Posts Tagged ‘F.’

Read Key Signatures in Music

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

Ready to tackle the next lesson for learning to read sheet music? Musical key signatures are not all that difficult to understand when put into perspective. Just like a scale, music notes go up and down but in half steps instead of full.

Natural notes appear by themselves in written music. But sharps and flats have their own symbols:

Key signature - sharp key Sharp
Key signature - flat key Flat

On a keyboard, a sharp note is the black key that’s one note higher than its natural counterpart (the white key). A flat is a black key that’s one note lower than its natural counterpart.

When sharps and flats are written into music as needed (next to the notes), they’re called accidentals. But sometimes they are shown at the beginning of a stave, right after the clef. In this case, they indicate a key signature.

Key signatures show which notes are to be played or sung as sharps or flats throughout the song. So if there’s a sharp sign on “F” and one on “C”, every “F” and “C” note throughout the song should be played as a sharp. There will be no “F” or “C” natural unless specifically indicated by a natural symbol:

Key signature - natural key Natural

Key signature - major music scale

Key signatures (in this case, D Major) indicate the general tone of a song, as well as where its basic scale begins and ends. For example, a song in the key of D is based on the D Major scale, which begins and ends with “D” — with “F” and “C” played sharp throughout. However, the same song can be written and played in different keys.

Key signatures are a type of musical notation that indicate which key the song is to be played in. But key signatures, despite the name, are not the same thing as key.

Key signatures are simply notational devices; just as a note is the notational name for a pitch, key signatures are the notational names for keys. It is what it says it is: a signature, a simple piece of information that tips you off to the physical form (the key) to be played.

What does it mean to be “in the key of F”, or “in the key of Bb”?

It means that the composer based the composition on the scale of F (which has 1 flat in it), or the scale of Bb (which has 2 flats in it).

Key signatures appear right after the clef (before the time signature) and show a sharp or flat on the line or space corresponding to the note to be altered. Key signatures placed at the beginning of songs will carry through the entire song, unless other key signatures are noted after a double bar, canceling out the first.

For instance, it’s entirely possible to start a song in the key of F but end it in the key of E flat; it all depends on the key signatures and where they’re placed throughout the song (a key signature can change at any point).

Accidentals can also show up throughout a song and only once or twice flatten or sharpen a note that was not previously indicated; this cancels out the key signatures, as well, but only temporarily, for as long as the accidental lasts.

Beginners just learning to read music often have a hard time with key signatures because the key itself is not expressly written, and it’s sometimes difficult to remember what goes where.

Key signatures with five flats or sharps have been known to terrorize new musicians — how in the world, they think, are we supposed to remember all these note changes while we’re playing the song?

It’s obviously possible, though, and there are some rules that can help beginners identify and remember the key as it relates to the key signatures, rules that go beyond rote memorization. If there is more than one flat, the key is the note on the second to last flat.

If there are any sharps at all, the key is a half step up from the last one noted. F major, a key frequently found in beginning sheet music, only has one flat (B), and C major has no sharps or flats at all. Key signatures, when viewed in light of these rules, are much easier for beginners to digest, ensuring that a proper knowledge of key signatures is on its way through the door.

One fact that most people don’t realize is that sharps and flats always occur in the same order:

The order of the flats is B, E, A, D, G, C, F.

The order of the sharps is just the opposite — F, C, G, D, A, E, B.

So if there is one flat in the key signature, it is always B. If there are two flats in the key signature, they are always B and E. Three flats are always B, E, and A. Four flats in a key signature spell the word BEAD. And so on.

It’s the same in sharps, too, except backward. If there is one sharp in a key signature, it is always F. Two sharps in a key signature are always F and C. Three are F, C, and G. And so on.

So once you have memorized the order of the flats, all you have to do is apply the rule mentioned earlier: the next to the last flat is the name of the key. For example, if you have four flats in a key signature, they are Bb, Eb, Ab, Db. The last flat is D, so the next to the last flat is A. So the key is Ab.

With sharps, just mentally go up 1/2 step from the last sharp, and that is the key. For example, if a key has 4 sharps, they are F#, C#, G#, D#. One-half step above D# is E, so the key is E.

Memorize the order of the flats and sharps and those two simple rules, and you’ll be able to identify what major key any song is in quickly and easily

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Read Sheet Music

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Learning to read sheet music can seem daunting to some people, especially those with no prior musical background. Sheet music contains its own little language documented on paper. The key is to find a way to crack the code, read music, and be able to play or sing on the pitch of each note.

