Music Theory 1 The Beginnings - Pitch Second Chances Band Program

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Darcy Anderson
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1 Music Theory 1 The Beginnings - Pitch Second Chances Band Program What is Music Theory? Music theory may best be described as the study of the written language of music. Music itself is an aural sensation, that is it can be perceived only by the ear. Notation, on the other hand, refers to those symbols we use to record music on paper. The guidelines for the use of this notation, so that the musical sounds they represent may be accurately repeated, we call theory. Since the Second Chances program is designed essentially as an instrumental music program, all musical theory will be taught from an instrumental point of view. Initial Music Theory Vocabulary The first few pages of your Sound Innovations method book will cover these same initial steps into the world of reading music. 1. Staff - consists of five lines and four spaces. The lines and spaces are always numbered from the bottom up. 2. Barline - divides music up into smaller sections, similar to the way a period divides words into sentences. 3. Double Barline - used by a composer to symbolize the end of the piece of music. 4. Repeat Sign - tells a musician to go back and play a particular section of music again. 5. Bar (Measure) - is the space between two barlines. 6. Clefs (Treble, Bass & Percussion) A Treble or Bass Clef indicates to a musician which range written music should be played in. With very few exceptions, a musician s music will always be written in the same clef depending on the individual range of their instrument. A Percussion Clef, on the other hand, indicates to a musician that there will be no pitch relevance to the lines and spaces. Instead, the various lines and spaces indicate which INSTRUMENT a percussionist should play when reading the music. Rules for Drawing Any Kind of Note If a note is drawn in a space, the note must fill the space but not go above or below the lines. If a note is drawn on a line, half of the note must be drawn above the line and half of it drawn below the line. If the note is written above the middle line of the staff, the stem of the note will always be drawn downwards on the left side. If the note head is written below the middle line of the staff, the stem of the note will always be drawn upwards on the right side. If the note is written on the middle line, the stem can either point upwards or downwards.

2 The Musical Alphabet All notes, no matter what staff they are written on, will be named from the seven letters that make up the musical alphabet. (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) Once the alphabet reaches the letter G, the cycle will repeat itself starting at A again. (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C...) As the letters of the musical alphabet move forward, the pitches, or sounds they represent will become higher. As the letters move backward, the sounds they represent will become lower. Naming the Notes in Treble Clef When naming the notes in any clef, you must always start from the bottom of the staff and move upwards. Remember, the staff is divided into five lines and four spaces. The names of the notes written on the lines of the treble clef staff (starting from the bottom and going upward) are E, G, B, D, F. Most people remember these names using the saying: Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. The names of the notes written in the spaces of the treble clef staff (again, starting from the bottom and going upward) are F, A, C, E. Most people remember these names using the word FACE. If you place all of these letter names in the appropriate lines or spaces on the staff, you will notice that the letters of the musical alphabet move in an upward, step wise fashion starting in the second space. In-class Assignment - 1. Name the notes written on the following staff: 2. Draw the notes specified below the staff in their appropriate locations on the staff. (Remember the rules for drawing notes properly)

3 The Use of Accidentals Sharp Sign ( ) the sharp sign raises the pitch of a note one half step. It remains in effect for the entire measure. Flat Sign ( ) the flat sign lowers the pitch of a note one half step. It remains in effect for the entire measure. Natural Sign ( Ω ) the natural sign is used to cancel an existing accidental. Rules for the Use of Accidentals If the accidental is being added to a letter of the musical alphabet, the sign appears after the letter. If the accidental is being added to a note on the staff, the sign appears before the note. If the accidental is being added to a note on the staff, it must be written on the same line or space as the note. Naming the Notes in Bass Clef The names of the notes written on the lines of the bass clef staff (starting from the bottom and going upward) are G, B, D, F, A. Most people remember these names using the saying: Good Boys Deserves Fudge Always. The names of the notes written in the spaces of the bass clef staff (again, starting from the bottom and going upward) are A, C, E, G. Most people remember these names using the saying: All Cows Eat Grass. If you place all of these letter names in the appropriate lines or spaces on the staff, you will notice, just as you did on the treble clef staff, that the letters of the musical alphabet move in an upward, step wise fashion starting in the first space. In-class Assignment - 1. Name the notes written on the following staff:

2. Draw the notes specified below the staff in their appropriate locations on the staff.

the bass clef staff is to be played with their left. Notice how the two staves are connected though.

