Beginner music theory Flashcards
What is a Staff
A group of fine equally spaced horizontal lines upon which music is written
What is another name for a Treble Clef
G clef
What is another name for a Bass Clef
F clef
Why is a Treble Clef also called a G Clef
The G Clef curls around the 2nd LINE of the Staff which means that Line 2 in Treble Clef is the letter G
Why is a Bass a Clef also called a F Clef
The two dots are on each side of the letter F and tells you where F is located
What is the music alphabet
A B C D E F G
How many lines and spaces are in a staff
5 lines and 4 spaces
What letter names are the spaces in a Treble Clef
F A C E
What letter names are the lines in a Treble Clef
E G B D F
How do you remember the letter name on the line in a Treble clef
“Every Good Boy Does Fine”
“Elvis’ Guitar Broke Down Friday”
“Elephants Go Bouncing Down Freeways”
“Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge”
How do you remember the letter name on the spaces in a Treble clef
The space in the Treble Clef from bottom to top spells the word FACE
What are the letter names for the spaces in a Bass Clef
A C E G
What are the letter names for the lines in a Bass Clef
G B D F A
How do you remember the letter names on the spaces in the Bass Clef
“All Cows Eat Grass”
“All Cool Elephants Grow”
How do you remember the letter names for the lines in the Bass Clef
“Good Boys Do Fine Always”
“Great Big Dreams For America”
“Great Big Dogs From America”
How many beats does a whole note get
4 beats
How many beats does a half note get
2 beats
How many beats does a quarter note get
1 beat
How many beats does two eighth notes get
1 beat
How many half note are in a whole note
2 half notes
How many quarter notes are in a whole note
4 quarter notes
How many eighth notes are in a whole note
8 eighth notes
What is a Bar Line
It separates the music into measures
What is Accelerando
To gradually get faster
What is an Alto
The second highest voice in the choir
What is a Bass
The lowest voice in the choir
What is a Bass Clef
Also known as a F clef; generally designates those notes that are lower in pitch
What is a Clef
A symbol that helps to identify musical notes and pitches
What is a Crescendo
To gradually get louder
What is D.C. al Fine
Tells the musician to return to the beginning of the piece and play or sing until the word “Fine”, D.C abbreviates “da capo”
What is D.S. al Coda
Tells the musician to return to “dal segno”, and continue until “coda”
What is Decrescendo
To gradually get softer
What is Diminuendo
To gradually get softer
What is a Dotted Note
A dot lengthens the value of the note by half of its original value
What is Dynamic
Symbols or words that determine the volume at which the music is to be played or sung
What is a Fermata
Indicates to hold a certain note longer that it’s defined value; the duration is generally determined by the conductor
What is a First Ending
Contains material to be sung the first time through a repeated passage
What is a Flat
Lowers any pitch by a half step
What is Forte
Loud
What is Fortissimo
Very loud
What is the Grand Staff
A combination of the Treble Clef and the Bass Clef; clefs are linked together with a brace
What is a Key Signature
A group of sharp or flat signs that indicates the Key of the music that follows; helps establish how high or low a piece is performed
What is Legato
To play or sing in a smooth, connected manner; notes that are to be sung legato are connected by an arched line
What is a Measure
The space within a Staff contained between two bar line
What is Mezzo Forte
Moderately loud
What is Mezzo Piano
Moderately soft
What is a Natural
Used to cancel a sharp or a flat within a measure
What is a Note
Symbol that represents the length of a sound
What is Pianissimo
Very soft
What is Piano
Soft
