Reading Notes on the Musical Staff

Julian Nava Learning Academy, School of Arts and Culture

What do these signs tell you?

Wheelchair Accessible Airport Nearby

How can you tell what they mean?

What do these signs tell you?

Stoplight is coming up Two-Way Street

How can you tell what they mean?

What do these signs tell you?

Bikes are not allowed here Hospital Nearby

How can you tell what they mean?

How Does This Connect to reading the Notes on the musical staff?

• Notes tell you how long to hold them and what pitch to play.

• We need to look at the signs (or notes) to tell us what pitch to play.

MUSICAL ALPHABET

You might be thinking to yourself:Why does the musical alphabet only go up to the letter G? Aren’t there more than 7 notes in music?What comes after the G in the musical alphabet?

The musical alphabet is able to produce more than 7 notes because the notes repeat over and over again. For example, on a piano you may be able to find many notes that are and sound like the note “A”

Each note in music is given a different letter name beginning with the letter A and ending with the letter G.

The Musical Alphabet has only 7 letters whereas the regular alphabet has 26 letters.

Musical Alphabet continued

Yes there are more than 7 notes in music.

So How do we make more notes?

• Sharp – Raises the pitch

• Flat – Lowers the pitch

• Natural – Cancels a flat or sharp

Insert musical staff of a b-flat

Music Staff Symbols

MUSICAL STAFF

The musical staff has 5 lines and 4 spaces.

Location of the note on the staff tells you which pitch to play.

What is pitch?

•Pitch is the highness or lowness of a sound.

Notes are placed on above or below the musical staff to identify pitch

•The higher the note on the staff the higher the pitch

•The lower the note on the staff the lower the pitch.

Clef Symbols

Treble ClefThe TREBLE CLEF is used for notes in the higher pitchranges. The treble (or G) clef has evolved from aG into the present stylized letter G

The curl of the treble clef circles the line on whichthe note G is placed. This G is above MIDDLE C(the C nearest the middle of the keyboard).

Instruments that use the treble clef are the Flute, Clarinet, Alto, Tenor Saxophone, Trumpet, Horn, Violin

There are 3 different clef symbols we will talk about today. Clef symbols are found at the beginning of the music. A clef sign tells you what the names of the notes are.

Notes on the Treble Clef

Notes on the lines Notes on the Spaces

A good way to remember the notes on the lines is to remember this phrase: Every Good Boy Does Fine.

A good way to remember the notes on the spaces is to remember they spell out FACE from bottom to top.

Bass ClefThe BASS CLEF (pronounced "base") is used for notes in the lower pitch ranges. The bass (or F) clef hasevolved from a stylized letter F into the present stylized letter F.

The two dots of the bass clef surround the line onwhich the note F is placed. This F is below the middle C

Instruments that use the Bass Clef are the Bass Clarinet, Baritone Saxophone, Euphonium, Trombone, Tuba, Cello, String Bass, Tenor Voice and Bass Voice.

Notes on the Bass Clef

Notes on the lines Notes on the Spaces

A good way to remember the notes on the lines is to remember this phrase: Good Boys Do Fine Always.

A good way to remember the notes on the spaces is to remember this phrase:All Cows Eat Grass.

Alto ClefThe ALTO CLEF is used for notes in the middle pitch ranges, It is also known as the C-clef. The alto clef is the most frequently used clef in viola music.

The Alto Clef symbol surrounds the third line on which the note C is placed.

Instruments that use the Alto Clef are the Viola, and the Alto Voice.

Notes on the Alto Clef

Notes on the lines Notes on the Spaces

A good way to remember the notes on the lines is to remember they spell out FACE G from bottom to top.

A good way to remember the notes on the spaces is to remember this phrase: Good Birds Do Fly.

What happens to the pitch as you go up the musical staff? Answer in a complete sentence.

As you move up the musical staff the pitch goes higher.

As you move down the musical staff the pitch goes lower.

What happens to the pitch as you go down the musical staff? Answer in a complete sentence.

Listen to the following Musical Example:

How to correctly identify the note every time!1. Identify the clef sign. (Treble, Alto or Bass Clef)

2. Find a reference note. Identify a note that you already know on the musical staff.

4. Count lines and spaces up or down the musical alphabet to find the note.

G B F E D F C A E

C D G B G E F A A

F A E F G C B D G

3. Is the note you are trying to find above or below the reference note?

Reading Music Vocabulary Words

• Musical Alphabet – A B C D E F G A• Musical Staff -• Sharp – raises the pitch of a note. • Flat – Lowers the pitch of a note.• Natural – Cancels a flat or a sharp.• Pitch – The highness or lowness of a sound.• Treble Clef -• Every Good Boy Does Fine – Notes on the lines of

the staff• FACE – Notes on the spaces of the staff.

Reflect on what you have learned

• What comes after G in the musical alphabet?• What clef sign does your instrument normally

use?• How can you tell what note to play on the

musical staff?

Review reading notes

• The shape of the note tells us how long to hold the note.

• The location of the note on the musical staff tells us what pitch to play.