Class 4 notes

MU 101: Music Fundamentals
Monday, August 27, 2012
Agenda
2:00-2:30 Review for Wednesday’s Quiz (Lessons 5-8)
2:30-2:59 Lessons 9 & 10
3:00 Hand back quiz
3:00-3:20 Review quiz (optional)
???s
The duration of musical sound is indicated by different types of ____________?
One whole note equals two __________ notes.
Two half notes equal ____________ whole note(s).
Four quarter notes equal ____________ half note(s).
Two quarter notes equal one ___________ note.
Stems go up if notes are below the ___________ line of the staff.
???s
Stems go down if notes are above the ___________ line of the staff.
Stems going up are attached to the __________ side of the note head.
Stems going down are attached to the ___________ side of the note head.
___________ signatures indicate the pulse, beat, or ________.
Each recurring pulse/beat pattern is a ______________ of music.
???s
A measure of music is separated by ___________ lines.
The end of a piece of music is indicated by a ______________ _______________ line.
The top number of a ____________ _____________ shows the number of beats in each measure.
The bottom number of a time signature shows what kind of note gets __________ beat.
In 4 time, there are ___________ beats in each measure
        4            and the ____________ note gets the beat
Measures-Bar Lines-Double Bar Lines
bar line: vertical line used to separate written music into measures or bars. Bar lines make music easier to follow
double bar line: two bar lines close together indicating the end of a section or piece of music. The first bar line is normal and the second is thicker
measure: the area between two bar lines.
It looks like this:
???s
1. What is a bar line used for?
2. Where is a double bar used?
Notes
whole note: note that receives 4 beats in common time. (4/4 time). All note names are derived from their relationship to the whole note.
half note: half the length of a whole note. Receives two beats in common time. (4/4 time)
quarter note: one fourth the length of a whole note. Receives one beat in common time. (4/4 time)
note head: the part of the note that tells what pitch and how long the note will be.
stem: line that stretches up or down from the note head.
Notes
Note Heads
Stems
Stem Direction (up)
Stem direction (down)
Remember…
3rd line notes conform
???s
1. What is the beat in music?
2. Name the notes you learned from shortest to longest.
3. Which notes have stems?
4. How many beats does a whole note get?
5. How many beats does a half note get?
6. How many beats does a quarter note get?
Time Signatures
“All times are not alike.” — Cervantes, Don Quixote
Time Signatures
4/4 time: the most common time signature. Four beats per measure, quarter note gets one beat.
C (common time): another way of writing or saying 4/4 time.
2/4 time: two beats per measure, quarter note gets one beat.
3/4 time: three beats per measure, quarter note gets one beat.
Meter/Time Signatures
At the beginning of every piece of music is the time signature or meter which gives you information about the piece of music. The time signature or meter tells you how many beats are in each measure. The time signature also tells you what kind of note gets one beat.
Meter/Time Signatures
The Top Number
The top number tells you how many beats will be in each measure.
So, in the previous examples, in 4/4 time, there will be 4 beats in each measure; in 3/4 time there will be three beats in each measure, and in 2/4 time there will be two beats in each measure.
The top number in the meter can be almost anything, but the most common ones are 4, 3, 2, and 6, pretty much in that order.
The Bottom Number
The bottom number tells you which type of note (whole, half, quarter) gets one beat. The most common time signature has a 4 as its bottom number. Remember fractions? Another way of saying 1/4 is one quarter, right? And so, with a 4 in the bottom of the time signature, you know that the quarter note receives one beat.
The Bottom Number
There are several possible numbers for the bottom of the time signature because there are several types of notes (whole, half, quarter, etc.) The most common numbers on the bottom of the time signature are 4 (quarter note), 2 (half note), and 8 (eighth note), with 4 being by far the most common. And because it’s the most common (and the easiest to understand), we’ll stick with 4 as the bottom number until later.
Why One Meter and Not Another?
