Transcript Power Point Presentation: Music Symbols and Notation

Music Symbols and
Notation
9th and 10th Grade Music Theory
Class
November 28th 2006
Mr. Haubert
Overview
• This lesson will show you the basics of
the different symbols and notations
that are used in music, whether they
be in instrumental or choral literature.
• It is important to know the meanings
and applications of these symbols in
order to better understand music as an
art form.
Some Basics
• (a) Staff- the lines on
which musical notation is
written
• (b) Bar Line- a line that
separates the staff into
measures
• (c) Ledger Lines- lines
that extend the staff up
and down
• (d) Double Bar Line- two
lines that either can
separate two sections of
music, or end the piece
Some Basics
• You will see these symbols in
just about all pieces of music.
• The Clef symbol will help
indicate the voicing. Often
times, the Treble Clef will be
used for higher voices, and the
Bass Clef for lower voices, but
there are exceptions.
• The Key Signature helps to
identify which notes on the
staff are raised and lowered,
and the effect remains
throughout unless an
accidental cancels the effect.
• The Time Signature sets what
the rhythm of the music is. The
top number identifies how
many beats are in a measure,
and the bottom number
identifies what note value the
beat is.
The Clef Symbols
• The Treble Clef is also
known as the “G Clef”
because the curl in the
symbol wraps around the
line on the staff that is
named G.
• The Bass Clef is known as
the “F Clef” because the
two dots are centered on
the line F.
Note Names
• As you know, the musical alphabet uses the
letters A-G. The lines and spaces of the
Treble Clef and the Bass Clef are spelled
differently.
• For the Bass Clef from the bottom up
– The lines are spelled GBDFA; Good Boys Do Fine
Always
– The spaces are spelled ACEG; All Cows Eat Grass
• For the Treble Clef from the bottom up
– The lines are spelled EGBDF; Every Good Boy
Does Fine
– The spaces spell the word FACE
Accidentals
• Accidentals are symbols that
precede notes and tell us to
either raise or lower the pitch of
the note.
• (a.) Sharp- raises pitch by one
half step
• (b.) Flat- lowers pitch by one
half step
• (c.) Double Sharp- raises the
pitch by two half steps, or one
whole step
• (d.) Double Flat- lowers the
pitch by two half steps, or one
whole step
• (e.) Natural- cancels the effect
of any other accidentals and
makes the pitch sound
unchanged.
Dynamic Markings
Dynamic markings are used to describe the volume,
or rather the intensity of the volume of music.
Dynamic Markings
• (a) Crescendo- a
gradual increase in
volume
• (b) Diminuendo- a
gradual decrease in
volume
• (c) Sforzando- a
sudden increase in
volume
Articulations
• Sometimes, symbols are
added to notes to give
them a certain emphasis or
length
• (a) accent- the note is
louder with a strong attack
• (b) fermata- the note is held
for an indefinite length
• (c) staccato- the note is
shorter and more detached
sounding
• (d) tenuto- the note is held
for its full value and is slightly
accented
Phrase Markings
• Phrase markings help give shape to musical lines.
• (a) Tie- a curved line that connects two notes of the same
pitch to make them sound as one note.
• (b) Slur- a curved line that connects two notes of different
pitch so that there is no break between them.
• It is possible to see both of these markings occur across bar
lines
Repeating Symbols
• Finally, there are some symbols that tell us to repeat sections of
music.
• (a) Repeat signs- play again what is in between the two
markings
• (b) 1st and 2nd endings- once you reach the last measure of
the 1st ending you will usually see a repeat sign. Go back to
repeat the material and when you come to the first measure
of the 1st ending, skip ahead to the 2nd ending section
Repeating Symbols
• (c) De Capo- Repeat from the
beginning of the piece.
• (d) Dal Segno- repeat from the
Segno, or Sign
• (e) Segno [Sign]- point at which
a repeated section may begin
at. This symbol usually occurs in
the opening or middle sections
of a piece.
• (f) Coda- marks the place
where you skip ahead to the
final section of a piece.
– Note: D.C. al Coda and D.S. al
Coda are used sometimes.
– Another common symbol is
D.C. al fine or D.S. al fine, which
means that the piece will end
when you see the word Fine
written in the music.
Quiz
• The quiz on this material will be next
Tuesday. You will not be allowed to
use your notes on this quiz. Be
prepared!
• If you are confused on any of this
material, it is your responsibility to
come and bring me your questions. I
will answer them to the best of my
ability.
Announcements
• Don’t forget to come and support your
classmates who are performing in the Ohio
Band Director’s Conference this weekend!
• See you Thursday!
Reference slide
• Material for this presentation was
taken from Wikipedia.com and from
the Dolmetsch Online Musical
Dictionary.
• http://www.dolmetsch.com/musicalsy
mbols.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_
musical_symbols