UNIT 2: BASIC MUSICAL SYMBOLS
Key Unit Competence: Be able to sight sing using three notes(Do-Mi-Sol).
Introductory Activity
1. Using the written music above, observe and imitate the signs
used when writing Music
2. Draw five parallel and equidistant lines, then put the signs in your own way
3. Among those signs, what do you think is a staff, a key, notes and rests?4. Write and sing notes in the staff
2.1 Musical staff
Activity 2.1Study the following figure and answer the questions below:
1. How many lines are there in the figure?
2. Draw your own figure based on the model observed and count thespaces between the lines
In musical notation, the staff or stave is a set of five horizontal lines and fourspaces on which musical notes symbols and musical symbols are placed
2.1.1 Lines and spaces of the staff
This collection of five (5) lines and four (4) spaces is called a staff. We can
refer to each line and each space by its number and we count them from the
bottom. The lines of the staff have the same distance between them.2.1.2 Ledger lines
A ledger line is a short line placed above or below a staff to accommodate
notes higher or lower than the range of the staff. Ledger lines are used when
notes are too high or too low for the staff. They work like staff extenders.
As you can see they are small lines, and the notes are written either in the
space above the lines or on the lines.
Application activity 2.1
1. Draw a musical staff and indicate the order of lines and spaces
2. Explain the importance of a musical staff in music3. Where are ledger lines located and why?
2.2 Musical notes and rests
Activity 2.2Observe the following forms and describe the difference between them
In Music, the term note has two primary meanings: a sign used in musical
notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound; a pitchedsound itself.
2.2.1 The shapes and duration of notesa. Semibreve (whole note)
The longest note in common use today is a semibreve represented by the
symbol O. The note has the shape of an egg or letter O. We must remember
that the lines of the staff must pass in the center of the note if it is on the line.
When it is in space it must be exactly between the lines. The semibreve has
four (4) beats or times long.a. Minim (half note)
Notice:
i. If a note is placed above the third line of the staff, the stem faces
downwards. When it is below the third line of the staff, the stem
faces upwards. If it is on the third line, the stem may face downwardor upwards.
ii. The oval part of a note is called the note head. Notes shorter than
Semibreve have a stem attached to the note head. Notes shorter than
crotchet have flags or beams, depending on the rhythmic context.
Quaver has one flag (or beam), Semiquaver notes have two flags
(or two beams), and so on. The position of the note head on the staffindicates the pitch of the note.
2.2.2 Symbols of the musical rests
Music consists of silences as well as sounds. In many pieces of music, one
or more players or singers may be silent for few times. The silences are
called “Rests”. We can have rests anywhere in music, at the beginning, in
the middle or at the end of a piece of music. In staff notation, rests are shown
differently. Each note has its equivalent rest sign. Rest is a period of silenceof a particular length in music and shown by the signs.
The semibreve rest indicates a silence for the same duration as the
Semibreve. Semibreve rests are drawn as filled-in rectangles hanging underthe fourth line.
b. Minim rest
The minim rest indicates a silence for the same duration as the Minim.
Minim rests are drawn as filled-in rectangles placed on the third line.
c. Crotchet rest
2.2.3 Duration and value of the rests
The crotchet has a value of one time. Then the crotchet rest has the same
value. All the other rests have the same value as the correspondent note.
About the value, normally each of these rests is half as long as the restabove it.
The semibreve rest is written under the 4th line of the staff while the minim
rest is on the 3rd line of the staff.
But the crotchet rest, the quaver rest and the semiquaver are placed in themiddle of the staff (it means between the 2nd line the 4th line of the staff).
2.3 Musical clef
Activity 2.3
1. Using various resources, find the definition of a musical clef
2. Where is a clef placed and why?3. Draw different musical clefs.
A clef (French: clef “key”) is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch
of written notes placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it
indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. The three clefs used
are G, F, and C. Since about 1750 the G and F clefs have assumed a standard
position. The C clef is still used on different lines for different instruments
(See the illustration in 1.2.). Each type of clef assigns a different reference
note to the line on which it is placed. This line serves as a reference point by
which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff may be
determined.2.3.1 Treble Clef /G clef
It is a clef used for the high voices. It establishes the second line of the staff
and fixes the line as G. Let’s learn how to draw it:Take a close look at the treble clef:
2.3.2 Bass clef/F clef
It is a clef used for the high voices. It establishes the second line of the staff
and fixes the line as G. Let’s learn how to draw it:Let’s learn how to draw it:
2.3.3 The C clef
The C-clef is still used on different lines for different instruments.