Why have different meters? When you look at the following examples you’ll see how the words and the music fall in certain patterns. The pattern might be shaped by the words or the music or both. If there is a 4-beat pattern, it’ll be in 4/4 time. A 2-beat pattern is in 2/4 time, and a 3-beat pattern is in 3/4 time.
4/4 Time
This meter is much more common than all of the other meters. If you’re a beginner, you’ll most likely be working in this time signature for a while before moving on to others. The examples below use nursery rhymes and folk or popular songs to show why different meters are used. The tunes are first written on the five line staff, then simplified to just the rhythm part.
4/4 Time
Don’t worry if you don’t understand the up and down movement of the notes or some of the symbols on the five-line staff. We’ll get to all that soon. For now focus on the rhythm only.
You can see from the examples how these songs fall easily into their metric pattern. Notice where the bar lines are drawn. Notice how each measure contains 4 beats. Also take note of the fact that half notes are sustained for two beats. Whole notes would be sustained for four beats.
4/4 Time
Simplified
Common Time
Because 4/4 time is so common, you’ll often see a letter “C” in the place of the time signature. The “C” stands for “common,” and looks like this:
Common Time
2/4 Time
This is another fairly common time signature, though not as common as 4/4. Again, notice how easily this example falls into the pattern of 2 beats per measure. Pay no attention to the up and down motion of the notes right now. Focus on the rhythm only.
2/4 Time
Simplified
¾ Time
Three-four is a fun meter. It has a lilting, circular feel to it, especially if you take it fast. Keep it slow at first until you get the hang of this meter. If you’ve ever heard a waltz, or danced a waltz, you’ve heard the 3/4 pattern. It has a strong pulse on the first beat of each measure. ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three, ONE, two, three, etc. Study the use of quarter and half notes to show the rhythm:
¾ time
Simplified
???s
1. What is another name for meter?
2. Where does the time signature appear?
3. What information does the time signature give?
4. Which are the three most common time signatures?
5. What does the top number tell us?
6. What does the bottom number tell us?
7. Why are different meters used?
Counting Rhythms
Now that you know the note lengths and time signatures, we can move on to the counting system. The counting system is very helpful, especially for difficult rhythms. Every time I have a student count a difficult passage out loud, it becomes much easier. When you count, do it rhythmically, and tap your foot with a steady beat at the same time.
Counting Rhythms
The rhythms we’ll be using at first won’t be tough, so you can get a good idea of how the system works. Gradually I’ll introduce more and more difficult rhythms on which to practice this counting system. The good news is that you only have to know how to count to 4, the length of a measure of 4/4 time. And because we don’t need a specific pitch for this exercise, we’ll use the one-line staff for the examples.
Tap Your Foot
It’s one thing that both beginning musicians and masters have in common. It’s what keeps your rhythms the right length, and it keeps you synchronized with others you may be playing with. It’s the foot tap. Over the last few days I watched Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, Leo Kottke, then Metallica, and all of those musicians, almost the entire time they played, were tapping their feet. And if they didn’t tap their foot (which was seldom), their bodies moved in some other way to keep time steady. Rhythmic movement helps your music.
Tap Your Foot
If you’re in a large group in which 20 or more people tapping their feet sounds like a marching army, tap your toe inside your shoe, or tap your heel softly instead. If you’re playing solo guitar, maybe a blues tune, you can stomp your foot on beats 2 and 4 to add a little percussion to your song. Either way, if you tap your foot your performance will be better for it. If you’re not used to tapping your foot, it’ll take a little concentration and a little coordination to get it. Just keep practicing and soon you’ll be tapping your foot without thinking about it.
Tap Your Foot
If you don’t tap, or keep some rhythmic movement going, you’re pretty much guessing where the beat is. What you’re after is precision. To make this precision your own, tap your foot. Practice by tapping your foot to the beat of any music you hear. On to the counting system.