If you want to learn how to read music, then you have come to the right place. The following article contains a guide that will teach you how to read sheet music as well as lists resources you can use to learn more about music, in general.

The structure of sheet music. Sheet music is set up with a specific structure. The staff of the sheet music is made up of everything you will need to be able to read music. Depending on a variety of factors, the staff will tell you exactly what notes you will need to play. The first thing you need to do is be able to identify the staff.

2.

  1. Notes, notes, and more notes. The fundamental structure of each pitch is denoted by a music note. There are plenty of things you need to know about a note before you can play or sing music. The most common things you will need to know is how long to hold each note, whether the note is sharp, natural, or flat, and what the name of each note is so it can be played.
    • Name that note: Notes have a letter name from A-G. Once a note gets to G, it starts over again at A. Notes from A to A, B to B, C to C, and so on denote one whole octave. Octaves can move up or down, and the standard singer has between two and four octaves their voice can sing comfortably.
    • Hold the note as long as you can! It would be difficult for an orchestra to make music together if they did not know how long to hold each note. Each instrument would go off on their own beat or melody, and nothing would come together properly. This is why it is so important you know what each note looks like and how long you are supposed to hold the note based on how they look. Whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes are common in sheet music. There are other types of notes though these are less common. The notes work together with the time signature to determine how many beats per measure should be held. The standard hold for each note is written with the time signature of 4/4 in mind. However, as time signatures change, how long you hold the note will change, as well.
  2. All those funny symbols. There are many different symbols throughout sheet music. Every symbol is important. Based on what symbol you are looking at you may need to play notes or the musical piece in general faster or slower, bars should be repeated, notes should be held, or the music should get louder or quieter.
    • Tempo changes. The changes in tempo are denoted by a symbol for an Italian word
    • Volume changes. Changes in volume help to improve the mood of the piece. Not every piece of music is sung or played as loud as the person can sing. Changes in volume help to make the music more enjoyable and dramatic so works are not stagnant in tone. Here is a list of the following volume

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The Benefits Of Music Education To Children

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Music is a very powerful subject – It has been used since the Greek times for healing, communication, relaxation and for enjoyment. Even before birth we are aware of our mother’s heartbeat and during infancy are relaxed by the song of a lullaby. Every day everybody hears some form of musical pitch or rhythm and it can even be found in nature such as how birds communicate through a song-like speech.

Music is such a powerful force, it creates deep emotions in humans – it is played at weddings for happiness, in horror films and during war for fear and at home for happiness and because of this lends itself to relaxation, stress relief and health therapy – and the connection between music, body, and soul has even been shown to improve physical and mental health.

Skills such as working in teams, communication, self-esteem, creative thinking, calmer attitudes, imagination, discipline, study skills and invention are learnt and improved through the study of music and by focusing on the fact that young children are mostly highly receptive to pitch and rhythm – one of the main ways a child learns its language – that we can drive education in music to children to help them with benefits ranging success in society and in life.

“We believe the skills the arts teach -creative thinking, problem-solving, risk-taking, teamwork and communications – are precisely the tools the workforce of tomorrow will need. If we don’t encourage students to master these skills through quality arts instruction today, how can we ever expect them to succeed in their highly competitive business careers tomorrow?” -Richard Gurin, Chief Executive Officer, Binney and Smith, maker of Crayola crayons

Music is a part of our society and a part of all communities – every human culture uses music to carry forward its ideas and ideals. A study of the arts provides children with an internal glimpse of other cultures and teaches them to be empathetic towards the people of these cultures. This development of compassion and empathy, as opposed to developing greed and a selfish attitude, provides bridges across different cultures that lead to a respect of other races at an early age.

Music has a great value to our economy – it creates jobs, increase’s tax base, boosts tourism and spurs growth in related businesses. Music study develops skills that are necessary in the workplace such as teamwork skills and discipline – during musical performances all members must work together to create the sounds they wish to achieve and for this regular practice is also required. Music favors working and ‘doing’ as opposed to observing, and these are the ethics employers are looking for.

Because of music’s ability to relax, calm and heal, and its optimal platform for emotions, the involvement with music helps to carve brighter attitudes – more optimism towards the future, less TV and non productive activities, low use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs and desire to develop individual abilities.

Music requires study skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills and as these are learnt and developed they expand the student’s abilities in other academic areas and help them become better students. – Students with coursework/experience in music performance and music appreciation scored higher on the SAT: students in music performance scored 57 points higher on the verbal and 41 points higher on the math, and students in music appreciation scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math, than did students with no arts participation. — College-Bound Seniors National Report: Profile of SAT Program Test Takers. Princeton, NJ: The College
Entrance Examination Board, 2001.

