor calibration. A relative minor calibration shares the same key signature as its major scale, but information technology begins on the sixth note of the major scale. For example, A is the 6th note of the C-major calibration, which makes A-minor the relative minor scale of C-major. Expect at the F-major and D-major scales in a higher place? What is the relative modest calibration for each of those major scales? Hint: find the sixth note of the scale.
Because y'all are using the same key signature as a major calibration, but starting on the sixth notation, there is a different blueprint of whole-steps and half-steps. Accept a look at the A-minor scale beneath.
All natural minor scales are comprised of the following pattern of tones: whole-step, half-stride, whole-pace, whole-step, half-footstep, whole-step, whole-footstep.
You may exist wondering why this scale is called A-natural minor, and not simply A-pocket-sized. That is because in that location are three types of minor scale. The natural modest calibration makes no amending to the notes in the indicated fundamental signature; in other words, there are no accidentals.
In the harmonic minor scale, the seventh annotation of the scale is raised by i half-step. In the A-harmonic modest scale, the G becomes a G-sharp.
The third type of minor calibration is the melodic pocket-sized scale. This one is a chip catchy, because it is different ascending than descending. (All scales discussed previously are the same ascending and descending.) In the melodic minor scale, the 6th and seventh notes of the scale are raised by a one-half-stride going up and return to their original pitch, every bit indicated by the key signature, on the fashion down.
An extremely helpful device to recollect all of the different major and pocket-sized scales and their flats or sharps is called the Circle of Fifths. This is the best friend of many students studying music theory.
Check out our other articles in the "Learn How to Read Sheet Music" Series:
Acquire How to Read Sheet Music: Rhythms
Learn How to Read Sheet Music: Listing of Basic Musical Symbols
Larn How to Read Canvass Music: Dynamics, Articulations and Tempo
Source: https://blog.sheetmusicplus.com/2015/12/30/learn-how-to-read-sheet-music-notes/
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