Quarter Note Count
The count is directly related to the beat. In 4/4 time (or any meter with a 4 as the bottom number) the beat is the same as the quarter note. When you tap your foot with the music, those are quarter notes. Here’s what a measure of quarter notes in 4/4 time looks like with the proper counting:
Quarter Note Count
Quarter Note Count
Simple and straightforward. At the beginning of the measure, the count begins again at “1”. In a meter with a different number on top (like 3/4 or 2/4) you only have as many numbers as there are beats in a measure. So a measure of quarter notes in 3/4 time is counted 1 2 3, 1 2 3, etc. Don’t forget to tap your foot. As you say the numbers out loud, say them rhythmically, so you can feel the beat. If you’re doing it correctly, each number is said as the foot hits the floor. This will come in handy later.
Half Note Count
Half notes, because they’re two beats, are treated a little differently. It’s easier to show than to explain. Remember that the sound of a half note in 4/4 time is sustained for two beats each:
Half Note Count
Half Note Count
You probably guessed the count would look something like that, right? The dash shows that the sound is continuous. When you say this rhythm, say it rhythmically, and say the 1 and 3 louder than the 2 and 4. Each half note will have two foot taps. The foot taps go with the beat (1, 2, 3, 4), not with the note. The tap remains continuous throughout these two measures, you would say (rhythmically), “ONE-two, THREE-four, ONE- two, THREE-four.” To show the half note sound is continuous, connect the sound of 1-2 and 3-4.
Whole Note Count
Whole Note Count
Remember, the tap goes with the numbers, not with the note, so for a whole note, you’d tap your foot four times while holding out the sound. When one plays whole notes on their instrument, the sound is continuous, so when you count, strive to make your voice also smooth and continuous within the four beats of the whole note.
Mix Them Up
Other Meters
Other meters, like 2/4 and 3/4 would be treated the same, the only difference being there would be less counts in each measure. An added bonus is that in those meters, whole notes aren’t used.
???s
1. The count of any measure, in any time signature/meter, begins with what number?
2. How is a measure of quarter notes in 3/4 time counted?
3. How is a measure of half notes in 4/4 time counted?
4. How is a whole note counted in 4/4 time?
Leger Lines
The notes above and below the staff. Most notes are written on the staff, but some notes are higher or lower than the staff can show. When a note goes beyond the range of the staff (higher or lower), small horizontal lines are used to show where the staff would be if it had more than five lines and four spaces. These are called leger lines (sometimes spelled “ledger lines”).
The words “leger line” appeared around 1700, though the practice of writing leger lines is older. To keep music from looking cluttered, leger lines are never used unless they’re with a note. How about some examples? The last two measures show extreme examples which you’ll rarely see, but give you an idea of what’s possible.
Leger Lines
Leger Lines
Notes on leger lines or spaces are named the same way. Following is an example with leger lines below the staff. These are the first 8 notes for both guitar and clarinet. Again, don’t worry about the things we haven’t gone over yet. Focus on the note names only.
Leger Lines
Leger Lines
And here are some examples of leger line note names above the staff. These are notes you might find in trombone music, electric bass music, or bassoon music.
Leger Lines
???s
1. What letters are used to name notes in music?
2. What letter comes after G?
3. What kind of note comes right before or after a space note?
4. What kind of note comes right before or after a line note?
THE GRAND STAFF
The treble staff and the bass staff can be joined together by a BRACE that consists of a straight line and a curved line.
The combined staves are called the GRAND STAFF.
A LEGER LINE is a small line which is added above or below either the treble or bass staves.
The MIDDLE C is on the leger line that joins the treble and bass staves.
THE GRAND STAFF
GRAND STAFF
Most often the upper staff has a treble clef while the lower staff has a bass clef.
But this is not always the case if all of the tones are in the upper register (necessitating 2 treble clefs) or all of them are in the lower register (necessitating 2 bass clefs):

