Pitch and Keyboard Music is a combination of sound and silence in time. There are two types of sound that are used in music: pitch, and non-pitched sound. Pitch- In music, pitch refers to sound with a controllable highness or lowness. [Technically, the highness or lowness of sound is called the frequency of the sound. Frequency is measured by the number of cycles per second at which the sound vibrates.] Tone- A single pitch is called a tone. Many musicians use these terms somewhat interchangeably. Non-pitched sound- Non pitched sound is sound with a random, or uncontrolled highness or lowness. Music makes use of both pitched sound and non-pitched sound, but the emphasis is usually on pitched sound. an you think of some examples of pitched sound in music? an you think some examples of non-pitched sound in music? The pitches used in western music are named after the first 7 letters of the alphabet: ABDEFG. This pattern is repeated so that after the letter G the next higher pitch name is A. To see how this works, we will use the keyboard. Notice that the keyboard has white and black keys. The black keys are in a repeating pattern of two s and three s. The letter names are assigned to the white keys. We will start by finding the letter : The white key to the left two black keys is the letter. The letters progress on the keyboard from left to right. Starting from, the next white key is D, followed by E and so on. If you follow the white keys starting from and continue one letter at a time (DEFGAB) when you reach the next, you should again be at the left of two black keys. The keyboard is layed out so the pitches are higher in pitch as you move from left to right, and lower as you move from right to left. Spend a few minutes finding the letters that go with the keys on the keyboard. You can explore at random, or try playing these groups of pitches anywhere on the keyboard. DE, DEF, EFGFED. ABBA, ABDE, DEFDBA, BAGA. EFG, EFG, EFGEED... ADA, BADA, BFEFED, ADA. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.1-
Now we will go into more detail about pitch on the keyboard. Play all the s on the keyboard from left to right, and then from right to left (you may try this with other letters as well.). Now count the s. How many are there? You should have found eight s altogether (the last key on the right is the last on a standard piano keyboard). With so many of each letter, it is important to have a method of differentiating them. When a song needs a particular ( the lowest or highest, for example) it is important to have a clear way of showing it. For this text, we will use middle as a point of reference. - is the near the middle of the common pitch range represented by the full piano keyboard. is the 4th from the left, or 5th from the right on a standard piano. Find and play middle. will be used to divide the pitches on the keyboard in two parts: pitches higher than middle, and pitches lower than middle. The higher pitches, are those to the right of middle, and the lower pitches are to the left of middle. Play middle. Play the 1st D above middle (the first D to the right). Play the 2nd D above middle. Play the 3rd D above middle. Play the 1st D below middle. Play the 2nd D below middle. The relationship of the pitches above and below middle can be clearly seen in the following example: D E F G A B D E F G A B D E F G A B D E F G A B 2nd group below Mid. 1st group below Mid 1st group above Mid 2nd group above Mid The piano keyboard goes above and beow the range shown here, but this is as much of the keyboard as you will need for most of this text. To simplify the directions for which pitch to play, we will use the following: Mid = middle 1st above = 1st above middle, and so on. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.2-
Find and play the pitches indicated: 1st below, 1st D below, 1st E below; 2nd D below, 2nd E below, 2nd F below; 1st E above, 1st F above, 1st G above, 1st F above, 1st E above, 1st D above, mid. Draw a line connecting each pitch to the appropriate key on the keyboard. Be sure to notice where middle is marked on each keyboard. 1st D above 1st A below Mid 1st above 2nd E above 1st G below 1st D below 2nd B below 1st F below 1st G above Fill in the blank to name the key connected to it. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.3-
Pitch and the Staff You are now familiar with the layout of pitch on the keyboard. The method of describing which key to play using words, is a bit awkward and would not work very well for writing even simple music. A more effective way of showing a pitch is the staff. Staff- A staff is a set of lines and spaces used for writing music. The most common type of staff uses five lines. Although the staff was developed in Europe (around 900 years ago), it is probably the most universal means of showing pitch in the world today (there are many other systems as well). As stated in the definition, the most common type of staff uses five lines. A staff: ================== The lines of the staff are usually counted from bottom to top: 5th line 4th line 3rd line 2nd line 1st line = The spaces are a little funny. The staff has four spaces between the lines, plus one space above and one below the staff for a total of six spaces. But when counting the spaces of the staff, usually only the interior spaces of the staff are counted. For our purposes we can say the staff has four interior spaces, which are numbered from bottom to top, just like the lines. space above 4th space 3rd space = 2nd space 1st space space below The lines and spaces of the staff are used to represent the pitches of music. Each key from left to right on the keyboard is a little higher, and each line and space from bottom to top represents one letter higher. For example, if the bottom line of the staff (1st line) represents middle, the 1st space will represent the 1st D above middle, the 2nd line will represent the 1st E above middle, and so on. This is shown below. 1st E above 1st D above = -1.4- opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade
