Easy Music Theory for Middle School Name: Class: Year: Index Note Names & Ledger Lines... 1-7, 23 Measures & ar Lines... 8 Rhythms & Note Values... 9-12, 18, 21-25, 40 Time Signatures... 13, 20, 44 Conducting Patterns... 14 Dynamics Terms... 15, 26, 39 Tempo Terms... 16, 26, 29, 39 Instrument Fingerings... 17 Repeats... 27, 28 Sharps/Flats/Naturals... 30, 31, 37, 39 rticulation... 19, 32, 33, 39 Music Notation... 34 Whole & Half Steps... 35 Scales... 36, 41 Expression Terms... 38, 39 Key Signatures... 42, 43 Rhythm Check-Ups... 45-47 lossary... 48, 49 Visit.musicplay.ca to order 1-888-562-4647
r The Staff Staff: Music is ritten on five lines called the staff. Lines and spaces are numbered from the bottom to the top. 1 2 3 4 lines 5 1 2 3 spaces 4 Part : Join the dots to make a 5-line staff. Part : Dra notes on lines and in spaces. space 2 line 4 space 1 line 1 space 4 line 3 space 3 line 2 & lo pitch is shon by placing the note loer on the staff. œ loer sounding notes high pitch is shon by placing the note higher on the staff. & œ higher sounding notes Part C: Circle the higher note of each pair.
r TRELE nd ass CLEF Note names The first seven letters of the alphabet are used to name notes in order: C D E F fter is named, the letters are used again beginning ith. C D E F E F C D E Part : Let s mix it up! Dra your clef. Name these notes found on lines and in spaces. 1. 2. Part : Dra your clef and the folloing notes on the staff using hole notes. 1. D E C F 2. C E C F Make a Hand Staff: Hold your hand in front of you ith your fingers spread apart. Number your fingers 1-2-3-4-5 from the bottom to the top. That creates five lines, just as there are five lines on the staff. The spaces are found in beteen your fingers. Practice naming notes on your hand staff. line 5 line 4 line 3 line 2 line 1
r Quarter Notes nd Rests The time signature is to numbers found at the beginning of the staff. The number on the top tells us ho many beats are in each measure. The four on the top means that there are four beats in each measure. The bottom number tells us hat kind of note gets a single beat. The four on the bottom means that a uarter note gets one beat. uarter note is one beat in time. In a measure of time there are four uarter notes. 1 2 3 4 Q uarter rest is one beat of silence in time. In a measure of time there are four uarter rests. Part : Dra your clef at the beginning of the staff. Dra four uarter notes in each measure. If a note is found on the third line, or above, the stem is dran don and on the left side of the note head. If a note is found belo the third line, the stem is dran up and on the right side of the note head. Part : Dra your clef at the beginning of the staff. Write the counting under the notes. Clap or say the rhythm. 1 2 3 4 Part C: Dra uarter notes or rests Q to complete the measures. Clap or say the rhythm.
r Conducting Patterns The Conductor: The conductor interprets the music and directs the performance of a band, orchestra or chorus. Conducting patterns are used for different time signatures. Common Time When there are 4 beats in the bar you can use either or time signature. The conducting pattern for is shon like this: Create a rhythm pattern in time. Practice conducting your pattern. In time there are 4 beats in each measure. 2 1 3 The conducting pattern for is shon like this: Create a rhythm pattern in time. Practice conducting your pattern. Remember that in time there are 3 beats in each measure. 3 4 1 2 The conducting pattern for is shon like this: Create a rhythm pattern in time. Practice conducting your pattern. In time there are 2 beats in each measure. 2 1
r Dynamics Dynamics: The dynamics in music refer to ho loud or soft the music is. Italian ords are used to describe different dynamics. Crescendo radually get louder. Decrescendo radually get softer. These dynamics tell us to play the music loud. These dynamics tell us to play the music soft. Italian: Symbol: Play or Sing: fortissimo very loud forte mezzo forte ff f loud medium loud Italian: Symbol: Play or Sing: mezzo piano medium soft piano soft pianissimo very soft P Part : Write the name of the dynamics term in the blank. f ff Part : Fill in the blanks ith the correct anser. P 1. Mezzo forte means. 2. means very loud. 3. Dynamics tell us. 4. Forte means. 5. Write the abbreviation for: forte fortissimo mezzo forte 6. Crescendo means. The symbol is 7. Decrescendo means. The symbol is 8. means very soft. 9. Mezzo piano means. 10. List all the dynamics from loudest to softest:
r Tempo Tempo: The tempo tells us hether the beat of the music is fast or slo. Italian ords are used to describe different speeds or tempos. Italian: prestissimo presto vivace allegro Play or Sing: very uickly (as fast as you can go) uickly fast and lively uickly, lively and bright Part : Unscramble the fast and slo tempo terms. Explain hat the term means. 1. glaloer Part : Fill in the blanks for these fast and lively tempo terms. 1. llegro means. 2. means very uickly (as fast as you can go). 3. Vivace means. 4. is faster than presto and vivace. 5. Presto means. 2. rgaol 3. oartoedm 4. avcive 5. taennda Italian: moderato andante adagio largo Play or Sing: moderately, medium speed slo, at a alking pace sloly very slo and broad Part C: Fill in the blanks for these sloer tempo terms. 1. means at a moderate, or medium speed. 2. ndante means to play or sing at a pace. 3. means very slo and broad. 4. dagio means.
