A Music Notation Primer for Music Appreciation Students

Don't be alarmed! Music notation is just a written language used by musicians to communicate musical ideas. Like any written language, it has a unique set of symbols that represent particular aspects of music such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, etc. In this tutor you will learn the basic tools for notating music. Mastering it is not the goal here, but a basic understanding is important, as we will be using terms from this primer throughout the course.

Notes

A note is a written symbol that indicates pitch and duration. In modern music notation, notes are indicated by an oval shape. Modifications of this basic shape serve to indicate the duration of the note (see Notating Rhythms, below).

The Staff

Since the late middle ages, most music has been notated on a system of five horizontal lines called a staff. Notes can be placed either on the lines or in the spaces between the lines. The position of a note on the staff determines the pitch of that note.

Clefs

Notes placed on a staff need some type of symbol to indicate their exact pitch. A symbol performing that function is called a clef. In the early days of music notation there was one clef, resembling the letter "C." Note the following example of early church music. (Don't let the four-line staff confuse you; during the early days of notation there wasn't much need for a five-line staff.)

The "C" clef is placed at the front of each staff, and indicates that the top line of the staff is the note C. All other notes are then transposed accordingly.

Modern music makes use of several clefs, their use depending on the range of the intended voice or instrument. Here are the three most common clefs:

Treble, or G, clef. (The line running through the lower circle indicates the pitch G!) This clef is used for higher-pitched voices and instruments, such as soprano, violin, and flute.

Bass, or F, clef. (The line that runs through the two dots indicates the pitch F!). This clef is used for lower-pitched voices and instruments, such as bass, cello, and bassoon.

Alto, or C, clef. (A holdover from early notation, the pitch C is indicated by the line that divides the clef squarely in half.)

Accidentals

Notating Rhythms

Rests

Time Signatures

Key Signatures