The lines and spaces of the staff are variable. When the staff is used, a reference pitch is given, and that establishes the pattern for the staff. The following examples illustrate this point. Reference pitch: 1st line is 2nd A below middle. ============ 2nd group below Mid. A B D E F G A B 1st group below Mid Reference pitch: 1st line is middle. D E F G A B D E ============ 1st group above Mid 2nd group above Mid. If you count the white keys of a standard piano, you will find 53 keys. That is clearly a lot more letters than there are lines and spaces on the staff (five lines + six spaces =11). The staff can be extended by means of ledger lines. Ledger lines- Ledger lines are short horizontal lines which extend the range of the staff. The following staff is extended with ledger lines. ==== Any number of ledger lines can be added above or below the staff. Ledger lines and the spaces around them work in exactly the same way as the lines and spaces of the staff. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.5-
lefs It has been mentioned that the lines and spaces of the staff are named in relation to a reference pitch. The reference pitch is given by means of symbols called clefs. lef- A clef is a symbol which assigns a specific pitch to a line of the staff. The following clefs are the most commonly used in standard notation, Treble lef, or G lef & This symbol is a Treble clef or G clef. Treble means high. When this clef is on the staff, all the pitches of the staff are higher than middle. It is called a G clef because it assigns the G above middle to the second line of the staff. Bass lef, or F lef? lef This symbol is a Bass clef or F clef. Bass means low. The pitches of the staff with bass clef are mostly below middle. It is called an F clef because it assigns the F below middle to the fourth line of the staff. This symbol is a clef. The clef is a movable clef, and can be placed on any line of the staff. This clef assigns middle to the line it is placed on. The most common positions for this clef are the middle line of the staff, are the 3rd line of the staff (when it is called alto clef) or 4th line of the staff (when it is called tenor clef). The clefs are not used very often today, but may be found in older music, or with music written for certain instruments. For our purposes we will use only the G and F clefs. Of these three clefs, the most common are by far the Bass and Treble clefs. The clef is limited to a very few instruments in the present day. It was more common in the 1600 s. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.6-
Practice Drawing lefs In printed music the clefs are usually very precise and a little bit fancy. When writing music by hand, clefs can be fancy or relatively simple. Here are the main check points for drawing the treble and bass clefs. Drawing the treble clef The treble clef can be broken into three steps/checkpoints: & 1. Draw a line from above 2. Draw a curve from the top 3. Draw a G starting from the the staff to below the staff. of the line to where it meets 4th line, passing through the bottom the 4th line of the staff. line and finishing on the middle line. Exercise 1.1 Practice drawing treble clefs on the staff below. Feel free to experiment with making them plain or fancy, but always preserve the three checkpoints given, even if you draw them with one continuous stroke. ==l==l==l==l==l==l==l Drawing the bass clef The bass clef can also be broken into three steps/checkpoints:? 1. Draw a curve from the 2. ontinue the curve back 3. Draw one dot above 4th line of the staff to the down to the 2nd line of the staff. and one dot below the 4th top of the staff. line of the staff on the right of the clef. Exercise 1.2 Practice drawing the bass clef on the staff below. ==l==l==l==l==l==l==l opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.7-
Noteheads You may have noticed in some of the examples, that the staff was marked with circles. The lines and spaces of the staff (including ledger lines) represent pitches. Symbols called notes are used to mark the lines or spaces of the staff to indicate which pitches to play. We will go into some detail about notes in the section on Rhythm.. For the present we will ony discuss noteheads. Notehead- A notehead is a symbol to represent sound. The notehead when placed on a staff marks a line or space of the desired pitch. Standard noteheads are oval in shape (there are some specialized noteheads which are not, but they are outside of the scope of this text). The size of a notehead should be the same as the space between adjacent lines of the staff. ==== To mark a line of the staff, a notehead should be placed so it is cut in half by the line. To mark a space of the staff, it should fill the space between the two lines. ==== Noteheads on the staff are read from left to right, and played in the order they are written. Note heads written directly above each other are played at the same time. ======= Practice Drawing Noteheads Exercise 1.3 Practice drawing noteheads on the staves provided. 1. Draw a note head on each line of the staff. ======= 2. Draw a notehead on each space of the staff ======= opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.8-
Using Ledger Lines Ledger lines are used to extend the staff when pitches extend higher or lower than the range of the staff. There are two guidelines for using ledger lines: 1. Use the minimum number of ledger lines needed to show the distance from the staff. The following examples illustrate this rule. Noteheads touching the lines of the staff do not need ledger lines. This includes noteheads above the top line or below the bottom line of the staff space. == == == == orrect Incorrect orrect Incorrect Noteheads that do not touch lines of the staff should have only the required number of ledger lines to show distance from the staff. This means noteheads above the staff never need a ledger line above them, and noteheads below the staff never need ledger lines below the staff. _ === === === orrect Incorrect orrect Incorrect orrect Incorrect === === === _ orrect Incorrect orrect Incorrect orrect Incorrect 2. Ledger lines are slightly wider than a single notehead. A ledgerline should not be wide enough for several noteheads to share the same ledger line. ==== ==== orrect Incorrect opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.9-
Practice Writing with Ledger Lines Exercise 1.4 The following examples have mistakes with the use of ledger lines. Rewrite them with correct usage of ledger lines. 1. == == == == _ == == == == 2. ==== ==== ==== ==== opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.10-
