Category: Lessons, Practice and Performance
We have already had an introduction to musical dynamics in the post Commonly Used Musical Terms. In case you don’t remember, or you are just tuning in, dynamics in music refer to markings that tell the musician how soft or how loud to play the music. There are many types of dynamic markings, but we will go through some of the more common ones in this lesson.
Crescendo - a crescendo looks like a long V on its side, starting with the small end at the left, and opening up to the right. It tells the musician to gradually get louder.
Decrescendo - is the opposite of crescendo: A long V on its side, opening to the left. A decrescendo tells the musician to gradually get softer.
pp – pianissimo. Very soft.
p – piano. Soft.
mf - mezzo forte. Moderatley loud.
f – forte. Loud.
ff – fortissimo. Very loud.
These are the most basic dynamic markings that you should know. Remember, these markings are not absolute. You need to interpret how loud or how soft you should play based on the surrounding dynamics. However, in one piece of music the following is usually true:
Soft pp < p < mf < f < ff Loud
You can interpret this as: pianissimo is softer than piano, which is softer than mezzo forte. Fortissimo is louder than forte which is louder than mezzo forte. So mezzo forte can be seen as not too loud, not too soft – right in the middle. See the worksheet section for worksheets related to this lesson and others.
Category: Lessons
So far we have learned about several different types of notes: whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. There are a couple of methods for counting out rhythm using these notes. The first way is to count the beat using numbers. Take a look at the musical phrase below.
OK, so before you play, look at the time signature. The top number tells you how many beats to a measure. The bottom number tells you which note gets the beat. So, 4/4 time (or common time) will have 4 beats per measure, and the quarter note will get the beat. That means every time we get the equivalent of a quarter note we should be onto the next count. The phrase above would sound like this. One-Two-Three and Four and, One-Two-Three-Four and, One-ee-and-a-Two-Three-Four, One-Two-Three-Four. Keep a steady beat with your foot. Every number falls on the beat, so it should be in time with your foot. This is my favourite method of counting. It allows you to understand rhythm more thoroughly, while getting practice with time signatures.
Another method of counting is to have little phrases to say for different notes. Take a look at the phrases below.
Try to count the rhythm above using this method. It is up to you which method you choose. Choose the method that feels right to you. For more practice in counting rhythm, see the worksheet section.
Category: Miscellaneous
Creative Commons License photo credit: cwalker71
What does musical texture mean? Think of a piece of fabric, and the different qualities it might have. It could be soft, course, heavy, light, slippery, shiny, etc. The same thing applies to music. While music might not be shiny or slippery, it has inherent qualities that makes it unique. Different types of texture can be described by the number of parts, harmony, tempo, timbre and rhythm. We will go through several types of musical texture in the following post.
Monophony:
This is the simplest type of texture. In monophonic music, a single voice or part is played without harmonic accompaniment. Even music that is accompanied by a variety of rhythm instruments would be considered monophonic. As long as the attention is on a single line or voice, the music is monophonic. Can you think of any monophonic music that is played today? Not much music these days is monophonic, however some middle Eastern music has a monophonic texture.
Heterophony:
Heterophonic music consists of two or more parts that are elaborating upon the same melody. Often this type of music is improvised. An example of this type of music would be jazz.
Polyphony:
Polyphonic music consists of two or more voices, but it is distinct from heterophony. In heterophonic texture, the part that all voices play is based upon the same melody (though the same notes may not be played). Polyphony is based on counterpoint. Counterpoint is a Latin term that in musical terms can be translated as “note against note”. This means that a counterpoint or polyphonic texture consists of two or more simultaneous melodies that are distinct from each other in notes and rhythm.
Homophony:
This is the type of music that most of us are accustomed to. In homophonic music, one voice takes the melodic lead, while the accompanying voices play the harmony and they take a subordinate role. The listeners interest is directed to a single line of music, and the harmony is there to support it.
These are the four different classical music textures. Remember, a piece of music does not have to be exclusively one of these textures. These textures can be combined and manipulated. Listen to your favourite type of music. See if you can recognize the different textures in the music. It will help you appreciate the art of the music even more!
Category: Lessons
Now is probably a great time to introduce two new kinds of notes to you. The eighth note looks like a quarter note but it has a flag on it. The sixteenth note has 2 flags. The eighth note is worth a half count, and the sixteenth note is worth a quarter count. That means you can fit two eighth notes OR 4 sixteenth notes in the same amount of time that you would use to play 1 quarter note.
Take a look at the note hierarchy. In this diagram you can see that a whole note is worth the same as two half notes. A half note is worth the same as two quarter notes. A quarter note is worth the same as two eigth notes, and so on.