Application activity 2.3
1. Explain the types of musical clefs2. Using illustrations, describe the difference between G and F clefs
2.4 Sol-fa notation
Activity 2.4
1. Using various resources, describe the origin of musical notes.
2. Basing on G clef, show the relationship between notes.
Sol-fa notation is a pedagogical technique for teaching sight-singing, invented
by Sarah Ann Glover (1785–1867) of Norwich, England and popularized
by John Curwen who adapted it from a number of earlier musical systems.
It uses a system of musical notation based on movable do solfège, whereby
every tone is given a name according to its relationship with other tones in
the key: the usual staff notation is replaced with Anglicized solfège syllables
(e.g. do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do) or their abbreviations (d, r, m, f, s, l, t,
d). “Do” is chosen to be the tonic of whatever key is being used (thus the
terminology moveable Do). The original solfège sequence started with “Ut”
which later became “Do”.
2.4.1 Origin of the musical notes
The origin of the name of the notes is in a Gregorian song: the hymn of the
feast of Saint John the Baptist. This hymn, written in Latin, presents the
following particularity. Every verse begins on one degree higher than the
precedent. So the corresponding notes were named according to the firstsyllable of each of the verses
Ut queant laxis, Resonare fibris, Mira gestorum, Famuli tuorum, Solve
polluti, Labii reatum, Sancte Iohannes (Ut became Do)
Therefore, we have seven names of notes: Do – Re –Mi – Fa – Sol – La - Si
(French version), or C – D – E – F – G –A –B (English version).2.4.2 The names of the notes on the musical staff
Reference taken from the paragraph 2.3, the treble clef called G clef is
placed on the second line of the staff, and so it gives its name to the note
that is on that line. Hence, the note on the second line is called G. according
to the series of notes, C will be found on the first ledger line below the staff.
Therefore, the names of notes on the lines of the treble staff are Mi(E),Sol(G), Si(B), Re(D), and Fa (F).
2.5 Grand staff.
Activity 2.5
On a musical sheet, you have seen two staves combined together with the
1st written using G clef and the 2nd with F clef.
1. Why are those staves combined?
2. What is the relationship between them?
When writing music, notes are either below or beyond the staff. In order to
avoid many notes on ledger lines, musicians use the combined treble andBass staves. This form is called “Grand Staff.”
By comparing the names of lines and spaces in both the treble clef (G clef)
and the bass clef (F clef). One may notice that while the note C is on the
ledger line bellow the staff with the G clef, it is on a ledger line above the staffwith F clef. If both staffs are combined, the following diagram is obtained.
The great staff or Grand staff combines both the G clef and the F clef and
consists of 11 lines. The line C in the ledger line between the treble staff and
the bass staff is called MIDDLE C.
When notes are in the treble and bass staves, the performers are supposed
to sing all the notes in the treble and bass staves. Most of the time, notes in
G staff are sung by Soprano and Alto voices while those in F staff are sung
by Tenor and bass voices.
Application activity 2,5
1. Using examples explain the difference between short and grand staves.2. Sing the following melody
End unit assessment 2
1. Compare and contrast the musical notes and rests
2. G and F clefs have a close relationship. Discuss
3. Describe the origin of musical notes that are used when writing music
4. You are going to teach musical notes to a person with deaf and/or
dumb impairment. How will you proceed?
5. Indicate the beat that are in the following notes:
a. A minim and two quavers
b. Five whole rests and two crotchet notes6. Sight sing the following piece of music
7. Write the following notes in the staff using a crotchet as note value:
Sol-Sol-Mi-Sol-Mi-Mi-Doh-Doh