The discipline of music, particularly through participation in ensembles, helps students learn to work effectively in the school environment without resorting to violent or inappropriate behavior – According to statistics compiled by the National Data Resource Center, students who can be classified as “disruptive” (based on factors such as frequent skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspensions, disciplinary reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) total 12.14 percent of the total school population. In contrast, only 8.08 percent of students involved in music classes meet the same criteria as “disruptive.” — Based on data from the NELS:88 (National Education Longitudinal Study), second follow-up, 1992..

Many studies have been conducted on the effects of music in the brain. Scientists say that children who are exposed to music or those who play an instrument do better in school than those who don’t. Recent research suggests exposure to music may benefit a child’s reading age, IQ and the development of certain parts of the brain.

It can be shown that some measures of a child’s intelligence are increased with music instruction – a connection between music and spatial intelligence (the ability to perceive the world accurately and to form mental pictures of things) helps people to visualize and imagine solutions. This helps people to solve problems creatively and is critical to the sort of thinking necessary for solving mathematical problems and even general daily tasks.

“The musician is constantly adjusting decisions on tempo, tone, style, rhythm, phrasing, and feeling–training the brain to become incredibly good at organizing and conducting numerous activities at once. Dedicated practice of this orchestration can have a great payoff for lifelong attention skills, intelligence, and an ability for self-knowledge and expression.” — Ratey John J., MD. A User’s Guide to the Brain. New York: Pantheon Books, 2001.

Along with mental development music study can support the brains physical development – it has been indicated that musical training physically develops the parts of the brain known to be involved with processing language and reasoning, and can actually wire the brain’s circuits in specific ways. Memory can be improved through the linking of familiar songs with objects just as linking images can – past memories and emotions can be triggered by audio.

“Why arts in education? Why education at all? The purpose of education is not simply to inform but to enrich and enlighten, to provide insights into life as it has been led and as it may be led. No element of the curriculum is better suited to that task than arts education.” -David Kearns
Now retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Xerox Corporation

Ideally we want our children to experience “success” throughout life itself. The benefits may be psychological, spiritual and physical and with the challenge of making life meaningful and fulfilled and to reach a higher state of development by participating in music we develop self expression which in turn leads to self esteem – ultimately helping us to succeed at these challenges.

“Casals says music fills him with the wonder of life and the ‘incredible marvel’ of being a human. Ives says it expands his mind and challenges him to be a true individual. Bernstein says it is enriching and ennobling. To me, that sounds like a good cause for making music an integral part of every child’s education. Studying music and the arts elevates children’s education, expands students’ horizons, and teaches them to appreciate the wonder of life.” — U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley, July 1999. Get easy paymnet with payday advance

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The Program in Musicology

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

Music

The Graduate Program of the Department of Music offers advanced training in historical musicology, ethnomusicology, theory, and composition, leading to the degree of PhD in music. There is no admission to an AM program separate from these PhD programs. In unusual cases, students who cannot success fully complete the General Examination may be given the option of completing the require ments for a terminal AM degree.

The Graduate Program of the Depart ment of Music also offers an AM Degree in Music with a specialty in Performance Prac tice. This two-year program is designed for a small number of specialized students who are preparing or engaged in careers as performers and teachers. The program description and requirements follow the description of the PhD program.

The faculty of the department includes about 20 members. There are 60 to 65 graduate students in residence; six to ten new graduate students enter each year. The Music Building contains a concert hall (the John Knowles Paine Hall), classrooms, faculty and graduate offices, a superb research library (the Eda Kuhn Loeb Music Library), a microfilm library of primary source materials (the Isham Memorial Library), an archive of world music recordings, listening facilities, an electronic music studio (HUSEAC), an ethnomusicology lab, an early instrument room, chamber music rehearsal rooms, and individual practice rooms. Other facilities throughout Harvard University include the vast resources of Widener Library, the Houghton Library (which contains rare music prints and manu scripts, and autographs of major composers), the Morse Music Library at the Hilles Library, and the libraries and practice rooms of the undergraduate houses, and Dudley House, the center of graduate student activities. In addition, a wealth of musical opportunities is readily available to students at Harvard and at the many neighboring universities (e.g., Boston University, Brandeis University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and civic and professional institutions (e.g., Boston Public Library, Museum of Fine Arts with the Mason Collection of Musical Instruments, and the New England Conservatory).

Since teaching is an integral part of graduate training, most graduate students are teaching fellows during part of the time they are at Harvard. Teaching fellows are also eligible to apply for a resident or nonresident tutorship in one of the 13 undergraduate houses. In addition to financial benefits, teaching fellowships and tutorships provide excellent professional experience.

