music!!

music sideblog :>

[onyxedmusic]

music theory lesson 2 - steps, major scales, and major keys

we're gonna ignore that i totally forgot about this. whoopsie.

todays focus is going to be how to apply the note names onto the staff in their simplest form!

lets start with establishing which note corresponds to each line on the staff. in treble clef, the lines are E, G, B, D, and F from the bottom up, and the spaces are F, A, C, and E. that looks like this:

in bass clef, the lines are G, B, D, F, and A, while the lines are A, C, E, and G, which looks like this:

now that we've established that, we can move on to steps. lets start by looking at a keyboard:

each white key has a corresponding black key, sometimes two. those black keys are a half step above (to the right of) or below (to the left of) the white key. white keys are, for the most part, a whole step apart. however, in the case of B and E, the white key to the right (C and F respectively) is the corresponding half step, and vice versa.

a scale is a set arrangement of whole steps and half steps. that pattern stays the same depending on the type of scale, even as the root (base) note changes. today, we're focusing on a major scale. the pattern for a major scale is WWHWWWH.

lets look at a C major scale, both on the piano and on the staff:

the pattern applies here, just as it does for all major scales. C to D is a whole step, D to E is a whole step, E to F is a half step, F to G is a whole step, G to A is a whole step, A to B is a whole step, and B to C is a half step.

there is a major scale for each note, which means that there are 12 total major scales. each one of them follows the WWHWWWH pattern, even if some look more complex than others.

next up is major keys. the key tells you what accidentals to play in a piece of music via a key signature, which is found immediately after the clef. it looks like this:

there are a few ways to learn keys, but the traditional method is using the circle of fifths, pictured below.

this demonstrates how many sharps or flats are in each major key signature. for example, in A major, there are 3 sharps.

now, it's time to learn the order of the sharps and flats. there is a pneumonic i was taught, as it works both ways.

the order of sharps is F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, A♯, E♯, and B♯. the pneumonic is Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle.

the order of flats is B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, C♭, and F♭. the pneumonic is Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father.

if you have any other pneumonics or ways of remembering the order, feel free to let me know!! and if you have any questions, you can always ask!! see you next time :>

[onyxedmusic]

music theory lesson 1 - note names, clefs, and the staff

hello hello!! this is the start of my (hopefully weekly) music theory lessons!

todays focus is note names, clefs, and the staff, which are the foundation of western written music.

notes

western music is composed of 12 tones, or notes, which repeat in groups called octaves. when looking at a full 88 key piano, the notes start at A0 and end at C8. C is the "beginning" of each octave, with the octave number corresponding to each note being determined by which octave C is in.

the notes circle from A to G, with additional markings known as flats (♭) and sharps (♯) slightly changing the pitch. flats make it slightly lower, while sharps make it slightly higher. flats and sharps are grouped together as accidentals, and each accidental corresponds to a black key on the keyboard.

each note has a corresponding flat and a corresponding sharp, each with an enharmonic equivalent. enharmonic equivalents are when 1 pitch has two names to refer to it. these include:

C♯ and D♭ D♯ and E♭ E♯ and F E and F♭ F♯ and G♭ G♯ and A♭ A♯ and B♭ B♯ and C B and C♭

notice the orange in that list: why is it that one of the notes in each of those pairings is not accompanied by an accidental marking? this is because there is not room for those notes to be made higher (E, B) without it simply becoming the next note name (F, C). this is seen on the keyboard, as there is not a black key between B and C or E and F.

clefs and the staff

there are 4 main clefs in western music: treble, bass, moveable, and rhythm

the treble clef, also referred to as the "G clef", is the highest clef, and it looks like this:

this is where the staff comes in. the staff is what we call the lines and spaces you see in the above image; those lines and spaces tell you what note name you are playing or singing. the clef tells you what note corresponds with each line and space.

in treble clef, the 5 lines, from the bottom up, are E4, G4, B4, D5, and F5, while the four spaces are F4, A4, C5, and E5.

next is the bass clef. the bass clef is the lowest clef, and is also referred to as the "F clef". it looks like this:

in the bass clef, the lines are G2, B2, D3, F3, and A3, and the spaces are A2, C3, E3, and G3.

these two clefs can be combined into something that is referred to as the grand staff, mostly seen in piano music. it looks like this:

but how are they connected? A3 doesn't connect to E4.

well, that's where these things called ledger lines come in. ledger lines are lines that are added above or below the staff to add more notes. this is a grand staff with notes connecting to each other:

"middle C" is also known as C4, which is how the two clefs meld so seamlessly.

next is the moveable clef, or the "C clef", which is a bit more complicated. the moveable clef looks like this:

the notes in the clef are determined by which line the center of the clef is on, and that line is always C. here are the most common examples:

the most commonly used moveable clef is the alto clef, which is pictured in the center. the viola of the string family reads in alto clef; the other clefs are not used nearly as often.

the final clef is the rhythm clef, which looks like this:

this clef is used for unpitched percussion instruments, such as the snare or bass drum. there is no actual staff, as there are no notes or pitches to be identified, only rhythms.

i hope this was helpful and/or enjoyable!! if you have any questions, feel free to ask them!!

[onyxedmusic]

Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

rose etude #5 from the book of 32: adagio

a few wrong rhythms and missing notes, but pretty good for 2 weeks of work

[onyxedmusic]

Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

the opening to webers clarinet concertino

[onyxedmusic]

Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

jubilee line by wilbur soot

guitar and vocals!

[onyxedmusic]

Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

recorded practice session

movement 2 of mendelssohn’s clarinet sonata!!

sorry about bad quality and background noise, recorded at school