r Time Signatures Time Signatures: The time signature is a pair of numbers found at the beginning of the staff. The top number tells us ho many beats are in a measure. The bottom number tells us hat kind of note receives a single beat. The top number tells us ho many beats are in a measure. h h = to beats in a measure Q Q = four beats in a measure e E e = three beats in a measure rr rr = six beats in a measure Part : Write the number of beats in the measures. Fill in the top numbers for these time signatures. 1. E 2. 3. 4. The bottom number tells us hich kind of note receives a single beat: = half note h gets one beat e = eighth note gets one beat 5. rr rr = uarter note gets one beat = sixteenth note x gets one beat Part : Fill in the blank and dra the note that receives one beat for the folloing time signatures. Use the chart above to help you anser the uestions. 1. rr rr (n) eighth note note receives one beat. 2. h h h (n) note receives one beat. 3. Q (n) note receives one beat. 4. h h (n) note receives one beat.
r Musical Repeats Composers use Italian ords and symbols to sho ho the music repeats. These are often used together throughout a piece of music. Italian: Sign: Meaning: Da Capo D.C. repeat from the beginning Dal Segno D.S. repeat from the sign (segno) Coda Fine Fine an added passage, skip to the coda the end Part : Fill in the blanks belo.. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. Play to measure here it says D.S.. 2. o back to measure. 3. Play to measure here it says F.. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. Play to measure here it says D.C.. 2. o back to measure. 3. Play to measure here it says F. C. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 1. Play to measure here it says D.C.. 2. o back to measure. 3. Play measure here it says To. 4. Skip to the sign in measure and end at measure. D. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 1. Play to measure. 2. o back and repeat from measure. 3. End at measure.
r Sharps, flats and Naturals Sharp: sharp sign raises the pitch of the note one half Practice draing a ro of sharp signs: sharp F F Flat: flat sign loers the pitch of the note one half Practice draing a ro of flat signs: flat F Natural: natural sign cancels any sharps or flats. When there is a natural sign the note is played unaltered by any sharps or flats, even if they are ritten in the key signature. Dra a ro of natural signs: Part : Dra the clef sign for your instrument at the beginning of the staff and name the notes. 1. 2. b # n b # b b n n # n Sharps, flats and naturals are ritten before the note. Part : Dra your clef on the staff. Write the accidentals (ith hole notes) on the staff. D F C E D F
r Whole and Half Steps The notes of the C scale are shon on the keyboard belo. C to D is a hole You can tell it is a hole step because there is a black key beteen the hite keys. E to F has no black keys in beteen, so E to F is a half Using the keyboard, rite hether the folloing steps are hole or half steps. C to C is a half C to D is a hole hole step has a note in beteen. D C E D F D C C D E F C D hole step half step C to D is a hole D to E is a E to F is a half F to is a to is a to is a 1. to C is a Part : Dra your clef at the beginning of the staff. Write the notes on the staff using hole notes. Refer to the keyboard above and decide if the notes are a hole or half step apart. Circle hole or half. C D E F hole / half hole / half hole / half hole / half 2. C C E E C D E hole / half hole / half hole / half hole / half Part : nser the uestions. 1. Ho can you tell if the notes are a half step apart?. 2. Ho can you tell if the notes are a hole step apart?.
r Chromatic Scales C D E F C chromatic scale is made up of tones that are half steps apart. When the chromatic scale is going up (ascending), e add sharps to raise each note a half & # # # # # When the chromatic scale is going don (descending), flats loer each note a half Part : Raise the note one half step (in your clef). The first example has been completed for you. & # & &???? Part : Loer the note one half & b b b & b b &? & & & & b????? Part C: Dra your clef and rite a chromatic scale on the staff.
r Key Signatures Key Signature: Sharps or flats at the beginning of the staff that tell us hat key the music is in. The key signature above has F and C. This is the key of D. F and C are sharp so that the pattern of hole and half steps is a major scale. The pattern of steps that makes up a major scale is: hole, hole, half, hole, hole, hole, half. F Major Scale Part : Dra the pattern of hole and half steps for the F major scale above and the scales on the keyboards belo. hole step is ritten like this: half step is ritten like this: C Major Scale E Major Scale Major Scale F C D E F C D E F C E E C D E F C F D In your clef dra in the key signature: *The C Major Scale has no sharps or flats so the key signature is left blank. In your clef dra, E and in the key signature: In your clef, dra F in the key signature: Major Scale C D E F In your clef dra and E in the key signature: