  
Introduction
It is virtually impossible to pursue a study of music theory without
understanding musical notation. Music notation
is the set of symbols a composer uses to communicate his/her chosen
sounds and the way these sounds are organized in time. This lesson
deals with the notation of pitch
as well as dynamics and timbre. The notation of rhythm will be dealt
with in the next lesson.
If you play a few notes on the right side of the piano keyboard,
then play a few on the left side, the notes on the right side will
sound "high" and the notes on the left side will sound
"low." The difference in the sound of musical tones--how
high or low they sound--is called pitch.
1
Music
alphabet
Musical pitches are designated by the first seven letters of the
alphabet. Notice that as you go forward through the alphabet
the pitch rises; as you go backwards through the alphabet, the pitch
descends.
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high |
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G |
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F |
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F |
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E |
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E |
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D |
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D |
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C |
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C |
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B |
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B |
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low
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A |
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low |
IMPORTANT SKILL TO MASTER
Be able to recite the musical alphabet backwards
with ease ("G-F-E-D-C-B-A-G-F-E," etc.). This
will facilitate your ability to grasp future concepts
more quickly.
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