Rudiments of Music – Musical Alphabets | Clef and Name of Staves | Types of Staff and Relative Values of the Notes

MUSICAL ALPHABETS

The musical alphabet includes only 7 letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. On the staff, each line or space represents a different letter. The treble clef is also known as the G clef because it indicates that the second line from the bottom will be G.

CLEF AND NAMES OF THE STAVES

A clef is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff. The two primary staves – the treble clef staff (left) and the bass clef staff (right).

TYPES OF STAFF

A staff is a set of lines and spaces which indicate the pitch of written notes. Additional lines above or below the staff is known as LEDGER LINES. 

It is made up of five lines and four spaces.

The lines and spaces have letter names as shown below –

 

1. Treble

2. Bass

3. Great stave

MUSICAL NOTES AND THEIR RELATIVE VALUE

Music notes are symbols that indicating the length of music notations. The duration of the sound depends on the note’s length (or values), which is specified by its shape, stem, or flag(s); and to every music note, there is an equivalent rest sign.

NAMES OF MUSIC NOTES

Whole Note (Semibreve)

 

Half Note (Minim)

Quarter Note (Crotchet)

Eighth Note (Quaver)

Sixteenth note (Semiquaver)

Thirty Second Note (Demisemiquaver)

MAJOR SCALE OF C NATURAL

C major (or the key of C) is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common key signatures used in music.

Its key signature has no flats and no sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel minor is C minor.

QUESTION

1. name the seven musical alphabets.

2. draw the great stave.

3. give the letter names of the treble stave.

4. list the six musical notes in the descending order of their valves.

5. draw the diatonic scale of a major key (c or G).