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Music Theory Tammy Palazzolo
Music TheoryTammy Palazzolo
A staff is made up of 5 lines and 4 spaces.
You need a clef in order to read note names.
The treble clef is also called a “G” clef because the swirl curves around the line G!
Treble clef lines: Every Good Boy Does Fine
Treble clef spaces: F A C E
The bass clef is also called a “F” clef because the two dots surround the line “F”.
Bass clef lines: Gummy Bears Don’t Fly Airplanes
Bass clef spaces: All Cows Eat Grass
The grand staff is made when you put a treble and bass clef staff together.
When you are ascending, the notes are read alphabetically!
When notes go above and below the staff, note are written on ledger lines.
Ta-ah-ah-ah
Ta-ah
Ta
Ti-ti
Tib-bi Ti-bi
A note is made up of a note head,
stem, and sometimes a note
flag!When drawing notes on a
staff:
Above the 3rd line: stem goes down on the left.
Below the 3rd line: stem goes up on the right.
1½ ½
¼ ¼ ¼ ¼
⅛ ⅛ ⅛ ⅛ ⅛ ⅛ ⅛ ⅛
1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16 1/16
●
Original note is a ________. It’s worth _______ beat. Half of ____ is _____. ______ + ______ = _______ so a dotted quarter note is worth ______ beats!
Original note is a ________. It’s worth _______ beats. Half of ____ is _____. ______ + ______ = _______ so a dotted half note is worth ______ beats!
Original note is a ________. It’s worth _______ beats. Half of ____ is _____. ______ + ______ = _______ so a dotted whole note is worth ______ beats!
Original note is a ________. It’s worth _______ beats. Half of ____ is _____. ______ + ______ = _______ so a dotted eighth note is worth ______ beats!
A measure is the space between the bar lines.
A bar line separates measures.
A double bar line means it’s the end of the song.
The time signature comes after the clef in music.
Time signatures tell you the amount and types of notes each measure contains.
The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure
The bottom number tells you which note gets the beat
There are 4 beats in each measure and the quarter note (1/4 ) gets the beat!
There are 3 beats in each measure and the quarter note (1/4) gets the beat!
Italian Name Abbreviation Meaning
Pianissimo pp Very Soft
Piano p Soft
Mezzo Piano mp Medium Soft
Mezzo Forte mf Medium Loud
Forte f Loud
Fortissimo ff Very Loud
Crescendo: Gradually get loud Decrescendo: Gradually get softer
Articulations: How a note is sung or played.
Staccato: Short and detached.
Marcato: Louder with a much stronger attack.
Accent: Louder with a strong attack.
Tenuto: Lean into the note. A heavier feel.
Fermata: Sing note out longer than notated.
Slur: A slur means to sing the notes smoothly and connected. Sort of like singing legato.
Tie: A tie means you connect the values of the notes. You do not sing/rearticulate the second note.
Tempo is the speed at which the song is performed.
Tempo Name Speed Beats Per Minute
Largo Very Slow 40-60
Adagio Slow 60-70
Andante Walking Pace 70-90
Moderato Medium 90-110
Allegro Fast 110-140
Vivace Very Fast 140-160
Presto Reeeeally Fast 160+
Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
In order to determine a major SHARP key signature, you go to the last sharp (the one furthest to the right) and go up one letter in
the alphabet! OR two in the saying!
Ex:
2 sharps written: Father CharlesLast sharp written: CWhat comes after C in the alphabet? D
We are in D Major!
Ex:
5 sharps written: Father Charles Goes Down AndLast sharp written: AWhat comes after A in the alphabet? B
We are in B Major!
1 sharp written: FatherLast sharp written: FWhat comes after F in the alphabet? G
We are in G Major!
Ex:
Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father
In order to determine a major FLAT key signature, you go to the second to last flat written, and that’s your key!
Ex: 3 flats written: Battle Ends And2nd to last flat written: Eb
We are in Eb Major!
Ex:
4 flats written: Battle Ends And Down2nd to last flat written: Ab
We are in Ab Major!
Ex:
6 flats written:Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles2nd to last flat written: Gb
We are in Gb Major!
#’s: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle
B’s: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father
Intervals: The space between two notes.
When counting an interval, you always count the initial note FIRST, and then count up. Example: C to E is a third: C D E: 3 letters.
1. 3rd above E2. 5th below D3. 2nd above F4. 7th above G5. 3rd below A6. Octave above E7. 6th below D
8. 4th above C9. 5th below B10. 2nd below G11. 6th above C12. Octave below F13. 4th below G14. 3rd below D
An accidental is a symbol that raises or lowers the pitch of a note.
A double flat lowers the note by two half stepsA flat lowers the note by one half step
A natural cancels out any accidental and return the note to it’s original white key.A sharp raises the note by one half step
A double sharp raises the note by two half steps
Major Scales
❖ The pattern for a major scales is: ➢ Whole Whole Half Whole Whole Whole Half
❖ What is a whole vs. a half step?
Let’s try to write some scales! :)Step 1: Write out the 8 letters in the scale (you start and end with the same one)Step 2: Go to the piano and figure out the whole/step half step patternStep 3: Add accidentals as needed!
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation devised by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each of the
wide variety of sounds used in spoken human language.
Interactive IPA Chart
