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Course: Music | All-Star Orchestra > Unit 1
Lesson 2: Reading music- Lesson 1: Staff, names of notes, treble clef
- Lesson 2: Ledger lines and the octave
- Lesson 3: Bass clef, grand staff and the octave
- Lesson 4: Reading music in treble clef and the C Major scale
- Lesson 5: C Major scale in bass clef and reading in bass clef
- Lesson 6: Alto and tenor clefs.
- Lesson 7: Accidentals
- Lesson 8: Natural sign, more on accidentals and key signature
- Lesson 9: More on sharps and flats
- Lesson 10: Chromatic scales and the half step
- Glossary of musical terms
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Lesson 7: Accidentals
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In what case would you need to use E# or B#? Couldn't you just write F or B?(7 votes)
You would use them if they were in the key signature, for instance E# is used in F# major and D# minor. B# is used instead of C for the same reason - C# major has B# in the key sig, as does A# minor.
Because the scale the key sig is based around has these sharps, they are used when writing music in that key.(7 votes)
Yes, you are not the only one to catch that spelling error(3 votes)
Are there any accidentals other than a sharp or flat?(4 votes)
The three main accidentals are sharps, flats, and naturals. In more advanced music, you may see the occasional double-sharp or double-flat. Double-sharps raise the pitch a whole step instead of a half step, and double-flats lower the pitch a whole step. Those aren't incredibly common, however.(7 votes)
- 0:42, why not just move the note up instead of making it a sharp or flat? what does that mean moves the note up or down?(4 votes)
- A note on any musical stave will make the sound of a natural note. In order to access the sounds that (for example) black keys on a piano make, we have to add sharps and flats.(3 votes)
How do you identify different textures?(3 votes)
Textures in music can be analyzed by observing the way melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic materials are utilized in a composition vertically (at an instant of time). Texture is commonly described in simple, general terms of range and density. Rage refers to the pitch separations between different parts, a passage where there is little difference between the upper and lower notes can be described as a "narrow" range and one with a large difference a "wide" range. Density refers to the amount of voices used at one time, very few voices can be described as "thin" and a surplus of voices can be defined as "thick." This is the general categorization of texture, but it goes more detailed beyond this. Monophonic texture refers to music that is a single line, which can be expanded across several voices, intervals, and octaves. Polyphonic texture occurs when two or more melodic lines overlap. Homophony occurs when there is a melody line and accompaniment, which is the most common in Western music. Beyond this, all elements within a composition at a given time can be analyzed and labeled self explanatory names such as primary or secondary melody, parallel supporting melody, static support, harmonic support, and rhythmic support. I hope this helps. Happy reading.(4 votes)
Why do people here in USA use CDEFGABC, while in Europe it is Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si, Do.(3 votes)
The CDEFGABC is a universal musical language; it is used in Europe. Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Do is used to for learning musical pitches.(5 votes)
why do G# and A flat the same(3 votes)
A sharp is a half step up.
A flat is a half step down.
G and A are a pitch apart.
Say we have a number line where G = 1, and A = 2. 1/2# = G# and 1/2b = A flat
1 1/2# 2
1/2b
See how they fall at the same place.
Conclusion:
If a note is 1 whole step higher than a note,
the note below its sharp is equal to the note higher than its flat.
Hope this helps!(4 votes)
At2:11, why is there no accidental?(3 votes)
Most musicians find it annoying to put a c flat rather than a b or an e sharp rather than an f because it complicates a note that could simply be written without an accidental, which is generally considered easier to read.(3 votes)
How do you know the key of a certain song?(3 votes)- You can tell the key of a song or piece by the sharps or flats in the measures. If there are no sharps or flats, then the key is in C Major, or A Minor (these two key signatures do not have any sharps or flats). But if you are not given the measures to look at, then it's all up to what you hear. After a while you get the feeling for key signatures and are able to tell which key signature a song or piece is in.(3 votes)
What will sharps and flats do.(2 votes)
0:41Video transcript
- [Man] Let's look at our C major scale on the keyboard of a piano. First notice that we
only use the white keys. Let's begin on the middle C,
and play the eight note scale in the treble clef to
the next C ascending. (piano music playing) Now let's begin on middle C
and play the C major scale descending in the bass clef. (piano music playing) Still using the piano keyboard,
let's study the black notes. To do this, we need to
understand accidentals. The two primary accidentals
are a sharp and a flat. These signs always preseed the note. The sharp changes the note
in an upward direction, while a flat changes a note
in a downward direction. Let's play a G in the treble
clef on the second line. (piano music playing) If we add a sharp, we have
written the note G sharp, and it is the black key
on the piano keyboard just above the G. (piano music playing) If we place a flat in front of the G, the note becomes a G flat,
and we play the black key just below the G. (piano music playing) Let's also do this exercise on an A. First the A, now an A
sharp, now the A again, and then A flat. You've probably noticed that
the G sharp and the A flat are the same sounding note, but of course they're notated differently. This is called an enharmonic equivalent. The notes have different
names, but they sound the same. (piano music playing) If we place a sharp in front of a C, and a flat in front of a D,
these notes sound the same but again are spelled enharmonically. On our piano keyboard, notice
that between the B and C, and the E and F, there is no black key. Therefore, a C flat is
the same as a B natural, and a B sharp is the same as a C natural. An F flat is the same as an E natural, and an E sharp is the
same as an F natural.