THE GRAND STAFF
WHO USES THE GRAND STAFF??
Piano players
Conductors (they can see the full “score” with all instrument parts, or a “reduction” of the score on a grand staff with all high instruments on top and low instruments on the bottom)
Composers (same as above re: “reduced scores”)
Other instruments with a “keyboard” set up
Synthesizers
Keyboard percussion
Marimba
Xylophone (can use 1 treble staff or grand staff)
Vibraphone (can use 1 treble staff or grand staff)
AND THE ORGAN uses a BIGGER ONE!
GRAND STAFF
IN PRACTICE:
Review of Quiz #1
Question 1: Please draw a TREBLE clef on the left side of the staff & a BASS clef to the right:
ANSWER 1
Question 2
Please write letter names under the following LINE notes:
Remember: (TREBLE CLEF)
Fine-------------------------5
Does------------------------4
Boy--------------------------3
Good------------------------2
Every-----------------------1
Question 3
Please write letter names under the following SPACE notes:
Remember: (TREBLE CLEF)
FACE:
Question 3
-------------------------5
E    space 4
-------------------------4
C    space 3
-------------------------3
A    space 2
-------------------------2
F    space 1
-------------------------1

Question 4
Please write letter names under the following LINE and SPACE notes:
Remember: (TREBLE CLEF)
Question 4
Fine-------------------------5
E    space 4
Does------------------------4
C    space 3
Boy--------------------------3
A    space 2
Good------------------------2
F    space 1
Every-----------------------1

Question 5
Please write letter names under the following LINE notes:
Remember: (BASS CLEF)
Always---------------------5
Fine-------------------------4
Do---------------------------3
Boys------------------------2
Good------------------------1

Question 6
Please write letter names under the following SPACE notes:
Remember: (BASS CLEF):

Question 6
-------------------------5
Grass        space 4
-------------------------4
Eat        space 3
-------------------------3
Cows        space 2
-------------------------2
All        space 1
-------------------------1

Question 7
Please write letter names under the following LINE and SPACE notes:
Remember: (BASS CLEF)

Question 7
Always---------------------5
Grass    space 4
Fine-------------------------4
Eat        space 3
Do---------------------------3
Cows        space 2
Boys------------------------2
All        space 1
Good------------------------1

Questions 8 & 9
Please draw the notes C and A in TREBLE clef.
Make the C HIGHER than the A.


Please draw the notes D and G in BASS clef.
Make the D HIGHER than the G.
Questions???
Let’s practice:

Wed. August 22, 2012

Please take a look at Lesson 7 first:

Meter is expressed by TIME SIGNATURES

Time Signatures are placed at the beginning of a piece of music, just after the clef. They contain 2 numbers that show the number of beats (or counts/pulses, etc.) in each measure and the kind of note that receives the pulse.

Time signatures are expressed as 2 numbers, one on top of each other. For now let’s only look at the number on top, which tells us how many beats or pulses are in a measure:

In Duple

In Triple

MEASURES (Lesson 6) we divide music up into equal parts called measures

BAR LINES indicate the beginning and end of a measure

DOUBLE BAR LINES, one thin and one thick, show the end of the piece.

Rhythms – (Lesson 5)

The duration of musical SOUND (not the pulse that is persistent, but the actual parts of music) is indicated by different types of notes:

WHOLE NOTE = 1/1 = 1

HALF NOTE = ½ (1/2 of 1)

QUARTER NOTE = ¼ (½ of ½)

They relate as follows:

1 whole note = 2 half notes = 4 quarter notes

Back to Lesson 7

The bottom number tells us what kind of note gets the pulse,

So in 4/4 time, the top number tells us we will have 4 pulses or beats per bar or measure, and the bottom 4 is the bottom of a fraction above, so they are quarter notes, 4 quarter notes to 1 measure make up the pulse/beat, but the rhythm could be 4 quarter notes, 2 half notes, 1 whole note, a half note plus 2 quarters or 2 quarter notes plus a half.

7

Rhythm might be described as, to the world of sound, what light is to the world of sight. It shapes and gives new meaning. – Edith Sitwell, poet and critic 1965

Rhythm, Meter, & Tempo

Music is the art of sound in time.

When we speak of time in music we speak of rhythm.

            General way music unfolds in time.

            Main driving force that connects all music across time, cultures, and levels.

“a rhythm” = arrangement of durations – long and/or short notes – in music.

            Also in sports, poetry, prose, even visual art.

