The purpose of this lesson is to help you build basic rudimentary skills for reading and playing music on the guitar Music Staff: The...
The purpose of this lesson is to help you build basic rudimentary skills for reading and playing music on the guitar
Music Staff: The Staff is five lines with four spaces between the lines. The lines and space correspond with the note names. Both the lines and spaces are counted from the bottom up. A good trick for memorizing the names of the spaces is, they spell FACE from the bottom up. The trick for lines is an old saying that goes, "Every Good Boy Does Fine", again from the bottom up.
Ledger Lines: These lines extend the music staff so notes that are higher or lower in pitch, than the ones on the staff lines, can be shown.
Treble Clef Sign: The treble clef sign shows where the musical piece begins. You will always see the sign at the beginning of a piece of music.
Key Signature: The key signature tells you in what key the song is written. Every song is composed in a particular key that corresponds with the "main" or root note of the song. The root note will dictate the chord progressions and scale patterns used in the song. If no key signature is shown, the song is in the key of C major. This example shows the key of D major.
Rhythm: Rhythm indicates which notes receive accents and which do not, and contributes to a song's feeling or mood. Rhythmically, a song can be broken down into easily understood segments, called measures, or bars. Measures have a designated number of beats-usually three or four. Listening to a song you want to play is a good way to grasp the rhythm of the song.
Time Signature: The Time signature is shown at the beginning of the song to tell the musician how many beats are in a measure. This is represented by the top number. The bottom number indicates the duration of each beat. For example:
*A 2/4 signature gets 2 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
*A 3/4 signature gets 3 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
*A 4/4 signature gets 4 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
*A 2/4 signature gets 2 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
*A 3/4 signature gets 3 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
*A 4/4 signature gets 4 beats per measure (each quarter note receives 1 beat).
Combinations of rests and notes must equal the time value of the number of beats in the measure. Timing is everything. Listen to the song you want to play. It will help you tune into the timing, rhythm and feeling of the song.
Measures and Bar Lines: Bar lines create measures. A tempo can be broken down into easily understood segments. These segments have a designated number of beats, which comprise a measure. Beats are usually played in groups of three and four. This group of beats is a measure. The time signature tells you how many beats are supposed to be in one measure.
Repeat Signs: When you see this sign go back toward the beginning of the piece until you see a similar repeat sign, then play that section again.
Rest: A span of time in which there is silence; a notation symbol specifying a silence of some duration. The music notation symbols for a rest are numerous. Common symbols are small rectangles that reside above or below a staff line in the place of a note. Rest symbols represent the same time values as notes, i.e. a rest can have the time value of a whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, Etc. Rests are an important component of music.
