Chapter One

Pitch Notation

Definitions

Pitch: How high or low the sound of the note is. This adds definition to music by creating the melody line in a piece.

Duration: How long or short the sound is. Duration is the length of the note, adding definition to music by varying the rhythm of the melody.

Intensity: How loud or soft the sound is.  The range is from variations of “p” (soft) to “f” (loud).

Timbre: The quality of the sound, for example: the instrument playing the note, such as piano or oboe.

Tempo: How fast the piece is moving.

Staff: System of five lines and four spaces used to notate pitch.

Clef: Symbol used in the staff to denote location of pitch on the staff, by assigning names to the lines and spaces, showing where a particular voice or instrument would sing or play them.

The Staff

            Lines and spaces are named using the letters A-G. The area on the keyboard or other instrument in which these notes are to be played is determined by the use of a clef symbol.

Treble or G clef. The lower loop is centered on G.

                         Bass or F clef. The two dots center the line designated as F.

                                     Alto Clef (movable C).       

                                     Tenor Clef (movable C).                     

The alto and tenor clefs are movable C clefs in which the center of the symbol denotes C on the staff.

                                         Multiple Percussion Parts

                                        Single Percussion Parts

This clef is used to notate rhythms for use with non-melodic percussion (ex.: snare, bass drums, drum set, etc.).                         

The lines and spaces on a staff represent certain pitches, depending on the clef of the staff. In treble clef, the spaces are represented as F, A, C, and E, from the lowest space, to the upper space. The lines are represented as E, G, B, D, and F. This is easily remembered as “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge,” or by creating various other words for a mnemonic device.

In the bass clef, the spaces are represented as A, C, E, and G, or can be remembered as “All Cars Eat Gas.” The lines are represented as G, B, D, F, and C, or “Great Big Dogs Fight Animals.”

The Grand Staff is used to notate music for piano, marimba, and other instruments. It is created by joining a treble clef and a bass clef with a line and bracket on the left hand side.  Middle C is located in the center of the staff, but is not to be notated in the direct center of the staff.

    Incorrect placement of Middle C                     Correct Placement of Middle C’s

Ledger Lines

Ledger lines are used to notate notes that fall above or below the range of the staff.

C below bass staff, Middle C, C above treble staff

The Keyboard

On the keyboard, pitches can be located in a little over eight octaves. An octave is a series of eight successive pitches, from C to C. These pitches are differentiated by the octave that they are located in. The octaves begin with one C and go up until the B above that C. The lowest notes on the keyboard are Sub contra. They are written as AAA, BBB, etc. The next octave is the Contra octave. These notes are written as CC, DD, etc. The Great octave, the octave above the Contra Octave, is written as C, D, etc. The small octave, starting with the C below Middle C, is written by a simple, lowercase c or other letter, whichever is used to refer to that note. Middle C is c¹. The octave above that is c², followed by c³, c⁴, and c⁵ as shown on the keyboard chart below and in their octave register designations on the next page.

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Notes in all Clefs and Their Octave Register Designations