Basic musical notation. 2 2
So what do all the lines and symbols mean? 3 3
So, let's look at, this is what we're playing. 4 4
[MUSIC] 5 5
So these top set of lines called staves and 6 6
the spaces between them represent keys to the right of middle C on your piano. 7 7
They are often played with your right hand. 8 8
And the symbol on these lines is called the treble clef. 9 9
The bottom set of lines and 10 10
the spaces between them represent keys to the left of middle C. 11 11
They are often played with your left hand. 12 12
And that symbols called the bass clef. 13 13
The two sets of lines are split at middle C, which is indicated by a separate, 14 14
small line either below the right-hand lines or above the left-hand lines. 15 15
So there's two ways you can look at it. 16 16
And we read music in the same way that we read the sentences of a novel, 17 17
from the left of the page to the right. 18 18
So getting back to our dots on the lines and spaces. 19 19
As we scan from left to right, we play those keys, or notes, 20 20
that the dots on the lines and spaces represent. 21 21
And if there are several dots, notes, in the same vertical plane, 22 22
we must play those keys simultaneously. 23 23
So this is what we're playing here. 24 24
So the left hand is playing an E note, the right hand is playing an E, G and 25 25
a B note together. 26 26
So all that all has to be played at one time. 27 27
Then, you read from left to right, so you go to the next one. 28 28
So in the right hand that's that note, and then that note. 29 29
And then the right hand's gonna play that note, and 30 30
the left hand's going to play that note. 31 31
So you're going to play those together. 32 32
Let's look at it again. 33 33
[MUSIC] 34 34
Bars and beats. 35 35
To make music easier to follow, it's divided into segments called bars. 36 36
Bars are divided into beats. 37 37
The most commonly used rhythm is four beats in each bar: one, 38 38
two, three, four, one, two, three, four and so on. 39 39
So this is the symbol for one beat. 40 40
It is a dot with a line coming out from it. 41 41
It's called a crotchet. 42 42
So don't worry about that. 43 43
Just remember the shape. 44 44
So let's have a look. 45 45
It's playing a G note, and four beats per bar. 46 46
One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. 47 47
Now a beat with a hook on it is called a half beat. 48 48
The technical term is a quaver. 49 49
Don't worry about that, again, just it's a half beat. 50 50
Just remember that little hook. 51 51
Now you can play up to eight half beats in each bar. 52 52
And to make them easier to write out, if there are two, three, 53 53
or four in a row, they're grouped together by joining the hooks of their tails. 54 54
So eight half beats are written. 55 55
So notice that half beats are counted with the use of the word and or 56 56
the symbol, the plus symbol. 57 57
This means we don't have to start counting out too many numbers. 58 58
So let's count it. 59 59
One and two and three and four, and one and two and three and four and. 60 60
So the previous two bars, four beats in each bar, would be one, two, three, four. 61 61
So these are half beats, so they're one and two and three and four and. 62 62
Notes can also be held for two beats. 63 63
So let's look at that. 64 64
One two, three four, one two, three four. 65 65
And there is a symbol for two beats. 66 66
So it's like a letter O with a line coming up from it. 67 67
It's called a minim or half note. 68 68
Notes can be held for four beats. 69 69
So, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four. 70 70
And the symbol for that is just like a zero. 71 71
It's called a semi breve or a whole note. 72 72
Don't worry about these technical terms, just memorize the symbol. 73 73
Periods of silence. 74 74
So, you're not always going to be playing something in every single bar, 75 75
there's going to be some pauses, some silence. 76 76
And they're shown by symbols called rests and 77 77
they'll each have a different duration. 78 78
So, let's have a look. 79 79
One, two, three, four. 80 80
On that fourth beat there was nothing played, that's a one beat rest. 81 81
Next bar, one, two, three, four. 82 82
So, that little line above the middle line is a two beat rest. 83 83
Let's have a look at the next one: one and two and three and four and. 84 84
So, that period of rest there was a half beat rest. 85 85
That's that little squiggle. 86 86
And a four beat rest is the little line underneath the fourth line up. 87 87
Okay? 88 88
Nothing's played in that bar. 89 89
So, it's just one, two, three, four. 90 90
And that's it. 91 91
So, really, this is all the musical notation you're going to need for 92 92
books one to seven. 93 93
You will learn some more in book eight. 94 94
But, books one to seven, I'm gonna write in each note and chord for you. 95 95
So, you're really just using the notation as if it was keyboard diagrams. 96 96
It can be also useful to memorize the position of the C notes so that you know, 97 97
where on the piano a particular note is to be played. 98 98
So, even if I do write in it's an A note or a G note or a B note, you 99 99
may not know where exactly on the piano that particular note is to be played. 100 100
So, if you remember the position of these C notes, 101 101
you'll know where you are on the keyboard. 102 102
And if you need to, you can refer to the note finder on the next page.