Learning

To be confident while performing, you need to be confident in the music. Don't give up! Everyone has some trouble in the beginning and there are multiple resources out there that can guide you to success. Ask a friend! If there is someone who you know that can read music don't be afraid to reach out. If you don't have friends that can help you with the music, reach out to a teacher. It is always beneficial to receive advice from a professional who has a passion for music and who is knowledgeable about the topic. This is a highly recommended route if you have access to such resources and if your teacher is willing to help you. If you have neither of the previously recommended resources, ask the internet! There are thousands of videos and websites out there that can teach you not only the piece of music you need to learn, but also music theory, which can help you for future pieces.

Music Theory Lessons

The Five Clefs

There are five major types of clefs that you will see most often:

Treble Clef

This clef almost takes on the shape of the number eight and is commonly presented in musical pieces. The lines of the staff are E, G, B, D, F while the spaces of the staff are F, A, C, E. This clef is used by a variety of instruments, ranging from soprano voice to the violin.

Alto Clef

This clef looks like a backwards three and the middle note is a C. The lines of the staff are F, A, C, E, G while the spaces of the staff are G, B, D, F. The viola and the alto trombone commonly use this clef.

Tenor Clef

This clef looks exactly like the alto clef, in which it has the characteristics of a backwards three. The lines of the staff are D, F, A, C, E while the spaces of the staff are E, G, B, D. The center of this clef is on the fourth line of the scale and it is used by instruments such as the cello and bassoon.

Bass Clef

This clef looks like a backwards C with two small dots on its right. The lines of the staff are G, B, D, F, A and the spaces are A, C, E, G. The bass guitar and trombone are examples of instruments that use this clef.

Octave Clefs

These clefs express a scale that goes either an octave lower or an octave higher than the original scale. For example, a treble clef with the number eight at the bottom of it is an octave lower than the normal treble clef scale. Tenor voice usually sings this. If the eight is on top of the treble clef, then it is an octave higher.

Types of Notes

Whole Note

Half Note

Quarter Note

Eighth Note

Sixteenth Note

Dotted Notes

Eighth Notes

Sixteenth Notes

Quarter Rest

Half Note Rest

Whole Note Rest

Key Signatures

The key to key signatures is memorization and a general understanding on how to find them.

Sharps

Find the last sharp and go up a half step to find the major

G Major / E Minor: Has one sharp

D Major / B Minor: Has two sharps

A Major / F# Minor: Has three sharps

E Major / C# Minor: Has four sharps

B Major / G# Minor: Has five sharps

F# Major / D# Minor: Has six sharps

C# Major / A# Minor: Has seven sharps

Flats

Find the second to last flat and identify the line or space that it is on. Whatever that line or space is represents the key you're at!

F Major / D Minor: Has one flat

Bb Major / G Minor: Has two flats

Eb Major / C Minor: Has three flats

Ab Major / F Minor: Has four flats

Db Major / Bb Minor: Has five flats

Gb Major / Eb Minor: Has six flats

Cb Major / Ab Minor: Has seven flats

No Sharps or Flats

C Major and A Minor both have no sharps or flats.

*Recommendation: Look up the Circle of Fifths! This may help you better understand key signatures!*

This is held for four beats and it looks like an open circle.

This is held for two beats and looks like and open circle with a vertical line sticking upwards on the right.

This is held for one beat and it looks like the half note but with a closed cirlce.

This is held for half a beat and looks like the quarter note but with a flag attached to the vertical line. The flag is known to halve the value of the original note.

This is held for a quarter of a beat and looks like the eighth note but with an extra flag attached to it.

There can be many dotted notes in a piece of music and although they might seem confusing at first, over time you will begin to understand them better. In order to find the value of a dotted note, you must divide the original note in half and then add that value onto the original value of the original note. For example, if you have a dotted half note, in order to find the value you must split the number of original beats that the half note has in half (so 2 beats divides by 2 is 1) and then add that value (1) to the original value of the half note

(2) in order to get a value of three beats (2 original half note beats/2 = 1 beat + 2 original half note beats = 3

total beats).

Sometimes you will see two notes connected by a bridge at the top. Although it may look like two quarter notes connected, it is actually two eighth notes, meaning that there is a total duration of one whole beat, but it is just split up into two half beats for rhythm purposes.

When you see four notes grouped together with a double bridge this represents sixteenth notes. When grouped, these notes have a total duration of one beat but is split up into four separate notes for rhythm purposes.

A quarter rest looks like a squiggly lightning bolt and tells you to rest (or not play) for one beat.

This type of rest is held for two beats and looks like a tiny hat.

This type of rest is held for four beats and looks like a tiny upside-down hat.