4 2. Draw the notes specified below the staff in their appropriate locations on the staff. (Remember the rules for drawing notes properly) The Grand Staff (with Middle C) Piano players will read music on two staffs at the same time. For them, music written on the treble clef staff is to be played with their right hand while music written on the bass clef staff is to be played with their left. Notice how the two staves are connected though. Another interesting thing about the piano keyboard is that you can use it to visually see how the sharps will raise the note (move right, or UP the keyboard) and the flats will lower the note (move left, or DOWN the keyboard).

5 Instrumental Learning Triangle As a beginner instrumental musician, there are three equally important and distinct concepts of music that you need to learn simultaneously. If you leave one out, then you are hindering your overall musical learning experience. These three aspects are represented by the diagram below. Reading Notes on a Staff Knowing the Proper Fingering Knowing the Letter Name of the Note At times, in an effort to help their learning, a beginner will try simplifying their music by writing in the letter names for the notes under the staff. In so doing, they eliminate the top aspect from the triangle while relying only on the bottom two corners. Although this might seem like a helpful idea at the time, this technique will eventually become a crutch and will keep a beginner from learning to actually read the music. In addition to this, reading only the letter names under the staff also eliminates the concept of rhythm from the equation, making it harder for a player to stay with the ensemble. Glossary of Musical Terms (Session 1) 1) Dynamics i) Crescendo (<) gradually increasing in volume ii) Decrescendo (>) gradually decreasing in volume iii) Piano (p) - soft iv) Forte (f ) - loud v) Mezzo Piano (mp) medium soft vi) Mezzo Forte (mf) medium loud 2) Tempo Understanding Tempo Markings (q = 60) The number indicates the subdivision of 1 minute into equal parts. If the number is 60, then the minute is divided into 60 equal parts, so you have one quarter note per second. If the number is 120, then the minute is divided into 120 equal parts, so you have two quarter notes (or beats) per second. i) Ritardando (rit.) a warning that the music will gradually slow down. It is encouraged to watch the conductor so that the ensemble stays together. ii) Accelerando (accel.) a warning that the music will gradually speed up. It is encouraged to watch the conductor so that the ensemble stays together.

6 3) Conducting i) Ictus in conducting, the ictus is the point where the baton will consistently return in order to indicate the beat. ii) Recognizing the first beat in conducting, the first beat of every bar will be indicated by a downward motion toward the ictus. iii) How to conduct a basic 4 beat pattern iv) What can be communicated by a conductor from the podium, and how? 4) Musicianship i) Embouchure the position/shape of the mouth and lips when playing a wind instrument. ii) Rest Position the way in which you hold your instrument when it is not being played. Should always be uniform throughout a particular section. iii) Harmonic Series (acoustics) the tones generated above a fundamental tone by secondary vibrations of the main wave. iv) Pitching or Mispitching terms used to describe a brass players connection between their developing embouchure and their desired note of the harmonic series. v) Phrase A phrase is a musical thought or sentence. Phrases are usually four to eight measures long. vi) Breath Mark (Bow Lift) ( ) indicates to a wind player where to breath. To an orchestral string player, it means to lift the bow and return to the start position. vii) Fermata ( U ) a hold or pause. Most large ensemble directors will teach their viii) players/singers that a fermata means simply to watch the conductor. One Bar Repeat Sign ( ) is common short hand in printed music. Simply repeat the bar before the sign a second time. 5) Articulations i) Slur a curved line drawn over two or more notes to indicate that they are to be played legato with no breaks, breaths or tonguing in between. ii) Tonguing the use of the tongue to articulate notes on wind instruments. iii) Legato indicates that a passage is to be played very smoothly without iv) interruption between the notes. Staccato (. ) detached, played short. Indicated by a dot over or under the note head. v) Accents ( > ) Attack the note louder and with emphasis. vi) Simile Continue playing in the same way as previously indicated. 6) Rehearsal Terminology i) Concert Pitch when speaking to groups of instrumentalists, a conductor will often refer to notes according to Concert Pitch. This means that the notes are spoken of in terms of non-transposing instruments. ii) Woodwind Instruments Flute, Oboe, all Clarinets, all Saxophones, Bassoon iii) Brass Instruments Trumpet, F Horn, Trombone, Baritone, Euphonium, Tuba iv) Percussion Instruments Drums & Mallets v) String Instruments Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

