Music Terms

Music as Sound
A musical note is produced when something is made to vibrate, a string, a reed, vocal chords for example.
How high or low the note sounds depends on how many times a second the thing creating it vibrates (called its frequency). The more it vibrates (the higher the frequency) the higher the sound.
Musical instruments are made to produce notes of particular frequencies, so they can be played together to create music.
Instruments sound different (a violin and a trumpet for example) because along with the main (or fundamental) frequency, they also create quieter extra frequencies (called overtones) that combine to produce the instrument's unique sound. Music as Science
Each note is given a name. A letter from A to G. Notes one octave apart have the same letter for a name but sound higher or lower depending on their frequency.
You will see from the example shown below, that as you move from left to right across the keyboard each note of C has twice the frequency of the previous (lower) note of C. This is the same for D to D, or E to E etc.

Octaves are divided up into a 'chromatic' scale of twelve frequencies (or intervals) called semitones (thus notes can be said to be one semitone apart in pitch). An interval of two semitones is called a tone.
On a piano keyboard the 'white' keys play notes that are one tone apart, except between B and C, and E and F which are only a semitone apart. The 'black' keys play notes that are a semitone apart from the note played by the two white keys either side of them.

When played together some notes have frequencies that interact well with each other making a 'pleasant' sound, these can be used as chords. Other combinations of notes have frequencies that don't interact well with each other making musically unpleasant or discordant sounds. The Stave & Clefs
The stave is a group of five horizontal lines that composers use to write their music. A note is placed either on one of the lines or in a space between them. The virtical position of the note tells the musician what note to play. Staves can be used alone or in pairs, one on top of the other, if the instrument has a wide range of notes like a piano.
If an instrument can play notes that are higher or lower than the five lines each stave can show, ledger lines are drawn to extend the stave.
The clefs are used to help the musician find their notes on the stave. There are three clefs, the G clef and the F clef are used most often. There is also the C clef. The G clef is sometimes called the 'Trebble clef' because it indicates the higher notes, and the F clef is called the 'Bass clef' because it indicates the lower notes.
Each clef has a stave. Staves are made up of five lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents where a particular note will fall.
The treble stave. Beginning from bottom to top, the lines on the treble stave read: E, G, B, D, F (one note for each line). A good way of remembering this is to say "Every Good Boy Does Fine" or "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge," depending on if you're into chocolate or not. The spaces in between the lines line up in the very same grouping, and the notes are F, A, C, E, respectively.
Note how the treble clef, also named a G clef, encircles the G line. This is a satisfactory way to recall where notes fall, too.
On a keyboard, the white keys are the "natural" notes, and the black keys are the "sharp" and "flat" notes. Naturals, sharps and flats are discussed more in Key Signatures.
Middle C, discussed in Notes on Staves, is a natural (white) key, and is close to the middle key of a piano, which has 88 keys. Many keyboards and organs maintain less than 88 keys, but the identical basic rule applies.
As you'll note (especially if you're looking at a keyboard), not all notes have sharps or flats (there's no C or F flat, nor is there B or E sharp).
Musical key signatures are not all that difficult to understand when put into perspective. Just like a scale, music notes go up and down but in half steps instead of full.
Natural notes appear by themselves in written music. But sharps and flats have their own symbols:
Sharp
Flat
On a keyboard, a sharp note is the black key that's one note higher than its natural counterpart (the white key). A flat is a black key that's one note lower than its natural counterpart.
When sharps and flats are written into music as needed (next to the notes), they're called accidentals. But sometimes they are shown at the beginning of a stave, right after the clef. In this case, they indicate a key signature.
Key signatures show which notes are to be played or sung as sharps or flats throughout the song. So if there's a sharp sign on "F" and one on "C", every "F" and "C" note throughout the song should be played as a sharp. There will be no "F" or "C" natural unless specifically indicated by a natural symbol:
Natural