Measures The staff is normally divided into measures. A measure is marked off on the staff by lines called barlines. barlines & ================== Measure- A measure is a subdivision of the staff by means of barlines. Barlines- Barlines are the short vertical lines which mark the beginning or ending of a measure. In modern notation (and since the mid 1500 s), measures serve several important functions. When music is divided into measures it can make it easier to read the pitches, since then they are broken up into smaller groups, just like the letters in sentences are spaced apart into individual words, or words are grouped by means of commas and periods into phrases and sentences. This is demonstrated by showing part of a song, without and then with barlines: & ================== & ================== If you tried to play the two versions above, you would probably lose your place in the first version more easily than in the second version. The barlines in the second version serve as visual place holders which make it easier to keep track of where you are on the staff. Measures are also very important for the aspect of music dealing with emphasis (usually the first note of a measure is played a little louder) and rhythm. These will be addressed later in the text. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.11-
Reading Music in the Treble lef We will begin looking at the staff with treble clef just to see how the pitches are layed out. The reference pitch of the treble clef is the 1st G above middle. Treble clef assigns this pitch to the second line of the staff: & ==l 1st G above The rest of the staff follows accordingly. This is shown below: =================l & _ A B D E F G A B D E F G A B D It is important in working with the staff to memorize the name of each line and space. This can be tricky at first, but there are some short cuts to make this easier. For the treble clef, an easy way to learn the notes on the staff is by using FAE. If you look carefully at the letters of the staff s spaces, you will see they spell the word FAE: ==============l & D E F G A B D E F G F A E Exercise 1.5 Use FAE to find the names of the pitches on the staves below. Write the names below each note. 1. =====l=====l=====ll & 2. =====l=====l======ll & 3. _ ======l====l======ll & _ opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.12-
Now for a closer look at how pitch works on the staff in treble clef. Recall that the keyboard can be broken up according to how close pitches are to middle. If a particular pitch is desired, it can be specified as 1st D or 2nd D above middle, for example. Similarly, each line or space on the staff corresponds to a particular pitch depending on the clef being used. We will examine this with treble clef first. When the treble clef controls the staff, middle is the first leger line below the staff: & == _ This location on the staff refers to middle on the keyboard (or the same pitch on any instrument or voice). On the keyboard as you travel to the right from middle, you enter the 1st group of pitches above middle (1st D above through 1st above). On the staff this corresponds to the D below the 1st line of the staff to the on the 3rd space: & ======= _ D E F G A B 1st group above Mid 2nd group above Mid As you continue up the staff, you enter the 2nd group of pitches above middle. This extends from the 4th line D through on the 2nd ledger line above the staff: & ======= 1st group above Mid D E F G A B D 2nd group above Mid 3rd group above opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.13-
In summary, noteheads are placed on the staff to show not only the desired letter, but also the exact position relative to middle. The following staff example shows each section of the staff in Treble clef: & =================l 1st group below middle begins. 1st group above middle. 2nd group above middle. 3rd group above middle begins. Exercise 1.6 Write the letter name under each notehead of the staves below. Include the position relative to middle (i.e. 1st or 2nd above or below). Find and play each pitch on the keyboard. 1. 2. 3. 4. _ & ====l====l====l====l _ & ====l====l====l====l _ & ====l====l====l====l _ & ====l====l====l====ll opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.14-
Exercise 1.7 Draw lines connecting the pitches on the following staves to the keyboards beneath them. Make sure to note the position of middle shown on the keyboards (The first one is done for you.). & ======== 1. ======== & 2. ======== & 3. ======== & opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.15-
Reading Music in the Bass lef In the bass clef, or F clef, the reference pitch is the 1st F below middle. This pitch is assigned to the 4th line of the staff. ==l? 1st F Below As with the treble clef, the rest of the staff follows from there. This is shown below: =================l? _ D E F G A B D E F G A B D E F Just as with the treble clef, memorizing the lines of spaces on the staff can be aided by focusing on the spaces. The spaces of the staff with bass clef are A,, E, G. It does not spell anything, but it is not hard to remember if you use it for the first letters of words in a sentence, like all cows eat grass. This is how it is laid out on the staff: ==============l? F G A B D E F G A B A E G Exercise 1.8 Use FAE to find the names of the pitches on the staves below. Write the names below each note. 1. 2. 3. =====l=====l=====ll? =====l=====l======ll? _ ======l====l======ll? _ opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.16-
Now to get more specific with pitch in Bass lef. We have already done this for treble clef. The concept is the same. When the Bass lef controls the staff, middle is the first ledger line above the staff: _? == On the keyboard as you travel to the left from middle, you enter the 1st group of pitches below middle (1st B below through 1st below). On the staff this corresponds to the B in the space above the staff to the on the 2nd space: _? ======= 2nd group below Mid D E F G A B 1st group below Mid As you continue down the staff, you enter the 2nd group of pitches below middle. This extends from the 2nd line B through on the 2nd ledger line below the staff: =======? B D E F G A B 3rd group below 2nd group below Mid 1st group below Mid opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.17-