In recent years virtually every graduate student has received one or more of the fellowships and grants awarded by the Univer sity and the music department. Awards given by the department each year include several prizes in composition, the John Knowles Paine Traveling Fellowships, the Oscar S. Schafer Fellowship, the Richard F. French Fellowship, the Ferdinand Gordon & Elizabeth Hunter Morrill Fellowship, and the Nino and Lea Pirrotta Research Grant.

All applicants are required to take the GRE General Examination and must submit, along with their applications, samples of their previous work in musicology (for the musicology PhD), ethnomusicology (ethno musicology PhD), or theory (theory PhD). Applicants to the composition program must submit three to four compositions, both scores and recordings where possible. All supplemental materials should be sent to the Admissions Office of the GSAS. Samples of work should be sent with a self-addressed, stamped envelope if they are to be returned to the student. Applications for admission and for financial aid must be received at the Admissions Office of the Graduate School by January 2 for candidates who seek entrance in the following fall term. For applications for admissions and financial aid write: Admissions Office, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Holyoke Center 350, 1350 Massa chusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. The application may be submitted online at www.gsas.harvard.edu.

The Program in Musicology

At Harvard, musicology is broadly defined as the disciplined study of music and includes the historical, comparative, and systematic aspects of the field. The program incorpo rates two tracks: historical musicology, with an emphasis on the history, theory, and literature of Western music in its contexts, from antiq uity to the present; and ethnomusicology, which concentrates on the ethnographic study of any musical tradition in relationship to its cultural setting. Most graduate courses in historical musicology and ethnomusicology are research seminars; many treat specific topics, periods, and regions, while others deal with current problems and methods. On the completion of preparatory training and the passing of the General Examinations, PhD dissertations may be written in either field.

The Program in Theory

The PhD in music theory is characterized both by a deep involvement in the inner workings of music and by an engagement with the wider philosophical, cultural and psychological ques tions surrounding music. Our PhDs typically apply for the theory program with a “minor” in either composition or musicology. The program reflects this interdisciplinary interest of our students, and seeks to explore the links of music theory to other areas of critical engagement, while providing our theorists with the specialized skills they require.

The teaching in the program empha sizes analytical techniques–all students take courses on Schenkerian theory and on a range of tonal and post-tonal analytical practices, as well as an introductory course to explore current issues in the field. At the same time, the program also encourages students to build a framework in which to place these tech niques and to reflect on the underpinnings of music theory. Regular courses on questions in psychology, temporality, history of music theory, and aesthetics round off our course offerings and often take music theory into interdisciplinary territory. Graduate courses on challenging repertoires–e.g. modal theory, non-Western music, or very recent composi tion–frequently round off our offerings.

The dissertation projects our theory grad uates work on reflect this unique combination of interests. Recent and current PhD topics include Feminist approaches to performance analysis, Microtonality and tone imaginations, Multi-modal analysis of boy-band videos, Athanasius Kircher’s Musurgia universalis (1650), and Neuro-scientific imaging of perceptual parameters.

Our theory faculty is enhanced on a regular basis by exciting visiting faculty, which complement our existing research and teaching strengths in interesting new ways. Recent visi tors have included Allan Keiler (Brandeis), Fred Lerdahl (Columbia), Allen Forte (Yale), Ellie Hisama (Columbia)–as well as Brian Ferneyhough (Stanford), Helmut Lachenmann (Stuttgart) and Harrison Birtwistle (London).

The Program in Composition

Harvard’s program in composition is designed to give students the time and opportunity to develop as composers by offering general musical guidance as well as specific individual criticism of their works. The program is centered around students’ achieving clarity of expression through developing their command of compositional technique. In addition, acquaintance with the literature of the past and present through analysis and performance is considered indispensable. Most courses are seminars and deal with specific topics or student works. On the completion of prepara tory training and the passing of the General Examinations, PhD dissertations comprising a substantial portfolio between five to seven pieces of varied scoring and length may be submitted.

Normally, students do not transfer from one program to another. Under exceptional circumstances, a change from one depart ment graduate program to another may be possible. Students applying for a change must be in good standing in their original program. They must submit a formal request to the director of graduate studies no later than the first week of May of the first year of study, including a list of courses indicating how they propose to fulfill the requirements of the new program. The admissions committee of the new program will make the decision in consul tation with the graduate advisors; the decision will be presented to the department faculty. The students have to fulfill all the require ments of the new program (number and area of courses, languages, general exams).

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