Sunday, August 19, 2012

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 2nd 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 2nd 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 4th line of the bass staff

Like the treble clef, the notes ascend and descend around the highlighted F in alphabetical order.
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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 4th line is F in 2 ways, the head of the clef and 2 dots that straddle the 4th 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)

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