With all of these types of notes, it becomes difficult to understand the rhythm. There are several techniques you can use to count out the rhythm of a piece of music. We will discuss these in the next lesson.
The last thing I want to talk about is when we have more than one eighth note or sixteenth note in a row. In cases like this, instead of each individual note having a flag, the notes are joined together by bars. For eighth notes, the notes are joined together with one bar. For sixteenth notes, the notes are joined together by two bars. Take a look at the phrases below. The phrase with the flags and the phrase with the bars are equivalent even though they look different.
For more practice, check out the worksheet section.
Category: Lessons
If you have seen sheetmusic before, you may have seen a note with a dot following it. In fact, any note can hav a dot. A DOT placed after a note OR rest indicates that the length of the note is increased by one HALF of its original value. OK, what does that mean? Let’s work through some examples.
The WHOLE note is worth 4 counts. A dotted whole note is worth 4 counts plus 2 counts (1/2 of the original 4 counts). That means a dotted whole note is worth 6 counts.
The HALF note is worth 2 counts. A dotted half note is worth….. *drumroll*….. you guessed it! 2 counts + 1 count = 3 counts!
Now it gets interesting. A QUARTER note is worth 1 count. So what is a dotted quarter note worth? Well, it is worth 1 count (original value) + 1/2 count (1/2 original value) = 1 and 1/2 counts!
We’ll learn later about how to count these notes in music. Take a look at the diagram below.
Category: Miscellaneous
I’ve got mixed feelings about memorizing music. Memorization is a very valuable tool if used correctly. However, memorization can be misused and abused. As you will come to learn, there is a right time for memorization and a wrong time. Memorization needs to be approached carefully. Let us discuss.
Sometimes musicians will memorize music because memorization makes the piece easier to play. Once they have a piece memorized, they never look at the music again. This is very detrimental to the learning experience and will hinder efforts to learn new and more difficult pieces. In my opinion, one should never attempt to memorize practice pieces in order to make them easier. Of course, some memorization will happen naturally. However, when practicing, always make an effort to follow the music with your eyes, and do your best to look at the book, and not at your fingers!
But memorization isn’t all bad. Memorizing a piece for performance ensures that the performer knows the piece thoroughly. In fact, some examinations require the student to memorize pages and pages of music. (I memorized over 100 pages for my last exam.) Here are some tips to get the most out of music memorization.
1. Slow and careful practice with special attention to details. Ensure you memorize all the details such as dynamic and tempo changes, phrases, and fingering.
2. Learn the form. Music is usually divided into logical sections that are played in sequence and might be repeated. Memorize the sections, and in what sequence they are played.
3. Mental Practice. Read the music and think about how you will play it. Do this while you are away from the piano. Read the music like a book.
Most importantly, learn the music correctly from the beginning. It is very difficult to go back and rewrite what has already been written to memory, so correct memorization is very important. Good luck!
Category: Lessons
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. Even middle C is on a ledger line – can you find middle in on the image to the left?
Leger lines in the bass clef are much like ledger line in the treble clef. Middle C exists on a ledger line in the bass clef as well. Can you find it?
The last thing that we will discuss today is note stems. You may have noticed already that some stems point up, while others point down. Believe it or not, there is a method to the madness – so all music is written in standard notation. When a single line of music is written (that is one note at a time), the notes above the third line will have their stems pointing down, and the notes below the third line will have their stems pointing up. The notes on the third line will either go up or down depending on the music, but down is preferred.
There is an exception to this rule however. That is, whenever notes are bound together with a beam (we haven’t seen this yet, but we will), the direction of the stem depends on which note is farthest away from the center line. The direction of all of the stems will point in the direction of that stem. In the image to the left, find the note that is farthest away from the center line, and see what direction the stems are pointing. For more practice you can go to the worksheet section of the website to download some practice sheets.
Category: Lessons
This lesson is going to review what we have learned so far. If you find you need more information, you can go back to the lesson to read the entire post.
In lesson 1 we learned how to find the white keys on the piano. Remember, the black keys are in groups of 2 and 3. To find the note C, find the group of 2 black keys. The white key to the left of the group of 2 black keys is C. The white key to the left of the group of 3 black keys is F. Easy. Then you can just fill in the blanks. Remember the names of the notes are A-B-C-D-E-F-G. These notes repeat up and down the keyboard.
In lesson 2, we learned how to sit at the piano. Back straight, feet on floor, forearms parallel with the floor. Remember to play with the tips of your fingers – with your hands curled like they are holding a ball.