Beat and Accent

Beats = basic unit of measurement in music

            Ordinary clock time is measured in seconds

            Music is measured in beats

It is the regular recurrence of pulses that we feel when listening to music

            Especially prevalent in rock music or marching band music

It is a steady background upon which we execute more complex rhythms

            Example the Olympic synchronized divers counting off their dives

            We also dance to the beat, typically not to the rhythms; tap foot, etc.

One special component of the beat is that, whereas in clock time all seconds “tick” in the same way, in music some beats get more emphasis than others.

            The emphasized beats contain an accent.

Accent = Allow not only for the pulse (beat), but now organize that pulse into groups.

            Not just: tick, tick, tick, tick, tick

            But: ONE two, ONE two, ONE two; or BOOM chick, BOOM chick, BOOM chick

The words above in all capital letters contain an accent.

            The accented beats are strong beats

            The others are weak beats

            STRONG weak, STRONG weak, STRONG weak

Or in a triple time: STRONG weak weak, STRONG weak weak… (ONE two three, ONE two three)

8

Meter

A recurring pattern of strong and weak beats. STRONG/weak pattern repeated again and again.

Each occurrence of the repeated pattern, beginning with the STRONG beat and followed by one of more weak beats, is a measure, or bar of music.

In Western music there are only two basic kinds of meters:

            Duple meter

            Triple meter

Duple Meter

Beats grouped into twos (ONE two, STRONG weak) or fours (ONE two THREE four)

Most common in marches (Think of walking or marching: LEFT right LEFT right)

Examples: “Yankee Doodle”, The Stars and Stripes Forever, “America the Beautiful”, “God Bless America”

Songs and pieces that are in 4 can be reduced to 2. Can someone count ONE two, ONE two… while someone else simultaneously counts ONE two THREE four, ONE two THREE four, lining up every other “ONE.”

Triple Meter

Beats are grouped into three.

            ONE two three, ONE two three

            STRONG weak weak, STRONG weak weak

Examples: “The Star-Spangled Banner” or “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”

As with 4 and 2, music in 6 can be reduced to 3 or 2:

ONE two three FOUR five six, ONE two three FOUR five six…

Simultaneously with

ONE two three, ONE two three; or ONE two, ONE two, ONE two

Odd numbered meters like 5 and 7 are typically reduced to 2+3, 3+2, 3+2+2, 2+3+2, etc.

It is also possible for a composer to write in 1: ONE, ONE, ONE, ONE; but usually that music is really in two or three, and the composer just wants to subvert the feel of a march or waltz and create something that is intentionally mechanical sounding/devoid of accent.

9

Rhythm and Meter

The most exciting rhythms seem unexpected and complex, the most beautiful melodies simple and inevitable. – W. H. Auden, poet 1962

Rhythm, in general terms = entire time aspect of music

A rhythm = particular arrangements of consecutive long and short notes and silences in a musical passage

We perceive most Western music as being in either duple or triple meter

Rhythms may coincide with the meter, cut across it independently, or even conflict/contradict it for the purposes of variety, tension, excitement, etc.

Meter is background and Rhythm is foreground.

Meter is not always emphasized or explicitly beaten out.

Meter is strongly stressed in music designated to stress regular body movements: marches, dances, popular music, etc.

A composer might purposefully obfuscate the feeling of meter to create other emotions or aesthetics: mystery, spiritualism, confusion, madness, introspection, etc.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Last time:

            One-line staff

            The staff (5-line staff)

            Higher vs. lower positions on the staff

4

The Treble Clef and Staff

At the beginning of each staff there is a clef.

103

Clef – a symbol found at the beginning of the musical staff that indicates the pitches for that staff

104

The word didn’t show up until around the middle 1500s.

In early music, a letter was written at the beginning of the text of plainchant [neumes]. The letter told the singer which note to start on.

Over time these letters were drawn more fancy until they resemble symbols more than letters.

Each clef has some element that shows the letter name of one line.

(see if you can guess for treble, bass, alto, and tenor clefs)

Just remember that a clef points to and names one line on the staff.

Some clefs are more common than others.

