Today We Begin Make sure you have notebook

Today We Begin. . . Make sure you have notebook and staff paper – you will want to take notes so you have a reference for your homework (it will be a couple weeks before we get our textbooks!)

Elements of Pitch Subtitle

Pitch ▪ Pitch, in music, refers to the highness and lowness of a sound. ▪ Pitches are named by using the first seven letters of the alphabet – A, B, C, D, E, F, and G

The Staff ▪ A staff is used in music to indicate the precise pitch desired. ▪ A staff consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces, but it may be extended indefinitely through the use of ledger lines ▪ Every line or space represents a WHITE KEY on the keyboard

The Staff – Ledger Lines ▪ A ledger line is a small line that extends the staff when we run out of room ▪ Ledger Lines (high) ▪ Ledger Lines (low)

Clefs ▪ A clef must appear at the beginning of the staff ▪ The clef determines which pitches are associated with which lines and spaces ▪ 4 Clefs: Treble, Bass, Alto, and Tenor – Correspond to different ranges ▪ Treble: HIGHEST pitches ▪ Alto ▪ Tenor ▪ Bass: LOWEST pitches

The Treble Clef – “G” Clef ▪ The Treble Clef is also known as the G clef – it draws a “G” around the G line ▪ It represents the highest range of pitches ▪ Flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, and violin players all read treble clef

The Treble Clef – Lines & Spaces ▪ The lines on the Treble Clef (from bottom to top) are E G B D F – “Every Good Boy Does Fine” ▪ The spaces on the Treble Clef (from bottom to top) spell the word FACE

The Treble Clef - Practice ▪ Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. D G C F

The Treble Clef - Practice ▪ Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. A F D E

The Bass Clef – “F” Clef ▪ The Bass Clef is also known as the F clef – the two dots surround the F line ▪ It represents the lowest range of pitches ▪ Bassoon, Trombone, Baritone/Euphonium, Tuba, Cello, and Bass players read bass clef

The Bass Clef – Lines & Spaces ▪ The lines on the Bass Clef (from bottom to top) are G B D F A – “Good Boys Do Fine Always” ▪ The spaces on the Bass Clef (from bottom to top) are A C E G – “All Cows Eat Grass”

The Bass Clef - Practice ▪ Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. C E G E

The Bass Clef - Practice ▪ Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. G B B D

The Alto Clef – “C Clef” ▪ The Alto Clef is known as a C Clef – the middle of the clef marks where middle C is ▪ It is LOWER than the Treble clef, but HIGHER than the bass and tenor clefs ▪ Violas play in alto clef

The Alto Clef – Lines and Spaces ▪ The lines of the alto clef (from bottom to top) are F A C E G ▪ The spaces (from bottom to top) are G B D F

The Alto Clef - Practice ▪ Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time G F D D

The Tenor Clef – “C Clef” ▪ The Tenor Clef is known as a C Clef – the middle of the clef marks where middle C is C ▪ It is LOWER than the Treble clef and Alto clefs, but HIGHER than the Bass clef ▪ Trombones and bassoons will play in tenor clef (in their higher registers)

The Tenor Clef – Lines and Spaces ▪ The lines of the tenor clef (from bottom to top) are D F A C E ▪ The spaces (from bottom to top) are E G B D

The Alto Clef - Practice ▪ Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time D A C E

Staff Relationships ▪ Below is where Middle C is on Treble, Bass, Alto, and Tenor Clefs ▪ Composers try to avoid ledger lines as much as possible – if the range of an instrument is consistently higher or lower than usual, the clef will change (if available – there is nothing higher than the treble clef. ledger lines) Flutes and clarinets read a LOT of

The Grand Staff ▪ The Grand Staff is a staff that combines the treble and bass clefs ▪ Middle C lands right between the two

Octave Registers ▪ Octaves directly related to the keyboard ▪ The C nearest the middle of the keyboard is called “Middle C” or C 4. ▪ Higher C’s (moving towards the right of the keyboard) are named C 5, C 6, and so on. ▪ Lower C’s (moving towards the left) are named C 3, C 2, and C 1. Notes below C 1 are followed by a 0 – B 0 and A 0.

Octave Registers C 1 C 2 C 3 C 4 C 5 C 6 C 7 C 8

Octave Registers ▪ From any C up to or down to the next C is called an octave ▪ All the pitches from on C up to, but not including the next C are said to be in the same octave register ▪ The white key above C 4 would be D 4 because it is in the same octave register ▪ However, the white key below C 4 would be named B 3 – (we go C-C because the C Major scale involves all the white keys)

Octave Registers C 4 C 3 B 2 D 3 B 3 D 4

Octave Registers - Practice ▪ Middle C is C____ ▪ Give the pitch and octave number C 4 ? ?

Assignment ▪ Complete Self-Test 1 -1 And Exercise 1 -1 ▪ You may get started in class now – finish the rest for homework ▪ This will be collected first thing tomorrow