In lesson 3 you learned about the staff, the treble clef, the bass clef, the grand staff, and middle C. The staff consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces upon which notes are written. The treble clef (or G clef) is used on the staff to show the notes in the upper range of the piano (usually played with the right hand). Remember that the treble clef curls around the G-line. The bass clef (or F-clef) is used on the staff to show the notes in the lower range of the piano (usually played with the left hand). Remember that the two dots on the bass clef are located above and below the F-line. When you put the two clefs together with two staves, it is called the grand staff. Middle C is located between the treble clef staff and the bass clef staff. On your keyboard, it is the C located near the middle of your keyboard.
On to lesson 4! In lesson 4 we learned about how each of your fingers has a number. Most music will have a fingering guide which will help you play more fluently. So just remember, your thumbs are one, your pointer fingers are two, and so on.
In lesson 5, the QUARTER note, HALF note, and WHOLE note were introduced. The quarter note is worth one count, the half note is worth 2 count, and the whole note is worth four counts. The time signature was also introduced. The time signature consists of 2 numbers. The top number tell you how many beats are in a measure. The bottom number tells you which note gets the beat. A 4 on the bottom means that the quarter note gets the beat.
Finally, we learned the notes in the treble clef and the bass clef. We learned that middle C was located between the two staves.
Lastly, we learned about rests. Rests are used to signify an interval of silence in a piece of music. The type of rest tells you how long the silence must last. The QUARTER REST is worth one beat, the HALF REST is worth two beats, and the WHOLE REST is worth four beats.
The first 10 lessons should have given you a good start to being able to read and play piano music. For more practice check out the worksheet section.
Category: Lessons
In music, there is a time to play, and there is a time for silence. Learning when NOT to play is just as important as learning when to play. A musical REST is a symbol that is used to tell the musician when to STOP playing. Even though you won’t be playing during a rest, retain your hand position so that it is easy to resume playing.
There are different symbols used to signify a period of silence. The type of symbol tells you how long the silence is. The squiggly rest (I know, very technical isn’t it?) is worth one count. It is worth the same amount of time as a quarter note. The bar that rests on the line is worth 2 counts, the same as a half note. Finally, the bar that falls below the 4th line is worth 4 counts, the same as a whole note.
From left to right these rests are called QUARTER REST, HALF REST, and WHOLE REST. These are the most basic types of rests.
Check out the phrase below. Try to clap it. Clap the notes, and rest during the rests 
After you are finished with the clapping exercise, look at the worksheet section for some downloadable practice sheets.
Category: Lessons, Music Theory
Now lets put together what we’ve learned during the last 2 or 3 lessons. We are going to put together both the treble and the bass clef notes onto the grand staff, and associate it with the positions on the keyboard. First lets look at spaces.
In the image above there are several notes on the grand staff that we did not learn in our last lesson. Notice the notes that are sitting either above or below the staff. Low F in the bass clef sits right below the first line of the bass staff. B sits right above the top line of the bass staff. In the treble clef, D sits right below the first line, and high G sits right above the last line.
The notes on the lines are similar to what you have learned already: Good Boys Do Fine Always, Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge. But wait! there is a note in the middle. This note is middle C! Notice that it is above the staff in the bass clef, and below the staff in the treble clef. It has a line going through it called a ledger line. We will learn about this in more detail in a later lesson, but ledger lines are used to show the notes that are too high or two low to fit on the staff.
Below you can see all of the notes on the grand staff. None of the note names are filled out – If you want some practice naming notes, you can download the worksheets in the worksheet section.
Category: Methods, Miscellaneous, Practice and Performance
A lot of parents aren’t sure when they should start sending their child to piano lessons. Children who are too young may not have the attention span and may not benefit from piano lessons. Children who are too old – well, there is no such thing as too old. OK, so when is the BEST time to start? To be honest, this depends greatly on the child. If you are thinking of enrolling your child in piano lessons, run through the following questions first.
1. Are YOU committed to it?
Children naturally have a shorter attention span than adults. If your child is to get the most out of piano lessons, the parents must be committed to it 100%. You must set aside time for your child to practice, and be sure that your child adheres to the practice schedule. You must be committed to driving your child to practice every week, and footing all of the costs that result from that.
2. Does my child know their ABCs / Can my child read?
Although this is not a requirement, it makes reading music less of a stretch. They should be able to count and sound out words based on the letters of the alphabet. Again, this is not a requirement, but your child will get the most out of piano lessons if they have this basic foundation of knowledge.
3. Does my child demonstrate some manual dexterity?
Observe your child at play. Notice whether he or she has the capability of fine movement (placing pieces in a puzzle, doing up buttons, etc). If they are starting to write or draw, this would be a good indication that they have the dexterity necessary to play the piano keys.
4. Is my child interested in playing piano?
Talk to your child about piano lessons and gauge their interest. You can make your child to go to piano lessons, but it will not be very rewarding for either of you if no one is having fun. Not to mention, it is very difficult to force your child to learn something they are not interested in. Make sure that learning the piano is something that interests your child.
