Standard Notation: Flashcards
Staff
Five horizontal lines on which the musical notes are written.
Bar Lines
Vertical lines that divides one bar from another in a written piece of music.
Clef
A musical notation written on a staff indicating the pitch of the notes following it.
Treble Clef
A symbol that you use when writing music in order to show that the notes on the staff are above middle C.
(The reason that the treble clef is also called the “G” clef is because the 2nd line from the bottom, which cuts through the center circle of the clef, is G (G4).)
Measure
Musical notation for a repeating pattern of musical beats.
Time Signature
A musical notation indicating the number of beats to a measure and kind of note that takes a beat.
Time Signature 4/4
4/4 time has 4 quarter note beats in each measure. We count this time signature using the 4 quarter notes: 1…2…3…4 and so on.
Ex: ONE two THREE four
(‘C’ = 4/4)
Time Signature 6/8
6/8 has six eighth notes per measure. These eighth notes are grouped into two groups of three.
(Because of this, each measure has two strong beats, each one being worth 1 dotted quarter note.)
We would count 6/8 time as 1..and…a…2…and….a.
Ex: ONE two three FOUR five six
Whole Note
a musical note having the longest time value
WHOLE NOTE = 4 BEATS.
Dotted Half Note
A half note, or minim, has the value of two beats. But, when you make it a dotted half note we extend its duration by half its value.
In the case of a half note it would be:
2 + 1 = 3 beats
So a dotted half note is like adding a half note and a quarter note together.
Half Note
a musical note having the time value of half a whole note
HALF NOTE = 2 BEATS.
Dotted Quarter Note
Quarter Note
a musical note having the time value of a quarter of a whole note
QUARTER NOTE = 1 BEAT.
Eighth Note
EIGHTH NOTE = ½ OF 1 BEAT.
OVERVIEW (example card)