Key signatures (in this case, D Major) indicate the general tone of a song, as well as where its basic scale begins and ends. For example, a song in the key of D is based on the D Major scale, which begins and ends with "D" -- with "F" and "C" played sharp throughout. However, the same song can be written and played in different keys.
Music Terms / Definitions:
Staff: A staff of music is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents a key on the piano. Notes and rests are then placed on the staff.
Clef: A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a staff of music which makes it possible for the player to work out what the notes are. It indicates the pitch of the notes on that staff to be played. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef and Bass Clef.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign, which tells the musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than the notes to the left.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, and will tick according to which timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the first note is played.
Time Signature: The time signature, also known as a “meter”, tells the musician how many notes are in a measure.
Time Signatures (Meters):
The below table summarizes the different types of time signatures and their associated beats.

There are many more time signatures, but it is a good idea to start with the 4/4 time signature as it is easier to count.
Below are the rules of the 4/4 time signature:
- There are 4 beats in one measure - When you play a whole note, count out 4 beats- When you play a half note, count out 2 beats - When you play a quarter note, count out 1 beat and then move onto the next note. - 2 eight notes should fit into 1 beat- 4 sixteenth notes fit into 1 beat
Tip: When learning to play the piano / keyboard, count aloud to get used to the rhythm.
Treble Clef:When reading sheet music, you will notice that there is a treble clef at the top left hand corner of your music book. The notes along side the treble clef are usually played with your right hand. There are 5 lines and 4 spaces beneath the treble clef, each of these lines and spaces represents a note on the piano. It is important to learn them off by heart. These notes are located to the right of middle C.
Treble Clef Lines - E, G, B, D, F (Eat Good Bread Dear Father)
Treble Clef Spaces - F, A, C, E (Face).
Bass Clef:Beneath the treble clef on sheet music, you will see a second set of lines and spaces with the Bass Clef symbol on the left. This is to make it easier to read. The Bass Clef notes are usually played with your left hand, and are lower in tone than the notes with the Treble Clef. To locate these notes, go one octave down (the next C to the left of middle C), and locate the notes to the right of that note.
Bass Clef Lines - G, B, D, F, A (Good, Bread, Dear, Father, Ate)
Bass Clef Spaces - A, C, E, G, (Alice, Can, Eat, Grapes).
Musicians must learn how to count evenly, to make sure they are playing each note for the correct length of time.
Tip: To begin you may prefer to write the corresponding notes on your sheet music to help.
Music Terms / Definitions for this page:
Staff: A staff of music is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents a key on the piano. Notes and rests are then placed on the staff.
Clef: A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a staff of music which makes it possible for the player to work out what the notes are. It indicates the pitch of the notes on that staff to be played. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef and Bass Clef.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than the notes to the left.
Time Signature: The time signature, also known as a “meter”, tells the musician how many notes are in a measure.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, and will tick according to which timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the first note is played.
Rest: A rest is a symbol that corresponds to a note value. When reading a rest in sheet music no note is played for the duration of the rest.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device counts out beats, and will tick according to which timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the first note is played.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than the notes to the left.
Notes as they appear on sheet music:
The above example consists of 3 measures of music. Each measure has 4 beats as the time signature is 4/4. You can have one whole note, two half notes or 4 quarter notes per measure or a combination of notes that will give you 4 beats.
Now see if you can play the notes while counting. Note that the 4 notes in the third measure should take the same length to play as the whole note in the first measure.
Rests:
The below table displays the symbols that represent rests, their names, and beats in 4/4 time.

Rests use the same beats per measure as their corresponding notes. Rests are always located in the above positions, so you won’t miss them. A half rest always sits on the middle line, while a whole rest always hangs from the fourth line up.
Tip: When you come to a rest on a sheet of music you should take your hand completely off the keyboard for the appropriate length of time.
Learn to Play the Piano - Beginner Lesson for Older Kids & Teens Learning to play the piano can be exceptionally beneficial to young children. Many parents look to sports to develop their child’s motor and concentration skills, but sport is not for all children. Learning to play the piano provides many of the same benefits as sports and more. The piano is both educational and your child will develop great coordination skills.
You need to make sure your child has access to a piano to practice every day, or at least several times a week. You will find that as long as he/she loves the music they are learning, the more they will enjoy playing it. Before your child starts, below are some basics that he/she should know.
How to use your hands?Beginners sheet music often has numbers below each note. These numbers refer to fingers on your hands. Teach your child the below numbers and their related fingers.
RIGHT HAND:
1 - thumb2 - index finger3 - middle finger4 - ring finger5 - little finger
LEFT HAND:
1 - thumb2 - index finger3 - middle finger4 - ring finger5 - little finger
About the keyboard:

- There are two types of notes, black and white
- The black notes are higher up than the white notes, they are also spaced out in groups of 2 and 3.
- When you play a black and white note that lie side by side they are a semi tone apart. When you play two white keys that are side by side and have a black key between them, these keys are a tone apart.
- The white notes are named "A, B, C, D, E, F, G"
- The black notes are named using the same letters with either a sharp (#) or a flat (b) sign.
- C# (C sharp) means that the sound is raised a semi tone from the C key. If you look at the keyboard you will note that this must mean that C# is the black note beside the C key. Play them to hear the sound.
- Bb (B flat) means that the sound is lowered a semi tone from the B key. If you look at your keyboard you will note that this is the black key below the B key. Play both to notice the difference.
- As the key of C does not include any black notes, beginners start playing tunes in the key of C by placing both thumbs on middle C and placing each finger on each subsequent white note. Middle C is the C note in the middle of the piano usually above the keyhole in the wood.
About the notes in a scale:The above may be a lot for your child to take in at once, but it will start making sense when he/she starts to play. Start your child off by learning the scale of C. Get your child to sit up straight. His/Her right hand should be slightly turned in with their thumb on middle C. Now ask them to play each of the below notes in sequence using the correct finger on his/her right hand. The first finger (thumb) should be crossed under the third finger (middle finger) to play the F key.
Note C D E F G A B CFinger 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5
Well done! Now you know the Scale of C.
Now you can play it in reverse. When using the third finger (middle finger) to play the E key, cross it in front of the first finger (thumb).
Note C B A G F E D CFinger 5 4 3 2 1 3 2 1
Now play the scale of C up and down with out stopping.
The Notes
Each note is given a name, a letter from A to G. Because there are more than seven notes the letters are repeated in sequence for each new note.
The vertical position on the stave shows the musician which note to play, as shown in the diagram below.

In order to show the semitone steps between notes, sharp and flat signs are used. A sharp sign next to a note means it should be played one semitone higher. A flat sign next to a note means it should be played one semitone lower.
For example, the note C with a sharp sign before it would be called C sharp and on a piano the black key just to the right of it would be played instead of the C key.

The same sharp and flat key on the piano is used for notes that are next to each other, C sharp and D flat are in fact the same note but are written differently on the stave. The composer could use either note and the music would sound the same.
Notes B and C, and notes E and F are a semitone apart so do not have 'sharps' and 'flats' between them. The Timing
Notes are played from left to right across the stave. As we have seen the vertical position of the note tells us which note to play, the 'shape' of the note (its stem and number of tails) shows us how long to play it for.
The longest note is the semibreve all the other notes are smaller divisions of time of this note (a semibreve is twice as long as a minim, a minim is twice as long as a crotchet and so on).
For example four crotchets are equal in time to one semibreve, that means a crotchet note is played for only one quarter the time a semibreve note is played. So four crotchets are played in the same time it takes to play one semibreve.
A note with a dot placed after it, is played for one and a half times its normal length, in other words the dot adds half of it's original 'time value' to the note.
Each note has its own 'rest' shape that has the same 'time value' but indicates no note (or a rest) is played at that point in the music.
The Bars
The stave is divided into 'bars'. Usually the first note in a bar is accented (played slightly louder) to help emphasize the rhythm of the piece of music. Each bar may have a different number of individual notes in it but they must all add up to the same 'time value', or number of beats, in each bar. A note's length in beats is shown in the chart below.