For now, we’ll use a certain type of note called a whole note, which looks like a hollow oval. We will discuss the whole note along with other types of notes in Lesson 5

The Treble Clef, or G clef looks like this:

(show example of how to draw one)

It is called the G clef because the swirly part, or inner loop, emphasizes the second line, establishing notes on that line as G.

            It used to be moveable, but now it is permanently fixed around the 2^nd line.

Notes are named after the first 7 letters of the alphabet, A-G.

They ascend and descend from that G point in alphabetical order

105

It is the most common clef.

It is used for instruments with a high pitch: piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, guitar, violin, French horn, saxophone, trumpet, and piano.

110

The treble clef used to be the letter G.

            It still kind of looks G-ish.

Instead of starting on G and listing all of the letters for the notes around it, sometimes we use mnemonic device to remember the lines and spaces:

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge / just the word “face”

Every Good Boy Does Fine

F-------------------

            E

D------------------

            C

B------------------

            A

G------------------

            F

E------------------

Because so many instruments use treble clef, it’s important for everyone to learn.

Let’s review Lesson 2

Questions?

What did clefs used to be?

What do clefs do?

Which line does the treble clef name?

Name 2 instruments that use the treble clef?

Draw a treble clef

What letter did the treble clef used to be?

The inner loop of the treble clef circles which line?

What letter name does the treble clef give to the 2^nd line?

What is another name for the treble clef?

What are the names of the treble clef lines (bottom to top)?

What are the names of the treble clef spaces (bottom to top)?

5

The Bass Clef and Staff

The bass clef or F clef looks like this:

The bass clef establishes the note F on the 4^th line of the bass staff

Like the treble clef, the notes ascend and descend around the highlighted F in alphabetical order.

114

The bass clef used to be the letter F, now it’s a super-fancy F.

            It shows where the note “F” is on the staff

Tells us that the 4^th line is F in 2 ways, the head of the clef and 2 dots that straddle the 4^th line.

115

sometimes we use mnemonic device to remember the lines and spaces:

Good Boys Do Fine Always / All Cows Eat Grass

Good Bassists Deserve Fine Arrangements / All Cars Eat Gas

A-------------------

            G

F-------------------

            E

D-------------------

            C

B-------------------

            A

G-------------------

Like the treble clef, it’s good to know the bass clef even for high instruments.

It is commonly used by low instruments: bassoon, trombone, tuba, cello, double bass, timpani, electric bass, left hand of the piano, etc.

Review Lesson 3

Which line does the bass clef name?

Name two instruments that use the bass clef

Draw a bass clef

What letter did the bass clef used to be?

Which line goes between the 2 dots of the bass clef?

Which line is the bass clef head on?

What letter name does the bass clef give to the fourth line?

What are the names of the bass clef lines (bottom to top)?

What are the names of the bass clef spaces (bottom to top)?

What is another name for the bass clef?

There are other types of clefs too (C clefs: alto, tenor, soprano; rhythm clef)

Intro. to Musical Notation and Staffs

Class Notes for August 15

Notes and page numbers come from Basic Music Theory – Jonathan Harnum, 2^nd ed. and Practical Theory – Sandy Feldstein

11

Chapter 1 Prelude: An Ultra-Brief History of Musical Notation

12

We are highly evolved.

Our pinna, the fleshy outer ear, transmits sound vibrations to the cochlea, one of the many tiny pieces of our inner ear.

The cochlea converts these vibrations into nerve impulses and sends them to the brain.

Thus, we human beings seek to organize sounds into patterns of rhythm and pitch. That is music!

In our history there are countless occurrences of equating music with the spiritual, the divine, and the psyche.

13

As a current musical trend, music therapy has shown positive results in various kinds of medical rehabilitations. Music may help with the production of melatonin, an important chemical in the body. The use of music therapy in healing is increasing in credibility.

14

Thus, we developed a written language that can record and communicate musical statements and ideas.

With this system we can share music across all levels, interest groups, and the globe.

Our western tradition of music notation is not the only system, nor is it the oldest.