The following staff shows each section of the staff relative to middle in Bass lef.? =================l 3rd group below middle begins. 2nd group below middle. 1st group below middle. 1st group above middle begins. Exercise 1.9 Write the letter name under each notehead of the staves below. Include the position relative to middle (i.e. 1st or 2nd above or below). Find and play each pitch on the keyboard. _? ====l====l====l====l _ 1. _? ====l====l====l====l _ 2. 3.? ====l====l====l====l 4. _? ====l====l====l====ll opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.18-
Exercise 1.10 Draw lines connecting the pitches on the following staves to the keyboards beneath them. Make sure to note the position of middle shown on the keyboards. 1. ========? 2. ========? 3. ========? 4. ========? opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.19-
Application: Playing the Keyboard To make the concepts of this text meaningful, there must be some practical application. The piano is an excellent means of applying the basic concepts of music, and so will be the main avenue of practical application. Following are some basic materials for the piano. Playing the piano uses the fingers of both hands. In a great deal of piano music, suggestions for which fingers to use are added to the music. The fingers of both hands are normally labeled as follows: 1=thumb 2=index 3=middle 4=ring 5=little finger 5 4 3 2 2 3 4 1 1 5 When playing the piano, or musical keyboard, the fingers are kept a little curved. An easy way to find the shape for your hands is to folloow these steps: 1. Lay your hand palm down on a flat surface. 2. Pull your fingertips together so that the tip of each finger, including the thumb are touching each other, and are still touching the flat surface. 3. Keep that amount of curve in your fingers as you use your hand on the keyboard, but allow your fingers to seperate so they are about as far apart as the white keys on the keyboard. This is the basic shape you while keep for your hands as you play the keyboard. This shape can be adjusted as needed for the requirements of specific musical situations, but for now, try to maintain this shape when you are playing the keyboard. In most keyboard music, both hands are used alternately or at the same time. We will start with using the hands only seperately. The hands will be specified, LH for left hand, or RH for right hand. Look at the following example: & ====l====l====l====[ RH 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 4 3 2 3 2 1 The first notehead is the 1st A above middle. Notice the RH under the staff, and the number 1 under the notehead. This is showing the right hand thumb as the first finger you need to play this example. Notice also, the barline that closes the last measure is thicker than the others. The simple barline serves to divide the music into measures. Barlines can be drawn other ways to show different things. The thick barline marks the ending. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.20-
How to Practice Some of these melodies are well known, while others may not be. At first, take time to read the letters of each exercise or melody, and go as slowly as you need to in order to play securely. Once a melody is more familiar, you may play it faster if you like. Application 1.1 Play the following pitches with the hand and fingers indicated. & ====l====l====l====[ 1. RH 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 4 3 2 3 2 1 2. & ====l====l====l====[ LH 1 2 1 3 4 2 1 2 1 5 3 2 1 3. & ====l====l====l====[ RH 4 3 2 4 2 1 4 5 3 4 2 4. 5.? ====l====l====l====[ LH 5 4 5 3 1 2 1 3 4 3 4 5? ====l====l====l====[ RH 1 3 4 5 3 2 5 3 2 1 6.? ====l====l====l====[ LH 5 1 2 1 4 5 1 2 4 5-1.21- opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade
Using Alternate Hands In application 1.1, the group of pitches for each melody fit under one hand. This allowed you to play each example with one hand only, and without moving your hand. In the next set of melodies, the pitches will not all be so close together. When the ppitches don t all fit under one hand, there are two options: either move the same hand or use the other hand also. The following examples will include both these options. Application 1.2 Play the following melodies following the changes in hands in each example. 1. & ===l===l===l===l===l==[ 3 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 3 2 1 2 1 2 3 1 3 LH RH LH RH LH RH LH 2. Happy Birthday Song (traditional) & ==l===l===l===l===l 3 2 3 1 1 3 2 3 2 1 3 LH RH LH RH LH & ===l===l===l===[ 5 3 1 1 2 4 3 1 2 1 RH LH RH 3. Volga Boatmen s Song (Folk Song)? ===l===l===l===l===l 2 4 1 4 3 2 4 1 4 3 2 2 LH RH? ===l===l===l===[ 1 2 1 1 2 4 1 4 RH LH opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.22-
hanging lefs In Application 1.2 there was a contrast between higher and lower sets of pitches in the same clef. This can be taken further by changing clefs. onsider what you know about the Bass and Treble clefs. All the pitches on the staff in Bass clef are lower than middle, hence, Bass clef (low clef). All the pitches on the staff in Treble clef are above middle (Treble means high, so, high clef). If the pitches on a staff change from being mostly below middle to mostly above middle, a clef change can be made on the staff: It is, of course also possible to use ledger lines to go beyond the range of the staff. onsider the following examples: & ====l====l====l====[ _ There are only a few noteheads that use ledger lines, and they do not extend very far from the staff. In this situation, a clef change is not necessary. & ====l====l====l====[ There are still only a few notes that need ledger lines, but some of them extend quite a ways from the staff (try to find the pitch names for these noteheads). In this case it will be useful to have a clef change: _? ====l====l====l====[ & This example has the same pitches as the previous one. Using the Bass lef for the lower pitches makes reading the pitches much easier. lef changes can happen at any point on a a staff, before or between any noteheads. lef changes can occur as often as a composer wishes, but are usually used sparingly. After a clef change, the new clef controls the staff until there is another clef change. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.23-