7 vi) Rhythm Section Guitar, Piano, & Percussion vii) Wind Instruments any instruments you blow air through to make sound. viii) Lower Brass & Lower Woodwinds Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Baritone Sax, Trombone, Baritone, Euphonium, Tuba & Electric Bass ix) Tacet do not play this movement or exercise. x) Solo Means a section of the music will be played by only one player. xi) Soli Means a section of the music will be played by a small GROUP of players. xii) Tutti Means a section of the music will be played by everyone together. xiii) Duet Music with different parts for two players. Directed Listening As a beginner musician, I encourage you to periodically listen to great instrumental performers who play the instrument you are studying. I would suggest accessing the internet for this from time to time. Websites such as Grooveshark ( and YouTube ( are fantastic resources for finding and listening to music and musicians of interest. Hearing professional players perform help students to recognize and understand more subtle and elusive concepts such as tone and musicality. Here are a few suggestions: FLUTE: 1) Julius Baker 2) James Galway 3) Jean-Pierre Rampal 4) Susan Hoeppner CLARINET: 1) Larry Combs 2) Stanley Drucker 3) Mitchell Lurie 4) Richard Stoltzman OBOE: 1) Heinz Holliger 2) Pierre Pierlot 3) Robert Sprenkle 4) Ray Still BASSOON: 1) Arthur Grossman 2) Joseph Polisi 3) David Van Hosesen 4) Christopher Weait SAXOPHONE: 1) Fred Hemke 2) Branford Marsalis 3) Sigurd Rascher 4) Eugene Rousseau TRUMPET: 1) Maurice Andre 2) Winton Marsalis 3) Doc Severinson 4) Allen Vizzutti FRENCH HORN: 1) Hermann Baumann 2) Dennis Brain 3) Philip Farkas 4) Barry Tuckwell TROMBONE: 1) Ronald Borror 2) Christian Lindberg 3) Ralph Sauer 4) Alain Trudel 5) Philip Yeo BARITONE/EUPHONIUM: 1) Brian Bowman 2) Leonard Falcone TUBA: 1) Roger Bobo 2) John Fletcher 3) Harvey Phillips 4) Sam Pilafian 5) Patrick Sheridan PERCUSSION: 1) Keiko Abe 2) Alan Abel 3) Rob Carson 4) Anthony Cirone 5) Bobby Christian 6) Vic Firth 7) Al Payson 8) Gordon Stout ELECTRIC BASS: 1) Stanley Clark 2) Jaco Pastorious 3) John Patitucci 4) Victor Wooten VIOLIN: 1) Itzak Perlman 2) Joshua Bell 3) Sarah Chang 4) Andre Rieu 5) Pinchas Zukerman CELLO: 1) Yo-Yo Ma 2) Julian Lloyd Webber 3) Nathaniel Rosen

Marion BANDS STUDENT RESOURCE BOOK

Marion BANDS STUDENT RESOURCE BOOK TABLE OF CONTENTS Staff and Clef Pg. 1 Note Placement on the Staff Pg. 2 Note Relationships Pg. 3 Time Signatures Pg. 3 Ties and Slurs Pg. 4 Dotted Notes Pg. 5 Counting