UnderstandingNotationinMusic

Musicnotationreferstothesymbolsusedtorepresentmusicalsounds.Itisthelanguageusedbymusicianstoreadandwritemusic.Asabeginnerinmusic,itisessentialtohaveabasicunderstandingofmusicnotation.Thisarticlewillguideyouthroughtheessentialconceptsandsymbolsinmusicnotation.

MusicalStaffandClefs

Themusicalstaffisthefoundationofmusicnotation.Itisasetoffivehorizontallinesandfourspacesonwhichwewritethenotes.Eachlineandspaceonthestaffrepresentsaspecificpitch.Weuseclefsatthebeginningofthestafftoindicatethenameofthenotes.Themostcommonclefsarethetrebleandbassclefs.

ThetrebleclefisalsoknownastheGclefbecauseitcirclestheGnoteonthesecondlinefromthebottom.Thetrebleclefisusedforhigher-pitchedinstrumentssuchasviolins,flutes,andclarinets.Ontheotherhand,thebassclefisalsocalledtheFclefbecauseitcirclestheFnoteonthefourthlinefromthebottom.Thebassclefisusedforlower-pitchedinstrumentssuchascellos,bassoons,andtubas.

NotesandRests

Notesarethefundamentalunitsofmusicnotation.Theyrepresentthepitchanddurationofsounds.Thelengthofanoteisshownbyitsshape,andthepitchisshownbyitspositiononthestaff.Awholenoteisanopencircle,ahalfnoteisafilled-incircle,aquarternoteisafilled-incirclewithastem,aneighthnoteislikeaquarternotewithatail,andsoon.

Restsarethesilencethatisinsertedintomusictocreaterhythmandpacing.Thevalueoftherestisthesameasthevalueofthenoteitreplaces.Awholerestisarectangularsymbolthathangsfromthefourthline,ahalfrestisahatshapethatsitsonthethirdline,andaquarterrestlookslikeasideways'Z'.

TimeSignatureandKeySignature

Atimesignaturetellsushowmanybeatsareinameasureandwhatkindofnotegetsthebeat.Itiswrittenatthebeginningofapieceandlookslikeafraction.Thetopnumbertellsushowmanybeatsareinameasure,andthebottomnumbertellsuswhatkindofnotegetsthebeat.Themostcommontimesignatureis4/4,whichmeansthattherearefourbeatsinameasure,andthequarternotegetsthebeat.

Akeysignaturetellsuswhichnotesaresharporflatthroughoutthepiece.Itisplacedaftertheclefandthetimesignatureandlookslikeasymbolmadeupofsharporflatsigns.Thekeysignaturedetermineswhichnotesareplayedhigherorlowerthanthenaturalnote.Forinstance,ifapieceisinthekeyofGmajor,thekeysignaturewouldhaveanF-sharp,andallFnotesplayedaresharp.

Withafundamentalunderstandingofmusicnotation,theprocessofreadingandinterpretingwrittenmusicbecomesmuchmoreaccessible.Musicnotationisanentirelydifferentlanguagefromeverydaylanguage,andittakestimeandpracticetounderstandandspeakitfluently.However,withdedicationandpatience,anyonecanlearntoreadandwritemusicnotation.