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Reading Music
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| Axer |
I applied to a college for Preparatory Music/Applied Music. They have prerequisites, part of it states that one must be able to read music. So, I searched out the web and learned about Bass Clefs and Treble Clefs, Time Signatures, Types of notes like Whole Note, Half Note, Quarter Notes ect. Rests and Symbols and all. There's more stuff I believe and gets a bit complicated to understand after. An instructor would obviously help and answer my questions. I hope this tread will generate quite a valuable knowledge for any artist/musician. Imagination has a lot to offer.
Can anyone read music? If you can could you please discuss.
I had another query about Royal Contemporary Music. My prerequisite also requires to have a certain Grade/Levels of RCM.
Did anyone write this exam?
Thanks for discussing and sharing,
Axer |
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| CSB |
i know how to read music =P been playing music for almost 10 years now ^^
what kind of questions you got? |
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| nefardec |
yes,
it's really quite easy to read music
just remember treble clef: (E)very (G)ood (B)oy (D)oes (F)ine if it's on the LINE
and the notes in the spaces in treble clef spell out FACE from bottom to top
:p
stupid, but when i was 7 years old this worked really well
http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1134378 |
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| Axer |
Thanks guys, Yeah, I learned about CBAGFEDCBAGFEDCBAGFED.... How does the symbols work? I've came across a few, some are joined together and some a like flipped upside down. I'm having trouble understanding joined symbols and time gaps.
So there's a 4 inside a 1? an 8 inside an 2? 16 inside a 4? I donno if I'm explaining this well.
How much time would it take for one to learn and interpret music?
Can you write down music before actually compose it? Can you convert your music into writings?
What would be my best bet be to learn to read music properly?
Did anyone write RCM examinations? |
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| MrJiveBoJingles |
| quote: | Originally posted by Axer
Can you write down music before actually compose it? |
The "writing down" part is the composing. The traditional Western idea is that the notes on the paper are the music, and individual performances and recordings are just interpretations.
This idea is kind of foreign to people now since we all listen mostly to recordings, and many (maybe most) musicians outside the classical and jazz traditions don't learn to read sheet music anyway.
| quote: | | How much time would it take for one to learn and interpret music? |
The basics don't take very long at all, if you work hard.
To be a truly accomplished musician takes years.
| quote: | | What would be my best bet be to learn to read music properly? |
Train under someone who's been doing it for years, preferably while learning to play an instrument from sheet music. |
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| Axer |
| True, I think writing down is an essential part of composition! Sometimes I come up with a hook and humm it for a while and then I will forget it and sometimes I come up with a hook and would just spit it out on my guitar or drum machine and record it. In any case, writing it down would be like writing a scroll. :) Editing would be so much easier. I wonder how many electronic music artist do that... |
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| nefardec |
| quote: | Originally posted by Axer
I wonder how many electronic music artist do that... |
it's called a sequencer |
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| Vortex_SA |
| i actually wrote some of my melodies on a sheet... i find it easier to play those out on an instrument as im quite used to it by now (reading notes that is..), and i think a thread wont give you much as i cant really explain and show you symbol here... i also think wikipedia has it all :) |
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| Omega_Blue |
treble clef Every Good Boy Does Fine
bass clef Good Boys Do Fine Always
master clef is a combination of both clefs on two separate ledgers usually used with piano music (or any other instrument that can reach both upper and lower tonal ranges)
it's tough to teach yourself how to read music. but if all you have to do is look at the notes and say, "this is a Bb, half note" or something simple like that then memorization should be easy. and honestly if you're applying to this college in hopes of learning how to produce electronic music, i think you're going the wrong way about it.
| quote: | Originally posted by Axer
So there's a 4 inside a 1? an 8 inside an 2? 16 inside a 4? I donno if I'm explaining this well.
How much time would it take for one to learn and interpret music?
What would be my best bet be to learn to read music properly? |
1st question- are you talking about time signatures? most electronic, hell most popular music is written in 4/4. 4 beats per measure, the quarter note gets the beat. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 etc. other examples are like, 6/8.. six beats per measure, eigth note gets the beat. 1 2 3 1 2 3 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 etc etc, depending on how you're comfortable counting
i can't explain the meaning of notes and rests without mspainting something up but you can read all about it online i'm sure. real quick- in 4/4 time,
whole notes (big circle) are held for an entire measure (4 beats)
half notes (hollowed out note) are held for half a measure (2 beats)
quarter notes (solid black note) are held for a quarter measure (1 beat)
eighth notes (solid black note, flag) are held for an eighth measure (.5 beat)
so there are the time equivalent of two eighth notes in one quarter note, two quarter notes in one half, etc etc. a dot next to the note means it's held for 1 and a half it's original time. a dotted half note, for example, means it's held for 3 beats (2 beats for the half note and 1 beat for the dot). rests are notated in a similar manner.