Application 1.3 Play the following melodies as before. Be sure to observe the clef changes as you read the pitches.? ====l====l====l====[ &? &? & 1. 5 3 1 1 5 3 1 3 5 3 1 3 1 1 4 LH RH LH RH LH RH 2. Knecht Rupert by Robert Schumann (Fragment, adapted)? =====l====l===l====l &? _ 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 5 4 3 1 1 2 3 5 2 1 LH RH LH? =====l====l===l===[l & _ 5 4 5 4 3 4 3 4 5 4 3 1 1 2 3 5 2 3 LH RH LH Grand Staff One of the things that make the keyboard so well suited for applying elements of theory (not to mention playing lots of wonderful music) is its ability to play many pitches at the same time. On the keyboard you can play low and high combinations of pitches at the same time. Because of this feature of the keyboard, two staves are joined together to make what is called a Grand Staff which just means big staff: ====l====l====l====? {? ====l====l====l==== There is no requirement for the clefs in a grand staff. Frequently, the top staff uses treble clef, and the bottom staff uses bass clef, but if both staves contain mostly pitches below middle, both staves could use bass clef. It is also possible for either or both staves to have clef changes, based on the needs of the music. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.24-
Normally, the top staff is played by the right hand and the bottom staff by the left hand, but this also can change based on the requirements of the music. It is important when looking at a grand staff to understand that the two staves are chronologically together the same as the lines and spaces of a single staff. This will be illustrated by the next two examples. On the following individual staff the noteheads are read from left to right and any noteheads which are vertically aligned are played together. & ====l====l====l====[ RH 3 2 3 4 5 5 4 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 1 3 2 The same applies to the two staves that make a grand staff. Both staves are read from left two right together, and any noteheads that are vertically aligned on both staves are played together. For this text we will observe the following conventions: 1. Fingering written on the top staff will refer to the right hand. 2. Fingering written for the bottom staff will refer to the left hand. 3. Exceptions will be clearly indicated LH for left hand or RH for right hand. Application 1.3 Play the following examples using the grand staff. Look out for clefs and indications for fingering and hands. 1. { ====l====l====l & RH 5 4 3 4 5 5 5 LH 5 4 3 1 2 1 5 5 5 ====l====l====l? { 2. ====l====l====l==== & _ 2 LH {& ====l====l====l==== 3 1 LH opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade 2 4 1 2 2 2 4 RH 2 1 4 1 3 1 LH 2 ====l====l====l==== & 2 2 2 2 1 2 LH 4 RH 2 LH 4 RH LH 4 RH 2 2 ====l====l====l====? LH LH -1.25-4 RH
Half Steps, Whole Steps, and Accidentals The smallest distance between pitches normally used in western music is called a half step. On the piano (or keyboard) a half step is the distance between any keys which are directly next to each other, regardless of color. Two half steps make a whole step. Look at the keyboard and notice the spacing of the white and black keys. Any keys that are right next to each other are half steps, regardless of color. Which white keys are half steps (B and )? The rest of the white keys have one black key between them (which makes them a whole step apart). The following graphic illustrates these points: Black key to white key or white key to black key is a 1/2 step. 1/2 1/2 1 Two half steps make a whole step. 1 White key to white key is only a 1/2 step, if there is no black key in between. 1/2 1 Here is some hands on to get used to this concept. Find any G on the keyboard, then play a half step lower (this is the first black key to the left of G). Next play a half step higher than G (the first black key to the right of G). G G Then find any E, and play a half step higher (it should be a white key). E Next play a whole step higher than E (count two half steps, it should be the first black key to the right of E). E Just remember that the distance from one key to the very next key is always a half step. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.26-
As you already know, the white keys of the piano are named A through G. These are the normal names for the white keys. The normal name for the white key is also called natural. Directions to play higher or lower than natural are given by symbols called accidentals. Accidental- an accidental is a symbol to alter pitch. The symbols and names of the common accidentals are as follows: -Natural: This accidental means play the unaltered pitch (the normal name for the white keys). -Sharp: This accidental alters a pitch one half step higher (to the right on the keyboard) than natural. -Double Sharp: This accidental alters a pitch one whole step higher than a natural. -Flat: This accidental alters a pitch one half step lower (to the left on the keyboard) than a natural. -Double Flat: This accidental is a pitch one whole step lower than a natural pitch. When working with accidentals, remember that a higher sound on the keyboard is to the right, and a lower sound is to the left. Accidentals Written with Letter Names An accidental s symbol or name can be combined with a pitch s letter name to show an alteration of that pitch. The normal practice is to give the letter name first, and then the accidental name or symbol. The following list gives the conventional usage of accidentals with pitches as letter names. 1. A letter name by itself is automatically a natural pitch. For example, automatically means natural or. 2. The pitch s letter name is given before the accidental. In other words, an accidental s symbol or name is written on the right side of the letter it affects. For example, one would say sharp rather than sharp. 3. When the accidental is added to the letter name it directs you to play the distance of alteration from that letter only. In other words, E flat means play 1/2 step lower than E natural. One would only play the 1/2 step lower, not play both the E and the E flat. Here are a few more examples: D means the same as D natural or D. E is read as E flat. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.27-
# A is read as A sharp. Exercise 1.11 Draw a line connecting the pitch names to an appropriate key on the keyboard. b # 1. E G b # bb b 2. A D B 3. F E # # b # 4. B G D opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.28-
Enharmonic Pitches In Exercise 1.11 you may have noticed that the same keys on the keyboard can have different names. If not, here are some examples: # b # b # D E A B E F D # = E b, A # = B b, E # = F, and so on. These are enharmonic pitches. Enharmonic- Enharmonic means the same sound. Enharmonic Pitches- Enharmonic pitches are different names for the same pitch. The difference between enharmonic pitches is a matter of intention. If the composer is thinking of making an A 1/2 step higher, they will call it an A # (A sharp). If they are thinking of making a B 1/2 step lower, they will call it a B b (B flat). There are a number of reasons for making these kinds of distinctions, which we will be discussed later. For the present, remember that an accidental always indicates a change to or from a natural pitch. Always use the natural pitches as your reference point when considering accidentals. To find enharmonic names, it is helpful to think of where a pitch is on the keyboard, and also the names of the neighboring white keys. Notice in the example above that the enharmonic names come from the nearby keys. Since the accidentals alter a pitch either by a half step or a whole step, enharmonic names can not come from further away than a whole step distance. Exercise 1.12 Write an enharmonic name for each pitch given below. 1. = D b = E= F # = G= 2. A b = B= bb = D # = E x = 3. F b = G bb = A # = B # = opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.29-
Exercise 1.13 Give two names for each key indicated in the spaces provided.,,,, Measuring Distance in Half Steps One of the purposes of accidentals is to change the distance between pitches. It is useful to understand how the distance changes when accidentals are used. Measuring distances can be done from the letter names by themselves or on the keyboard (distance between pitch will be covered more thoroughly under intervals later). Using letter names: For simplicity, we will use only there nearest letters to work on this for now. The starting point for this is remembering which letters are a half step apart and which are a whole step. A B D E F G A 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 1 1 When measuring distance from the letter names just think of the starting distance, then consider the changes the accidentals make. onsider if the accidentals are making the distance larger or smaller. For Example: How far from A to B? From A to the nearest B is a whole step. How far from A # to B? What does the sharp do? It moves A 1/2 step higher (closer to B). A# to B is a 1/2 step. How far from A b to B? A flat is 1/2 step lower than A (further from B). Ab to B is 1 1/2 steps apart. Using the Keyboard: If your are more visually oriented it may be easier to think of the keyboard to count half steps. It is easiest to always start from the key of the lowest pitch, which will be the one on the left. Start from that key as zero. Then count all the keys, include white and black key, including the key of the highest pitch. Each key you count after the starting key is a half step. For example: How far from B to D? After B, there are three more keys including D. B to D is a1 1/2 steps. B D opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.30-
How far from B b to D #? There are 5 keys after B b to D #. The total distance is 2 1/2 steps (5/2 steps). B b D # Exercise 1.14 Write the distance between the following pairs of pitches. Use either method to measure the distance. A to B- 1step A to B # - A to B b - A # to B- A # to B # - A # to B b - A b to B b - A b to B- A to B bb - A x to B- B to - B to # - B to x - B b to - B b to b - B b to bb - B # to # - B # to x - to D- to D # - to D b - to D bb - # to D # - # to D # - # to D x - x to D- b to D- b to D b - b to D bb - opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.31-
Accidentals Written on the Staff Before getting into the main ideas here, it will be useful to know how to write accidentals on the staff. Here again are the main accidentals: Natural Sharp Double Sharp Flat Double Flat Except for the double sharp, all of the accidentals have a closed part. The closed part of the accidental should be about the same size as a note head. This is the part of the accidental that marks the line or space of the staff it will be used on, just like the note head marks the line or space of the staff. For the double sharp, the cross point of the x is written on the line to mark a line, or in the middle of the space to mark a space. # bb == == n == b == == # == == n bb == b == == There are two general situations to be aware of to understand how accidentals are used on the staff. The first is how accidentals are used when they are written into the measures of a piece of music. The second is how they are used when written into a key signature, which we will discuss in a later unit. Following are three rules for accidentals written into the measures of a piece of music. Accidentals written into the measures of a piece of music: 1. affect only the line or space on which they are written, 2. affect from where they are written until the next barline, 3. or until another accidental affects the same line or space. We will look at these rules one at a time. 1. Accidentals affect only the line or space on which they are written. When accidentals are used on the staff, they affect the letter only of the line or space they are on, including ledger lines and the spaces near them. & ====== # This sharp is marking the space for the 1st A above middle. It will only affect that space. Unless they are marked with their own accidentals, the rest of the staff is still natural, including the other A s. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.32-
2. Accidentals affect from where they are written until the next barline... When an accidental is marking a line or space, it begins affecting that line or space only to the right side from where it is written. & ====== # A Sharp One of the functions of a barline is to return the staff to its default. For now, the default is natural. So when a barline is written after any number of accidentals it returns the entire staff to natural. & ========l========= # Sharp# A Remember, that the notes are used to symbolize sound. A notehead marks the staff to show the specific pitches desired. If an accidental is written to affect a portion of a line or space for any noteheads on that part of the staff. A B D B A# B A# G A# B A A This makes it possible for one accidental to affect several notes. Exercise 1.15 Write the letter names under each notehead on the staves below, including accidentals where appropriate. 1. b D Flat F Sharp & =======l=====[ # A Sharp # & ======l======[ 2.? ======l======[ b opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.33-