5. Will my child be able to sit through a half-hour lesson?
30 minutes is a standard duration for a beginner piano lesson. Does your child have the attention span to sit through an entire half hour? Many piano teachers who are used to working with young children will have techniques to keep the child engaged for the entire half hour. This can include fun activities such as marching and clapping, jumping up and down to a beat, or singing. Before you commit to a piano teacher, ask what techniques they use to keep young children interested.
Well, if you made it through all of these questions, you can gauge for yourself whether your child (and your family) is ready for piano lessons. The earliest I would ever recommend someone learning piano is at the age of 4, and that is still quite young. Generally, children around the age of 6-7 are in a good position to make the most of piano lessons. But again, it all depends – look for the signs, and you can’t go wrong.
Category: Lessons
Learning the notes on the bass clef is as easy as learning fun little phrases. Lets start with the notes in the spaces.
The spaces are A, C, E, and G. One of the phrases you can use to memorize this is: All Cows Eat Grass.
And now for the notes that live on the lines:
Good Boys Do Fine Always. It’s not my favourite phrase. If you have a better one, let me know! Next lesson we will see all of the notes on the grand staff together with the keys on the keyboard. Check the worksheet download section for downloadable note recognition practice sheets.
Category: Lessons
Finally the moment you have all been waiting for (all one of you ) ….. In this lesson we will learn how to read music! Specifically, we will be taking a look at the treble clef notes. OK, so as you know, the staff consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces. Depending upon which line or space a note is located, it will have a specific letter value (A, B, C, D, E, F or G)
So lets start with the spaces. There are 4 spaces on the staff. If you start at the bottom space and work your way up, the note values are F (first space), A (second space), C (3rd space), E (top space). A good way to remember the value of the spaces is that they spell… you guessed it… FACE! Exciting eh? OK, maybe not – but its useful to remember.
And now for the notes on the lines. As you can see in the image above, the notes are E, G, B, D, and F. There are a number of phrases you can use to remember these notes, but the one I always use is “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge”. Another thing to notice is how the curl of the treble clef circles around the G-line.
This is a short introduction to the notes that are located on the treble clef. Keep in mind that notes can be located above and below the staff. We will look at these notes in the next lessons. Look for practice sheets in the download section. Practicing your note recognition will be very important if you want to learn how to read music.
Category: Miscellaneous
Believe it or not, the best time to get started on creating music is before you have a solid understanding of classical musical theory. Some of the most creative musicians have no formal classical music training, and create their music solely on the basis of sound and feeling (think Thom Yorke from Radiohead). These steps should help you get the basis for creating your own compositions.
1. Know all kinds
Expose yourself to all kinds of music: classical, country, hip-hop, gospel, rock, alternative, blues, jazz… the list goes on and on. Try to find independent artists that produce their own music. This would be the best place to find music that hasn’t been produced and manipulated to satiate the masses. The internet is a great way to find new artists and new types of music. Try YouTube, Facebook, Myspace, etc. Support local artists by trying your local entertainment listings.
Another way to boost your creativity is to listen to music that is not based on Western classical form. Non-western music is any music that grew out of a tradition other than the European. Non-Western music has different tuning systems, different scales, and different approaches to melody and harmony. Try Indian, African, Caribbean, and Latin music… You might find they have a unique and exotic sound.
2. Try different melodies
Melody is the focal point of music. Play with different notes and different rhythms. Feel them out on the keyboard. Use both the black and the white keys. You only need to play one note at a time. Try making a melody that would fit a country song, a rock song, a classical song. Try a song with two different melodies played at the same time. Make a melody for your favorite poem. The key idea is to try try try… the more familiar you are with the keyboard, the more creative you can get. Try to do something that you think no one has ever done.
3. Try different harmonies
Play any two notes together. Do they sound good to you? Do they sound bad? Familiarize yourself with the sounds are produced when you play two, three, or four different notes together. Integrate melody and harmony together. As you learn more techniques like staccato, syncopation, accents, and legato you will be able to integrate them into your creative efforts.
4. Record your efforts
Record your endeavors with a microphone and play them back. Listen to them carefully. A lot of what you play will be experimental and may not sound wonderful. But once in a while you will find that you have played something that is appealing or exciting, or a riff that was going in the right direction but didn’t quite make it. Build upon these moments. Build upon the riffs and the harmonies that you have created. Play them over and over and refine them.
Follow these four steps, and you will be well on your way to creating your own masterpiece. Just remember to give me credit when accepting your Grammy for Song of the Year 
.
Posted on November 26th, 2008 by sharlene
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