Boethius, a Roman poet and philosopher, lived around 500 A.D. and wrote a famous treatise on music. It was the first use of Latin letters to represent musical sounds.

Monks in the monasteries of the Catholic Church adopted this system and also added their own improvements. They eventually created a system of neumes, or signs written above the text of a song to indicate duration, pitch (frequency), and movement between notes.

15

This system continued to develop, and around 1000 A.D. Guido di Arrezo, a Benedictine monk who was thrown out of his monastery for his radical innovations, is credited with adding more lines to the musical staff.

Scholars believe that he invented the Guidonian Hand, a system for singing together by making signals with his hand.

Until this time music in the monastery was monophonic, meaning it only had one part. An example of this is a type of song called a chant or plain chant. These plain chants constitute some of the first examples of written Western music and are even used to this day in the Roman Catholic Church.

16

Music eventually developed to having more than one part, called polyphonic music. Because this music was more complex, the notation system consequently needed to be able to show the other voices. Thus Guido di Arezzo expanded the staff to four, and then ultimately to five lines.

Composers continued to experiment with musical notation, but by about 1500 we arrived at a system that has remained virtually unchanged until today.

That being said, modern composers still experiment with notation to try to create different musical outcomes with their works.

17

Chapter 2: Lines, Lines, Everywhere There’s Lines

All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard no horse sing a song. – Louis Armstrong

18

When we discuss the musical staff and bar lines, these are things that you do not hear when listening to music, like the lines in a notebook, page turns in a book, etc.

The first kind of staff is a one-line staff.

A single line staff is a single line upon which we notate rhythms.

One line staves are good for instruments with one pitch or one sound such as a snare drum or bass drum. We will see this kind of staff when we isolate rhythm from pitch. Sometimes we will also use the middle line of a 5-line stave. Remember that the single line staff existed before the 5-line staff.

The majority of the time we will see the 5-line staff. This five-line staff, usually referred to simply as a staff because it is so common in musical notation, is a system of five lines upon which we write music: pitches and rhythms.

You can create and print your own blank staff paper for free at http://www.blanksheetmusic.net/

Instruments that play specific pitches (trumpet, flute, guitar, piano, etc.) use this staff. The five lines create four spaces between them.

Line 5----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        Space 4

Line 4----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------           

                        Space 3

Line 3----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        Space 2

Line 2----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                        Space 1

Line 1----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

19

When we count things in music we count up from the bottom.

            Staff Lines, Staff Spaces, Degrees of a Scale, Intervals, the strings of a guitar…

Memory Tip

Take your hand (left or right) and put it in front of you with your palm facing you. Those are the lines and spaces of the musical staff.

Musical sounds (low or high) are shown by the position of notes on the staff. Regardless of whether the note is on a line or a space, a note in a position closer to the top of the page than another has a higher pitch or frequency and vice versa for lower notes.

For now, think of the note as a target that aims on a specific line or space in the staff.

20

Questions

What types of instruments use a one-line staff?

Why use a one-line staff?

How many lines make up a regular music staff?

How many spaces are contained within a regular music staff?

Draw a five line musical staff.

What is the number of the bottom line?

What is the number of the top line?

What is the number of the bottom space?

What is the number of the top space?

If you have not already done so, please purchase Sandy Feldstein’s Practical Theory textbook from the bookstore and complete Lesson 1: The Staff. Next class we will look at musical clefs.

Office Hours

My office is located in English and Communications, Room 117G.

My office hours for the Fall 2012 semester as as follows:
Mon. & Weds. 11:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
Thurs. 1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.

I am available at other times too so please stop by at any time, send me an e-mail, or find me in class to arrange a meeting.

Thanks for your attention.