2nd question- depends on how long you practice and how often you force yourself to read music, it's best to grab an instrument you know how to play and teach yourself to read really simple like old macdonald and work your way up from there
3rd question- do it yourself as i explained it above or hire someone to teach you. i'll teach you for $100 an hour. callme:gsmile: |
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| Axer |
| quote: | Originally posted by Omega_Blue
treble clef Every Good Boy Does Fine
bass clef Good Boys Do Fine Always
master clef is a combination of both clefs on two separate ledgers usually used with piano music (or any other instrument that can reach both upper and lower tonal ranges)
it's tough to teach yourself how to read music. but if all you have to do is look at the notes and say, "this is a Bb, half note" or something simple like that then memorization should be easy. and honestly if you're applying to this college in hopes of learning how to produce electronic music, i think you're going the wrong way about it.
1st question- are you talking about time signatures? most electronic, hell most popular music is written in 4/4. 4 beats per measure, the quarter note gets the beat. 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 etc. other examples are like, 6/8.. six beats per measure, eigth note gets the beat. 1 2 3 1 2 3 or 1 2 3 4 5 6 etc etc, depending on how you're comfortable counting
i can't explain the meaning of notes and rests without mspainting something up but you can read all about it online i'm sure. real quick- in 4/4 time,
whole notes (big circle) are held for an entire measure (4 beats)
half notes (hollowed out note) are held for half a measure (2 beats)
quarter notes (solid black note) are held for a quarter measure (1 beat)
eighth notes (solid black note, flag) are held for an eighth measure (.5 beat)
so there are the time equivalent of two eighth notes in one quarter note, two quarter notes in one half, etc etc. a dot next to the note means it's held for 1 and a half it's original time. a dotted half note, for example, means it's held for 3 beats (2 beats for the half note and 1 beat for the dot). rests are notated in a similar manner.
2nd question- depends on how long you practice and how often you force yourself to read music, it's best to grab an instrument you know how to play and teach yourself to read really simple like old macdonald and work your way up from there
3rd question- do it yourself as i explained it above or hire someone to teach you. i'll teach you for $100 an hour. callme:gsmile: |
More questions, How are the both clefs identified on a piano? Like you said, from left to right is the bass clef to treble clef transition? Does the black keys and white keys has names for them?
Well, technically I'm an electronic music producer and I work with digital music, primary reason for going to a college is to know what I'm doing. LOL
Yeah, I'm talking about time signature, I guess there's a kick on quarter note for proper regardless of the tempo.
Thanks for the note updates, some pictures would definitely help me
identify the notes. I never knew that each note has a symbol too!
So, dotted notes are similar to rests?
Are you from Toronto? I can buy you a pack of smoke for each lesson like oldschool! :) |
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| nefardec |
| quote: | Originally posted by Axer
More questions, How are the both clefs identified on a piano? Like you said, from left to right is the bass clef to treble clef transition? Does the black keys and white keys has names for them?
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a clef is relevant only to notation.
basically it just sets the frame of reference for the notation, so that it is centered around the notes that are most relevant for that part.
for example, if everything was bass clef, and a flute had to play an A5, then you'd have to add like 20 little lines above the staff to note it :p |
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| Axer |
| quote: | Originally posted by nefardec
a clef is relevant only to notation.
basically it just sets the frame of reference for the notation, so that it is centered around the notes that are most relevant for that part.
for example, if everything was bass clef, and a flute had to play an A5, then you'd have to add like 20 little lines above the staff to note it :p |
:gsmile:
Woah! I just learned something, the notations are on different staffs and sounds different on each...what if the notation is on the top staff? and what if the notation is on the bottom staff?
I've also seen notations of different types like some are hollow and some are full circled...what's up with that?
What about notations that are turned left or right?
What about notations that has the bars up and down?
Say, four notations jointed together on the same staff, should be keyed fourtimes, right?
Horray for notations!!! |
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