3....or until another accidental affects the same line or space. Only one accidental can affect a line or space at a time. When another accidental is written on the same line or space, that accidental take over. Just like with clef changes, a composer can change accidentals on a line or space as many times as they want to with in a measure. & =========l=======[ n # #A Sharp b A flat A Natural A Sharp This can make it a little tricky to keep track of changes when several lines/spaces of the staff have accidentals affecting them. This sharp lasts until the barline, so all G s between these points are sharp. G G G # A G # G # G # A A b G F # G # A A The A is natural since it is not on the same line as the sharp. This flat lasts until the natural appears on the same space. This natural lasts until the bar line. & ================== # b # # Exercise 1.16 Write the letter names under each notehead on the staves below, including accidentals where appropriate. & ================== b # b # b 1. 2.? ================== # b # # b # # b 3. & ================== b b b opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.34-
Exercise 1.17 Draw lines connecting the following pitches to the correct location on the keyboards below them. Make sure to consider the accidentals. 1. ======== & 2. ======== & # 3. ========? 4. ========? opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.35-
Exercise 1.18 Draw the pitches indicated on the staves provided. hoose the appropriate clef (treble or bass) depending on the distance from middle (The first one is done for you.). 1. b ======== ======== 1st D above. 1st Eb below. 2nd G# above. 1st A above. 2. ======== ======== 1st B b below. 2nd E b below. 2nd F x above. 1st G above.. 3. ======== ======== 2nd G b below. 2nd E above mid. 1st F below. 2nd A b below. 4. ======== ======== 2nd B above. 1st F bb above. 2nd E b below. 1st G below. 5. ======== ======== 1st D below. 2nd B b below. 1st B above. b. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.36-
Diatonic and hromatic Half Steps and Whole Steps What is a half step above A? We have seen that it is the black key to the right, and this key can be called either A # or B b. A whole step above A can be called either B or A x. These distances are the same but can be written differently. The terms Diatonic and hromatic distinguish between these ways of writing pitches. Diatonic-Diatonic means from one letter to the next letter (either higher or lower). A to B, A # to B, G to A, G # to A #, these ae all examples of diatonic half step and whole steps. Again, Diatonic means going from one letter to the next letter. hromatic- hromatic means the same letter altered. A to A #, A b to A, D b to D #, these are all chromatic half and whole steps since they use the same letter. Find a diatonic whole step above the letter E? To answer that you need two things. First is the name of the pitch. Diatonic means the very next letter, so the answer to that part is F because F is the next letter after E. Second, is the right distance. E to F is a half step and we want a whole step. To make it a whole step, we need to move the F a half step higher. The symbol for 1/2 step higher than natural is the sharp (#). So the solution is F #. To find a ditonic distance, first find the right letter (which is the very next letter) and then use accidentals if needed to create the right distance. A B D E F G A 1 1/2 1 1 1/2 1 1 Here are a few more examples (use the keyboard below to help see the distances): A diatonic 1/2 step above A: B is the very next letter, but A to B is a whole step, so the B needs to move a 1/2 step closer to the A. Answer: A to Bb A diatonic whole step below F: E is the very next letter, but E to F is a half step, so the B needs to move a 1/2 step further from the F. Answer: E b to F Exercise 1.19 1. Write a diatonic whole step above each of the following pitches. A # E G b D # B F x 2.Write a diatonic half step above each of the following pitches. A # E G b D # B F x opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.37-
Next we will consider how to find the chromatic distances. This is actually much easier since chromatic means the same letter altered. There is really just one step to find a chromatic distance. Find the right accidental for the distance you want to move. Just remember how the accidentals relate to each other. The natural is the normal name for the white keys. The sharp is 1/2 step higher than natural, the double sharp is 1 step higher than natural. The flat is 1/2 step lower than natural and the double flat is 1 step lower than natural. The diagram below shows how all the accidentals relate to each other. 1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2 Lower Higher Now for some examples: What is a chromatic 1/2 step above F #? Double sharp is one half step higher than sharp. Answer: F x What is a chromatic whole step above B b? Sharp is one whole step higher than flat. Answer: B # What is a chromatic half step below A #? Natural is one half step lower than sharp. Answer: A For chromatic distances, just remember to use the same letter and find the right accidental. Exercise 1.20 1. Write a chromatic half step above each of the following pitches. G # D A b E F # B # 2. Write a chromatic whole step above each of the following pitches. G b D A bb E F b B In summary, Diatonic distances always use the very next letter, either above or below, with accidentals added if needed. hromatic distances are created by altering the same letter with accidentals. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.38-
Why there are Double Sharps and Double Flats Next we will look a little further into how the accidentals are used and why there are enharmonic names. One reason for using accidentals is to preserve a musical patterns when moving it lower or higher. A musical pattern includes the pattern of letter names and how far apart the letters are when countedby half steps. onsider the following pitches: =====[ & _ These are the beginning pitches from a well known song (When the Saints ome Marching In). The musical pattern of the melody s letters is skip one letter (in this case from to E) then three letters in a row (starting from the E: EFG). The pattern as steps is two steps, half step, whole step. Pieces of music can be adjusted higher or lower, this is called transposition. Music can be transposed to make it fit better on a particular instrument, or fit better in someone s vocal range. When music is transposed, the musical pattern is preserved while all the pitches are adjusted higher or lower by the same amount. Here is the same melody moved a half step higher: =====[ & _ ompare this version with the original. Notice that visually it looks the same except for the accidentals. The second pitch in the original was an E but in the new version it is an E #. Now E # is enharmonic with F. Here is the same melody again with the E # replaced with F. If you play it written this way, it will sound the same because the pattern of steps is still the same, but the visual pattern is not the same because of the F. =====[ The pattern of letters is now skip two letters, two of the same letter, then the next letter. For musicians looking at the song, they would say it was misspelled, because the visual pattern is wrong. Let s take this a litte further. In the next example the melody is moved a diatonic whole step higher than the original: & _ =====[ & Remember the pattern of letters was skip one letter, then three letters in a row. Starting from D, if you skip one letter, next is F. But D to F is only 1 1/2 steps, so the F is adjusted to F sharp. The last version will be moved a chromatic half step higher: =====[ & =====[ & This last version needs an F double sharp. F double sharp is the same as G on the keyboard, but this would not preserve the musical pattern. Here is the same melody with a G replacing the F double sharp: ompare this to the original and you can see that it is not as close to the musical pattern as the F double sharp in the previous version. In summary, enharmonic pitches gives composers different ways of presenting the same sounds to make their musical ideas visually more clear, as well as making it possible to clearly transpose musical ideas. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.39-
Application 1.4 Play the following examples using the grand staff. Be careful to observe and apply the accidentals. 1. 2. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.40-
3. 4. 5. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.41-
Review Following are the terms, symbols and Rules you should now be familiar with. Music- A combination of sound and silence in time. Pitch- In music, pitch refers to sound with a controllable highness or lowness. [Technically, the highness or lowness of sound is called the frequency of the sound. Frequency is measured by the number of cycles per second at which the sound vibrates.] Tone- A single pitch is called a tone. Musicians use these terms somewhat interchangeably. Non-pitched sound- Non pitched sound is sound with a random, or uncontrolled highness or lowness. Pitch names in western music: the letters A through G. Staff- A staff is a set of lines and spaces used for writing music. The most common type of staff uses five lines and four spaces. Ledger lines- A ledger line is a short horizontal line that extends the staff. lef- A clef is a symbol which assigns a specific pitch to a line of the staff. - is the which is close to the center of your keyboard. Treble lef, or, G lef- Bass lef, or, F lef- a clef which assigns the G above middle as the 2nd line (from the bottom) of the staff. a clef which assigns the F below middle as the 4th line (from the bottom) of the staff. Measure- A measure is a division of the staff for grouping pitches and rhythms. A measure is marked off on the staff by lines called barlines. Barline- A barline is a verticle line through the staff to divide it into measures. Half Step- A half step is the smallest distance between pitches normally used in western music. A Half step is the distance between any adjacent keys on the keyboard. Whole Step- A whole step is two half steps. Accidental- An accidental is a symbol to alter a pitch.there are five common accidentals:? & Sharp-This symbol alters a pitch 1/2 step higher than natural. Double Sharp-This symbol alters a pitch 1 step higher than natural. Flat-This symbol alters a pitch 1/2 step lower than natural. Double Flat-This symbol alters a pitch 1 step lower than natural. Natural-This symbol means play the unaltered pitch. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.42-
Rules for accidentals written with letter names: -A letter name by itself is automatically a natural pitch. -Accidental are normally written on the right of letters they affect. Accidentals written into the measures of a piece of music affect: -only the line or space on which they are written, -from where they are written until the next barline, or until another accidental affects the same line or space. Enharmonic- Enharmonic means the same sound. Enharmonic Pitches- Enharmonic pitches are different names for the same pitch. hromatic- hromatic means alteration of a pitch name by means of accidentals, such as changing G to Gb or G # (From the Greek root hroma, which means colored). Diatonic- Diatonic means moving from one letter name to the next, such as A, B,, or A, B b, #. opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.43-
Skills Self Test Following is a self test to check how well you understood the material. An answer key follows. 1. Draw lines from the following pitches to the staff below. Make sure to place them the correct distance from middle. ======? # b b ====== & # Draw lines from the following pitches to the staff below. Make sure to place them the correct distance from middle. ======?# b b ====== &# 2. Write an enharmonic name for each of the following pitches. # = E= G x = B b = 3. Write a diatonic half step above each of the following pitches. D # - F- A x - G b - 4. Write a diatonic whole step above each of the following pitches. # - E- G x - B b - opyright 2003 by Kenneth J. Andrade -1.44-