Two numbers (shown as a fraction) called the time signature, just to the right of the clef, tell us what timing to use when we play the music. The top number tells us how many beats are in each bar and the lower number tells us the lengths of each beat. 3 over 4 would mean three beats of crotchet length (because a crotchet is a quarter of a semibreve). 2 over 2 would be two beats of minim length (because a minim is half a semibreve).

Notes of different beat lengths can be used in each bar (music would be boring otherwise!) but they must all add up to the correct total. Look at the common examples below, see how the individual note 'time values' add up correctly in each of the bars.

Beats are counted in each bar as you play the music. For example in 3/4 time 1 - 2 - 3, 1 - 2 - 3, and so on. Depending on the actual tune, one crotchet would be played for each of the beats; two quavers would be played for each of the beats; a minim would be played across two of the beats.

Quiz Name: Instruments of the Orchestra Type: Multiple Choice (static answer order) Grade Level: 2 Instructions: Teacher Notes:
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What family of the orchestra is the flute in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Correct Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
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What family of the orchestra is the cello in? Answers Strings - Correct Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3.
What family of the orchestra is the trombone in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.
What family of the orchestra is the tambourine in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.
What family of the orchestra is the trumpet in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.
What family of the orchestra is the timpani in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.
What family of the orchestra is the violin in? Answers Strings - Correct Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.
What family of the orchestra is the French horn in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.
What family of the orchestra is the clarinet in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Correct Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.
What family of the orchestra is the snare drum in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11.
What family of the orchestra is the oboe in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Correct Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12.
What family of the orchestra is the tuba in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Correct Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13.
What family of the orchestra is the xylophone in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14.
What family of the orchestra is the viola in? Answers Strings - Correct Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15.
What family of the orchestra is the triangle in? Answers Strings - Incorrect Woodwinds - Incorrect Brass - Incorrect Percussion - Correct
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A STRINGED INSTRUMENT Answers piccolo - Incorrect bass violin - Correct tambourine - Incorrect
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A PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT Answers tuba - Incorrect flute - Incorrect drum - Correct
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A WOODWIND INSTRUMENT Answers clarinet - Correct cymbals - Incorrect triangle - Incorrect
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A BRASS INSTRUMENT Answers timpani - Incorrect tuba - Correct bass violin - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5.
A KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT Answers piano - Correct wood block - Incorrect violin - Incorrect
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A FOLK STRINGED INSTRUMENT Answers banjo - Correct trumpet - Incorrect oboe - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7.
A TYPE OF "BODY" PERCUSSION Answers triangle - Incorrect clapping - Correct drum - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8.
AN INSTRUMENT THAT PLAYS HIGH SOUNDS Answers piccolo - Correct bassoon - Incorrect timpani - Incorrect
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9.
AN INSTRUMENT THAT PLAYS LOW SOUNDS Answers flute - Incorrect violin - Incorrect bassoon - Correct
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10.
AN INSTRUMENT THAT HAS A SLIDE Answers French horn - Incorrect trombone - Correct trumpet - Incorrect

The Musical Staff Would you like to be able to read music? People seeing sheet music for the first time may get intimidated by all the strange symbols they encounter. Even though it's not rocket science, it does take time and effort to learn how to read music. The good news is that the payoff is great. Learning to read music will open a whole new world for you.
To read music, the first thing you need to learn is how to recognize the notes on the musical staff. The staff consist of five parallel lines, although more lines are often added. These additional lines are to accommodate notes with pitches that won't fit into the five standard lines. The note's vertical position relative to the lines indicates the pitch. The higher the note is above the line the higher the pitch. On the left end of the staff you will also see something called a clef. Its purpose is to provide a key (in fact, that is what the word clef means in French) to the note pitches. The treble clef is normally used for the notes played on piano by the right hand. It's also used for many other musical instruments, including the guitar.