Calendar

MU 101 Music Fundamentals Fall 2012 Calendar/Assignments

Calendar

Wed. August 15 – Syllabus/Course Overview/The Staff

Mon. August 20 – Treble Clef/Bass Clef/Review Lessons 1-3

Wed. August 22 – Quiz/ Whole, Half, & Quarter Notes/ Measures, Bar Lines, Time

Signatures, & Note Values

Mon. August 27 – Time Signatures/Review Lessons 5-7

Wed. August 29 – Quiz/The Grand Staff /Leger Lines

Mon. September 3 – NO CLASS (Labor Day)

Wed. September 5 – Whole, Half, & Quarter Rests/Review Lessons 9-11/Quiz

Mon. September 10 – Another Time Signature 2/4 & ¾, The Dotted Half

Note/Review Lessons 13-15

Wed. September 12 – Quiz/Ties & Slurs/Repeat Signs

Mon. September 17 – 1^st and 2^nd Endings/Review of Lessons 17-19

Wed. September 19 – Quiz/Eighth Notes/Eighth Rest

Mon. September 24 – Dotted Quarter Notes/Review of Lessons 21-23

Wed. September 26 – Quiz/Flat/Sharp

Mon. October 1 – Natural/Review of Lessons 25-27

Wed. October 3 – Quiz/Whole & Half Steps/Chromatic Scale

Mon. October 8 – The Major Scale/Review of Lessons 29-31

Wed. October 10 – Quiz/More Major Scales (F & G)/Other Major Scales

Mon. October 15 – Key Signatures/Review of Lessons 33-35

Wed. October 17 – Quiz/Circle of Fifths, Major Sharp Keys, Major Flat Keys

Mon. October 22 – All Major Keys, Review of Lessons 37-39

Wed. October 24 – Quiz/Dynamics/D.C. and D.S., Coda & Fine

Mon. October 29 – Tempo Markings & Other Symbols/Review of Lessons 41-43

Wed. October 31 – Quiz/Sixteenth Notes/Sixteenth Rests

Mon. November 5 – Dotted Eighth Notes/Review of Lessons 45-47

Wed. November 7 – Quiz/Intervals/Diatonic Intervals

Mon. November 12 – NO CLASS (Veterans Day)

Wed. November 14 – Chromatic Intervals/Review of Lessons 49-51/Quiz

Mon. November 19 – More Time Signatures/Another Way to Count

Wed. November 21 –Triplets/Syncopation/Review of Lessons 53-55/Quiz

Mon. November 26 – Major Chords, Major Triads/Chords Related to a Key

Wed. November 28 – Chord Progressions/Review of Lessons 57-59/Quiz

Mon. December 3 – Minor Scales/Modes/Overtone Series

Wed. December 5 – Review/Quiz

Syllabus

MU 101 Music Fundamentals Syllabus

Room FA 127, 3.0 Credits

2:00 P.M. – 3:20 P.M. Mondays and Wednesdays

Instructor: Dr. Jeffrey Meyer: Office: English and Communications 117G,

Office Phone: TBA, Cell: 482-8282 E-mail: jeffrey.meyer.81@gmail.com 

Nichole Rivera, Division Secretary: 735-2700

Texts: Practical Theory by Sandy Feldstein

Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course.

Course Goals: This course is designed to teach basic music theory through the use of solfège. Specific elements of music reading will include:

Clefs

Key Signatures

Time Signatures

Rhythm

Meter

Triads

Circle of Fifths

Intervals

Overtones

Dynamics

Tempo Changes

Varieties of repeats

Scales and Modes

Attendance: This is a participatory class and regular attendance is required.

Grading: Your grade depends upon individual effort, attendance, improvement, and participation, not on innate abilities or the relative abilities of other class members.

An assignment sheet/schedule of quizzes will be distributed in the first full week of classes.

Chapter “review” quizzes from the Practical Theory book will be given every Wednesday.

Each written quiz will be worth 10 points. Your final grade will be based on the average of your accumulated points for the quizzes. You can take extra theory quizzes further in the book for extra credit.

There are no make-ups for these tests unless prearranged or for emergencies!

If you are a student with a disability who will require an accommodation(s) to participate in this course, please contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. You will need to provide me with documentation concerning your need for accommodation(s) from the EEO/ADA Office. If you have not registered with the EEO/ADA Office, you should do so immediately at 735-2244/2971/2243 (TTY) to coordinate your accommodation request.