Mrs, Sherwin's Handy Dandy Notebook of Musical Terms and Symbols Term Symbol Definition Treble Clef Indicates the higher range of p notes to be played on the musical to staff. * Bass Clef Indicates the lower range of notes to be played on the musical 7 staff. Time Signature Top number indicates how many beats are in a measure. The 4 3 C bottom number indicates what 4,4,« type of rhythm gets a beat. Common Time Another way to indicate a 4/4 C time signature. Cut Time Two beats in each measure. A Alia Breve half note equals a beat. "Cutting i the 4/4 time signature in half. Tells which notes to play with Key Signature i" *• sharps (#) or flats (|?) throughout ^^V* l-i* // the music. It also indicates the u )"1r5 */ L / • b 4 scale being used during the / V - 7 ' piece. f Fermata Hold the note or rest longer than rD the rhythmic value of the note. Sharp Sign Raises the sound of the note by 4^ one half step. Natural Sign Cancels a flat (J?) or a sharp Qfc) and remains in effect for the rest H of the measure. Flat Sign Lowers the sound of the note by b one half step. Term Svmbol Definition Tempo Marking Tempo is the speed of music. Tempo markings are usually written above the first measure, in Italian. Allegro Fast. Moderato Moderately. Andante Slower, at a walking tempo. Maestoso Majestically. Vivace Very fast. Dynamics Changes in volume that add interest to music. Forte j Loud. Mezzo Forte mj Medium loud. Mezzo Piano nop Medium soft. Piano P Soft. Crescendo Get louder, gradually. <<^ Decrescendo Get softer, gradually. >• Term Svmbol Definition Articulation Type of attack used to play a note or group of notes. Slur A curved line that connects notes of different pitch names. Tongue )JJ only the first note in a slur. Tie A curved line connecting notes of JJ the same pitch or note name. Accent > Emphasize the note by tonguing J a little harder. r > Staccato • Play the note(s) detached or r J separated; short. • Legato Play the note(s) long and f j smooth. Scale A sequence of notes in ascending and descending order. Like a musical "ladder" each step is the next note in that key. Scales will begin and end on the same note. Term Svmbol Definition D.C. al Fine Da Capo al Go back to the beginning and Fine play until you see the word "fine". D.C. al Coda Da Capo al Go back to the beginning and Coda play until you see the Coda sign. (-^-) Jump to the Coda and play it D.S. al Fine Dal Segno al Go back to the sign ($) and play Fine until you see the word "fine". D.S. al Coda Dal Segno al Go back to the sign (#•) and play Coda until you see the Coda sign (-£). Jump to the coda and play it. Term Svmbol Definition Coda -£- Special Ending. Rallentando Rail. Gradually slow down. Or Ritardando Ri+. Repeat Signs II- : 1 Play this section twice. Enharmonic ) (Musical Homophones) Two Tones 1 notes that are spelled differently ,y&* $~ ^but sound the same. t *(ex. G#andAb) Blend The mixing of two or more tones so that they cannot be separated. Balance The Balance Pyramid. This happens when the bass voices are the fullest sound in the band. The tenor, alto and soprano voices will be of less importance in that order. Term Svmbol Definition Whole Note Has a value of 4 beats. Whole Rest o --- Half Note Has a value of 2 beats. Half Rest d—- Quarter Note Has a value of 1 beat. Quarter Rest J * Eighth Notes Each eighth note is worth V2 Eighth Rests beat. Two of them equal one W 77 beat. (They come in pairs) Sixteenth Notes • i | •• ' Each one is worth VA of a beat. JJJJ There are 4 of them in one beat. Triplet J Three equal sounds on one beat. Dotted Half Note P Has a value of 3 beats. A dot is equal to half of the value of the note it is attached to. (2 beats plus 1 equals three beats) Dotted Quarter Has a value of 1 Vi beats. A dot is Note equal to half of the value of the note it is attached to. (1 beat plus h 1/2 equals 11/2 beats) A dotted 0 * 4 quarter note is usually followed by an eighth note .