HIGHLANDS CHOIR SEMESTER EXAM REVIEW
Types of Notes and Rests
Notes
Whole Half Quarter Eighth Sixteenth
Rests
Whole Half Quarter Eighth Sixteenth
Time Signature or Meter
The top number tells us the number of beats per measure; in this case, it is 3. The bottom number tells us the type of note that equals one beat. In this case, it would be the quarter note. A “C” in the time signature indicates common time, another way to indicate 4-4 time signature. A “C” with a vertical slash through it would indicate cut time, or 2-2.
The Staff and the Clefs
The staff is composed of 5 lines and 4 spaces. The clef at the beginning of the staff indicates which pitch range is to be used (treble clef for higher voices, bass clef for lower voices). Women typically read treble clef, while tenors can read either treble or bass clef, and basses almost always read bass clef. Sometimes the treble clef for tenors will be shown with an 8 at the bottom to indicate that they are to sing everything they see down an octave (or else they would be singing in the women’s range).
Treble clef Treble clef Bass clef (for tenors)
Pitch In music, a note on the staff indicates how high or low a given pitch is. These are indicated by letters in the musical alphabet. The letters of musical alphabet go up from A to G; the pitch just above G would start over at A and continue on. The letters assigned to the lines and spaces depend on which clef the musician is using. The two most common clefs used by singers are treble and bass clef. The letter assignments do not change; for example, the bottom line of the treble clef will always be an E.
Treble Clef Letters
Lines: Every Good Boy Does Fine Spaces: F A C E – “Face is in the space”
Bass Clef Letters
Lines: Good Boys Do Fine Always Spaces: All Cows Eat Grass Solfege
Solfege is the system by which singers sight-read a piece of music. It was originally developed during the Renaissance time period by a man named Guido d’Arezzo. It uses the followings syllables:
Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do
Singers use the system by assigning them to the staff based on the alternating of line and space. For instance, if “Do” is on the bottom line of the staff, the following would be true:
Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do Line Space Line Space Line Space Line Space
How the letters on the staff work with solfege Knowing the key of a song tells the singer where to place “Do.” For instance, if we were I the key of A, girls reading the treble clef would know that “Do” would be on the second space. In addition, this means that any A, regardless of whether or not it falls on a line or space, would be “Do.” If you change the key, all of the solfege shifts with it. See the examples below; pay attention to what happens to the A space when the key is changed.
Key of A
Key of G
Example test question: Fill in the missing solfege in the examples played.
Do Re Mi ____ Mi Re Do Mi ____ Sol La Sol Fa Sol CIRCLE OF FIFTHS
Identify Major Key Signatures
Shortcuts: o For flat keys: second to last flat names the key (except for F, which is one flat); OR the farthest flat to the right is “fa” o For sharp keys: farthest right key is “ti”, so go up one o The key of F is the only flat key that doesn’t have the flat with its name o The keys of F-sharp and C-sharp are the only sharp keys that have the sharp with their name
You do not need to know relative minor keys on the inside of the circle. Please remember that flats and sharps must go with the key name in order to be correct if appropriate! For example, ‘E’ is a sharp key with 4 sharps, and the key of E-flat is a flat key with 3 flats. Interval Tunes
Major 2nd (M2) Happy Birth-day
Major 3rd (M3) Oh When the Saints
Perfect 4th (P4) “Here comes the bride”
Perfect 5th (P5) Beginning pitches of Star Wars theme or witch’s guard march in Wizard of Oz
Major 6th (P6) N-B-C
Major 7th (M7) “I waited til” from Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why” or simply that M7’s sound very dissonant
Octave/P8 Some-where over the rainbow Music Vocabulary
Dynamic Markings
The term dynamics refers to the relative volume at which music is to be performed. From softest to loudest, the basic terms are as follows:
Symbol Italian name Meaning
Pianissimo Very soft pp
Piano Soft p
Mezzo Piano Medium soft P
Mezzo forte Medium loud F
Forte Loud f
Fortissimo Very loud ff
cresc. Crescendo gradually get louder or
decresc. Decrescendo gradually get softer or
dim. Diminuendo gradually get softer
Tempo and Articulation Markings
Italian Meaning rit. ritardando slow down
rall. rallantando slow down
accel. accelerando get faster
a tempo (same) return to the original tempo
staccato sing/play short and detached k legato sing/play smooth and connected _ accent sing/play the note more forcefully > sub. subito suddenly
piu (same) more
molto (same) much
The metronome is an instrument that helps a musician determine an exact tempo. It is measured in beats per minute. If the tempo is 60, then the speed of the beat will be exactly the same as the second hand on any stopwatch or clock.
Voice Parts & Vocal Technique
Female Voice Parts, Highest to Lowest Male Voice Parts, Highest to Lowest Soprano I Tenor I Soprano II Tenor II Alto I Baritone Alto II Bass
v Proper singing requires the singer to breathe from the diaphragm. v Singers should stand with their chest high, their feet approximately shoulder- width apart, and with their head up. One should never stand with locked knees. v The area in the front of the face in which sound should resonate is referred to as the masque.