MUSIC 3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Clef, Key Signature, Relative Key
Chapter 8
● The G indicated by the treble clef is the G above middle C, while the F indicated
by the bass clef is the F below middle C. (C clef indicates middle C.)
○ So treble clef and bass clef together cover many of the notes that are in
the range of human voices and of most instruments.
○ Voices and instruments with higher ranges usually learn to read treble
clef, while voices and instruments with lower ranges usually learn to read
bass clef.
○ Instruments with ranges that do not fall comfortably into either bass or
treble clef may use a C clef or may be transposing instruments.
● The pitch
of a note is how high or low it sounds.
○ Pitch depends on the frequency of the fundamental sound wave of the
note.
○ The higher the frequency of a sound wave, and the shorter its wavelength,
the higher its pitch sounds.
○ But musicians usually don't want to talk about wavelengths and
frequencies.
○ Instead, they just give the different pitches different letter names: A, B, C,
D, E, F, and G.
○ These seven letters name all the natural
notes (on a keyboard, that's all
the white keys) within one octave.
● Using double or triple sharps or flats may seem to be making things more difficult
than they need to be.
○ Why not call the note "A natural" instead of "G double sharp"?
○ The answer is that, although A natural and G double sharp are the same
pitch, they don't have the same function within a particular chord or a
particular key.
○ For musicians who understand some music theory (and that includes most
performers, not just composers and music teachers), calling a note "G
double sharp" gives important and useful information about how that note
functions in the chordand in the progression of the harmony.
● The key signature comes right after the clef symbol on the staff.
○ It may have either some sharp symbols on particular lines or spaces, or
some flat symbols, again on particular lines or spaces.
○ If there are no flats or sharps listed after the clef symbol, then the key
signature is "all notes are natural".
● In common notation, clef and key signature are the only symbols that normally
appear on every staff.
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Document Summary
The g indicated by the treble clef is the g above middle c , while the f indicated. So treble clef and bass clef together cover many of the notes that are in by the bass clef is the f below middle c. (c clef indicates middle c. ) Voices and instruments with higher ranges usually learn to read treble the range of human voices and of most instruments. clef, while voices and instruments with lower ranges usually learn to read bass clef. Instruments with ranges that do not fall comfortably into either bass or treble clef may use a c clef or may be transposing instruments. The pitch of a note is how high or low it sounds. note. Pitch depends on the frequency of the fundamental sound wave of the. The higher the frequency of a sound wave, and the shorter its wavelength ,