The treble clef is also called G clef because it conveniently sits on the G - line. To help in memorizing the note positions, several mnemonic aids have been invented. The notes located between the staff lines are easy to remember because they form the word FACE. The notes located on the lines indicate the first letters of the phrase "Every Good Boy Does Fine".

Looking at the musical staff, you may be asking yourself a question: What if a note is too high or too low to fit into the small space covered by the five lines? Ledger lines to the rescue! The ledger lines simply extend the musical staff as needed.

The notes that we have looked at so far can be played on a piano by pressing the white keys. But what about the black keys? These keys play notes that are half-tone away from the nearest white keys. So how do we show those notes on the musical staff? Theoretically, it would be possible to place those notes between staff lines and staff spaces, but that would make them really hard to read. The solution is simple: add a little sign just before the note to indicate that it should be played a half-tone higher or lower. The signs used to modify note pitch by a half-tone are called accidentals. They include flat (lower the pitch by half-tone) and sharp (raise the pitch by half-tone).

This short article has given you a very simple introduction to the way music is recorded on paper. If you are serious about learning to read music, many books, websites and software programs are available. What you won't find anywhere else are the interactive quizzes presented on the following pages. They will help beginning students with memorizing the basics of reading music. The quizzes can also be used for student testing.
So, good luck with the quizzes and remember: Every Good Boy Does Fine.
Let’s See! What Note Could It “B?”
(How To Teach Note Names Without STRESS!!!)

Okay. It is time to learn the recorder but first, we should learn our notes. Right, class? Do you know that Every Good Boy Does Fine? That was taught to your Granny when learning treble clef line notes.
Does every good boy do fine? Are they excited about doing fine all of the time? Even girls would rather have a better incentive. So, we need to update this system now!
Well, chocolate works. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge! You must point out that the ‘boy” must be “good” or else forget about the fudge. The teacher gets it instead. YES!
Now we know the treble clef line notes are E G B D and F. What about the letters F, A, C and E for the space notes? They spell the word ……FACE. (Very good, class!) That still works but only if you remember that FACE is in the SPACE. That’s easy. It can even be a rap by repeating, FACE is in the space – AH!
FACE is in the SPACE – OH!
FACE is in the SPACE – YEAH! etc.
So now we are cool and not boring but how are the kids going to remember all of this information? What should we do? Well, have you heard of the “Poke Your Fingers” game? I sure hope not since I have only taught it to my students and you’re not one of them! All right. I’ll teach it to you but only one time. So LISTEN!
First you take your right hand, which is always handy. (Sorry!) Then you hold it horizontally in front of you with your thumb facing upwards. Let’s see. You have 5 fingers and 5 spaces. Hmmmmmmmm! That resembles something like a STAFF! 5 lines and 4 spaces are always part of our right hand. That works. So now you take your left hand pointer and insert it into the spaces from the bottom up while repeating F-A-C-E until you have memorized this. Next, you close your eyes and poke a space using your pointer finger on your left hand. Now open your eyes. Can you figure out the note name? If it is in the bottom space, then it is “F.” GOOD JOB! Now, keep testing yourself and, when this gets to be too easy, switch to the lines (fingers) and point out “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.” Remember that it’s from the bottom going up.
Now you have taught the treble clef notes without the stress. For fun, and if the students get bored, have a contest and see what other sentences they can create. Many will be better than the originals. Of course, Every Girl Buys Dead Frogs isn’t an appetizing possibility for the line notes but it’s gross enough to remember. I like “Feed Alligators Children Everyday.” I wonder who made that up?