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Musical Notation Basics

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Musical Notation Basics

Use the notation reference and rhythm grid to solve each task. Unless stated otherwise, count beats in common time (4/4). In the grid, each column is one beat; “&” marks the halfway point between beats.

Notation reference

Treble-clef staff, from bottom line to top line: E4, G4, B4, D5, F5. Spaces, from bottom to top: F4, A4, C5, E5. Bass-clef staff, from bottom line to top line: G2, B2, D3, F3, A3. Spaces, from bottom to top: A2, C3, E3, G3. Middle C is C4. Note values in 4/4: semibreve (whole note) = 4 beats; minim (half note) = 2; crotchet (quarter note) = 1; quaver (eighth note) = ½. A dot adds half the note’s original value.

1.Using the notation reference, what pitch is on the third line from the bottom of the treble staff, and what pitch is on the second space from the bottom of the bass staff?

2.A melody is written on a staff with a treble clef. The notehead is on the bottom line. Which pitch should the performer play or sing?

3.A score changes from 3/4 to 6/8. Explain what the top and bottom numbers indicate in each signature, and how the usual beat grouping differs.

4.Match each NZ note-name term to its duration in 4/4: semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver.

Semibreve
Minim
Crotchet
Quaver

2 beats
½ beat
1 beat
4 beats

Rhythm studio

Read each row from left to right. Every box is an eighth-note subdivision: the numbered columns are the beats, and the “&” columns fall between beats. “Q” means a crotchet; “E” means an eighth note; “R” means a crotchet rest; “—” means continue the sound or silence from the previous box.

Pattern

Beat 1

Beat 2

Beat 3

Beat 4

—

5.In Pattern A, which beat contains the crotchet rest, and what happens on beat 3?

6.How many eighth-note subdivisions are sounded in Pattern B, and how many beats does the bar contain?

7.True or false: A rest has a duration, so it occupies time in the bar even though no pitch is sounded.

TrueFalse

8.A dotted minim lasts for how many crotchet beats? Show how the dot changes its duration.

9.A 4/4 bar contains a dotted crotchet, one quaver, and one minim. Does the bar add up correctly? Calculate the total and explain.

10.In a score, a sharp sign appears immediately before a note, and a tie joins that note to another of the same pitch. What does each marking tell the performer to do?

11.Write a one-bar rhythm in 4/4 using exactly one crotchet rest and at least two quavers. Use note names or words, and show how your durations total four beats. More than one answer is possible.