ChoralBasics

ContentsNotes:names,symbolsandvalues.................................................................................................................................2

Rests:namessymbolsandvalues ..................................................................................................................................2

Letternamesandtrebleclef ..........................................................................................................................................3

Ledgerlines: ...................................................................................................................................................................3

Halfsteps/wholesteps ...................................................................................................................................................4

SharpsandFlats..............................................................................................................................................................4

TimeSignatures ..............................................................................................................................................................5

Notations........................................................................................................................................................................5

Rhythm–DotsandTies..................................................................................................................................................6

Syncopation....................................................................................................................................................................6

MajorScales ...................................................................................................................................................................7

KeySignaturesofMajorScales.......................................................................................................................................8

Intervals..........................................................................................................................................................................9

ChromaticIntervals ......................................................................................................................................................10

SightReadingExercise..................................................................................................................................................11

RhythmExercises..........................................................................................................................................................12

Tosingistoloveandaffirm,toflyandsoar,tocoastintotheheartsofpeoplewholisten,

totellthemthatlifeistolive,thatloveisthere,thatnothingisapromise,

butthatbeautyexistsandmustbehuntedforandfound.-JoanBaez

2

Notes:names,symbolsandvalues

Rests:namessymbolsandvalues

pp:pianissimo–verysoftp:piano–softmp:mezzopiano–mediumsoftmf:mezzoforte–mediumloudf:forte–loudff:fortissimo–veryloud

3

Letternamesandtrebleclef

NamesoftheLINES(mnemonics):EveryGoodBirdDoesFlyorEveryGoodBoyDeservesFudgeorEmptyGarbageBeforeDadFaints

NamesoftheSPACES:FACE

Ledgerlines:

4

Halfsteps/wholesteps

InthesystemofmusicmostcommonlyusedintheWesternworld,thesmallestdistancebetweentwopitchesiscalledahalf-step,orsemi-tone.Adistanceequaltotwohalf-stepsiscalledawhole-steporwholetone.

SharpsandFlats

Sharp Raisesthepitchonehalfstep

Flat Lowersthepitchonehalfstep

Asharporaflataffectsthenotebeforewhichitstandsandalsothesucceedingnotesonthesamelineorspaceinthemeasureinwhichitoccurs.Succeedingmeasuresarenotaffected.Anoteofthesameletternamebutonadifferentlineorspaceisalsounaffectedunlessithasitsownsharporflat.

Halfstep Halfstep Wholestep

5

TimeSignatures

Meter:therecurringpatternofaccentedandunaccentedpulsations

Thetopnumberindicatesthenumberofbeatsineachmeasure

Thebottomnumberindicateswhichnotedefinesthebeat

4beatspermeasure

thequarternotegetsthebeat

3beatspermeasure

thequarternotegetsthebeat

2beatspermeasure

thehalfnotegetsthebeat

6beatspermeasure

theeighthnotegetsthebeat

Notations

=fermata=pauserit=ritartando=graduallyslowingspeed(alsoindicatedbyrall=rallentandol)poco=little,asinpococresc=smallcrescendomolto=much,asinmoltorit.=muchslowing

cresc=crescendo=gettinglouder

decresc=decrescendo=gettingsofter

6

Rhythm–DotsandTies

Sinceonlythosetoneswhoserelativedurationcanbeexpressedinmultiplesoftwoarepossiblewithindividualnotesandrests,itisnecessarytosupplementthesesymbolswithsomedeviceforextendingtheirduration.Onesymbolusedtoextendthedurationofanoteisthetie.Withthetie,thetotaldurationisextendedtoequalthatofallnotesconnectedbyit:

Anotherdeviceusedtoextenddurationisthedot.Adotplacedafteranoteincreasesitsdurationbyonehalf.

Dottednotesaremostoftenwritteninconjunctionwiththeshortnoteornoteswhichmakeupthebalanceofalargerunitofduration.

