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: