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Musical notes are the building blocks of written music. Each note on the staff represents a specific pitch.
The staff (or stave) consists of five horizontal lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents a different musical pitch. Notes are placed on the staff to indicate which pitch should be played. The vertical position of a note determines its pitch — higher positions mean higher sounds. Multiple staves can be connected with a brace to form a grand staff, commonly used for piano music.
A clef is a musical symbol placed at the beginning of a staff to indicate the pitch of the notes. The treble clef (𝄞) is used for higher-pitched instruments and the right hand on piano. The bass clef (𝄢) is used for lower-pitched instruments and the left hand on piano. The alto clef is primarily used for viola, while the tenor clef is used for higher ranges of cello, bassoon, and trombone. Each clef assigns specific note names to the lines and spaces of the staff.
Ledger lines are small horizontal lines that extend the staff when notes go above or below the five main lines. They allow composers to write notes that exceed the normal range of the staff without changing clefs. Each ledger line represents one additional step in pitch. Common examples include Middle C, which sits on one ledger line below the treble staff or above the bass staff. Reading ledger lines fluently is essential for advanced sight-reading.
Accidentals are symbols that alter the pitch of a note. A sharp (♯) raises the pitch by a half step (semitone). A flat (♭) lowers the pitch by a half step. A natural (♮) cancels a previous sharp or flat, returning the note to its unaltered pitch. Double sharps (𝄪) and double flats (𝄫) raise or lower the pitch by two half steps. Accidentals apply to all notes of the same pitch within the same measure unless canceled.
An interval is the distance between two musical notes — fundamental for melody and harmony.
Perfect intervals have a pure, stable, and consonant sound quality. They include the unison (P1, same pitch), perfect fourth (P4, 5 semitones), perfect fifth (P5, 7 semitones), and octave (P8, 12 semitones). These intervals are called "perfect" because they remain the same in both major and minor scales. The perfect fifth is particularly important as it forms the basis of Western harmony and the circle of fifths. Perfect intervals are often used in power chords and open tunings.
Major and minor intervals include seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths. A major interval is one half step larger than its minor counterpart. Major intervals sound bright and happy, while minor intervals sound darker and more melancholic. The major third (4 semitones) and minor third (3 semitones) are crucial for determining whether a chord is major or minor. Major sixths and sevenths create jazzy, sophisticated sounds, while minor seconds create tension and dissonance often used in suspenseful music.
Augmented intervals are one half step larger than major or perfect intervals. Diminished intervals are one half step smaller than minor or perfect intervals. The augmented fourth (tritone, 6 semitones) and diminished fifth are enharmonically equivalent and create strong tension that wants to resolve. The tritone was historically called "the devil in music" due to its dissonant sound. Augmented and diminished intervals are essential in diminished and augmented chords, and they add color and tension to harmonic progressions.
Compound intervals span more than one octave. A ninth is an octave plus a second, a tenth is an octave plus a third, an eleventh is an octave plus a fourth, and so on. Compound intervals retain the quality of their simple counterparts — a major ninth has the same character as a major second but sounds more open and spacious. These intervals are commonly used in jazz chord voicings (9th, 11th, 13th chords) and create rich, extended harmonies.
Rhythm organizes music in time through patterns of sounds and silences.
A time signature appears at the beginning of a piece and tells you how the music is organized. The top number indicates how many beats are in each measure, while the bottom number shows which note value gets one beat. Common time (4/4) has four quarter-note beats per measure and is used in most popular music. 3/4 (waltz time) has three beats, creating a flowing feel. Compound meters like 6/8 group beats in threes, giving a lilting, dance-like quality often found in jigs and ballads.
Note values determine how long a note is held relative to other notes. A whole note lasts four beats in 4/4 time. A half note lasts two beats, a quarter note lasts one beat, an eighth note lasts half a beat, and a sixteenth note lasts a quarter of a beat. Each note value is half the duration of the previous one. Understanding note values is essential for reading rhythm accurately and maintaining steady tempo while playing.
When a dot is placed after a note, it increases the note's duration by half of its original value. A dotted half note equals three beats (2 + 1). A dotted quarter note equals one and a half beats (1 + 0.5). A dotted eighth note equals three-quarters of a beat. Dotted rhythms create a "long-short" swing feel and are common in marches, baroque music, and jazz. Double dots add an additional quarter of the original value for even more complex rhythms.
Triplets divide a beat into three equal parts instead of the usual two or four. They create a flowing, rolling feel common in blues, jazz, and compound meters. Triplets are marked with a "3" above or below the note group. Rests are symbols indicating measured silence — each note value has a corresponding rest of equal duration. Whole rests hang from a line, half rests sit on a line, and quarter/eighth/sixteenth rests have distinctive shapes. Rests are just as important as notes in creating rhythm and musical expression.