Syncopation

Syncopationisadeliberatedisturbanceofthenormalpulseofmeter,accentandrhythm.TheprincipalsystemofrhythminWesternmusicisbasedonthegroupingofequalbeatsintotwosandthreeswitharegularlyrecurrentaccentonthefirstbeatofeachgroup.Anydeviationfromthisschemeisperceivedasadisturbancebetweentheunderlyingpulseandtheactualrhythm.

7

MajorScales

Ascaleisapatternofconsecutiveascendingordescendingtoneswithinthecompassofanoctave.Amajorscaleisanarrangementofwholestepsandhalfstepsinthefollowingsequence:WWHWWWH.

8

KeySignaturesofMajorScales

Tosaveunnecessarywriting,theessentialsharpsorflatsoccurringinthescalesareplacedatthebeginningofa

pieceofmusicimmediatelyaftertheclefsignandontheirproperlinesorspaces.Thisarrangementofsharpsorflatsatthebeginningofapieceiscalledthekeysignature.Asharporflatinthekeysignatureaffectsallnotesofthatletter-name,atalloctaves,throughoutthepiece,unlesschangedbyanother“accidental”(sharp,flatornatural

–seepage11).

Theorderinwhichthesharpsoccuris:F,C,G,D,A,EandB.Theyareplacedonthestaffinthatorderaccordingtothefollowingpattern:

Thelastsharpinakeysignatureisalways“ti”orthe7thscaledegree.Thekeyisonehalfstephigherthanthenotevalueofthelastsharp.

Theflatsoccurinexactlythereverseorder:B,E,A,D,G,CandF,andareplacedonthestaffasfollows:

9

Thelastflatinakeysignatureisalways“fa”orthe4thscaledegree.Whenmorethanoneflatisinthekeysignature,thesecondtothelastflatisthenameofthekey.OneflatisthekeyofF.

Intervals

Anintervalistherelationoftwotoneswithrespecttotheirdifferenceinpitch.Whenthetwotonesaresoundedtogethertheintervalissaidtobeharmonicandwhensoundedinsuccessiontheintervalissaidtobemelodic.

Thedistancefromanypitchofagivenletternametothenexthigherorlowerpitchwiththesameletternameiscalledanoctave(eightlinesandspaces,oreightletternames;hence,octave).Thefirstthreeovertonesarethemostfundamentalintervalsinnatureandmakeupthefoundationofoursystemofpitchrelationships.Theoctave,fifth,fourthandunisonarecalledperfect(distinctfrommajororminor).

Thenumbernameofintervalsisalwaysdeterminedbythenumberofletternamesincludedinitsformation,includingthefirstandthelast.

Insuccessionthissevennotesystemiscalledadiatonicscale.

10

ChromaticIntervals

Whenanyoftheintervalsinamajorscaleareeithercompressedorenlarged,theybecomechromaticintervals.Thesechangesinpitcharerepresentedbytheuseofaccidentalswhichareplacedimmediatelyinfrontofthenotetobeaffected.

Sharp Raisesthepitchoftheletter-nameonehalfstep

Double-sharp Raisesthepitchoftheletter-nameonewholestep

Natural Returnsthetonetothepitchoftheletter-name

Flat Lowersthepitchoftheletter-nameonehalfstep

Doubleflat Lowersthepitchoftheletter-nameonewholestep

Anaccidentalaffectsthenotebeforewhichitstandsandalsothesucceedingnotesonthesamelineorspaceinthemeasureinwhichitoccurs.Succeedingmeasuresarenotaffected.Anoteofthesameletternamebutonadifferentlineorspaceisalsounaffectedunlessithasitsownsharporflat.

Whenthesamepitchesarerepresentableonthestaffbydifferentletternames,thetonesaresaidtobeenharmonic.Enharmonicnotationisusuallytheresultofmelodicorharmonicmovement.Thissubjectisdealtwithingreaterdetailintheformalstudyofharmonywhichexceedsthescopeofthisformatofinstruction.

11

SightReadingExercise

12

RhythmExercises

13

14

Pulsepatterns

15

RhythmPatterns