Introduction

The system of music notation allows us to specify two of the main characteristics of music: the note to be played, and its duration. The following pages will show the basic aspects of music reading. We will begin by learning how to specify durations of sound. For this, lets take a look at two important concepts: beats (pulsations) and measures.

Beats and Measures

We will use several examples to illustrate these two concepts. Beats in each example you can hear a series of steady clicks, each one being a beat or a pulsation. Measures the beats or pulsations are grouped in numbers of two, three and four. A measure is such a pattern of a group of beats. It is very common to find measures having groups of two, three or four beats.

Time Signature
When reading music, one of the first element we will encounter is the time signature. Measures are qualified by two numbers used in the time signature. The number on top indicates the amount of beats existing in each measure (we will later explain the function of the number on the bottom):

2 beats per measure 3 beats per measure 4 beats per measure

It is quite common to use the . symbol as a time signature to define the measure of

Note Value
Once we understand the concept of measure and beats, we can start reading music.

The duration of a sound is indicated using several symbols. Lets start by getting to know the symbols with durations of one, two and four beats:

Name (USA) Whole Note Half Note Quarter Note

Name (England) Semibreve Minim Crotchet

Duration 4 beats 2 beats 1 beat

Symbol

Note the relationship of values between the different symbols:

Each whole note (semibreve): is divided into two half notes (minim). And each half note (minim) is divided into two quarter notes (crotchet) Thus, each symbol will have half the value of the preceding shape.
Lets see a musical example using these symbols. The vertical lines (or bar lines) separate and group the notes into measures in order to facilitate reading (we can see three measures in this particular example). You can hear a percussive sound for each beat, and a clarinet sound playing the written notes. Note how a half note will take the duration of two percussive sounds (two beats), the quarter note will take just one beat, and the whole note will take four beats:

Dotted Notes and the Tie

We have already looked at symbols with durations of one, two and four beats, but what symbol can we use for a note having a duration of three beats? There is no symbol for such duration, but we can create one by adding a dot or a tie. Attaching a dot to the right side of the note will add half of its value to its total duration. For instance, if we add the dot to a half note (minim) - which normally lasts for two beats - we will then have a note lasting three beats instead of two (half of 2 is 1, and 2 + 1 = 3. Lets now see the value of the shapes we already know, after adding the dot:

Note

Duration 6 beats (4 + 2) 3 beats (2 + 1) 1 beat and a half (1 + 1/2)

The tie allows us to achieve the same goal. Using a tie between two notes will add the value of the second note to the value of the first. For instance, if we tie a quarter note (crotchet) to a half note (minim) , we will get a note lasting three beats (same as a dotted half note). The following musical example illustrates the use of a dotted half note (minim), and a half note tied to a quarter note (crotchet). You will hear a percussive sound for each beat, and a clarinet sound playing the written notes. Note that the resulting rhythm on the first measure (using the tie) is exactly the same as the rhythm found on the second bar (using the dotted note).

Rests
In music, silence is just as important as sound. How do we notate silence? We notate silence by using symbols called rest notes, or simply rests. There is an equivalent rest symbol for each note value. Below we can see the corresponding rest symbols for the note values we already know:

Note Name (USA) Whole Note Half Note Quarter Note

Example:

Note Name (England) Semibreve Minim Crotchet

Symbol

Rest

Values Shorter Than a Beat

The smallest value we have seen up to this point is that of the quarter note (crotchet), which lasts for a whole beat. Of course, there are symbols for notes of shorter duration.

Here you can see symbols that take a half (50%) or a fourth (25%) of a beat:

Symbols

Name Eighth note (quaver) Sixteenth note (semiquaver)

Value Half of a quarter note. We can have two eighth notes for each beat. One fourth of a quarter note. We can have four of these for each beat.

It is common practice to beam together the flags of eighth notes and sixteenth notes that are part of the same beat, in order to facilitate reading.

Lets take a look at a musical example using these note values. Note how eighth notes and sixteenth notes have been beamed together: There are shapes for even shorter values than that of the sixteenth note. Please visit the Reference Section for more information.

Eighth and Sixteenth Notes (quaver and semiquaver)

There are many possible combinations of eighth notes (quaver) and sixteenth notes (semiquaver) we can use. To make reading easier, it is necessary to learn to identify and comprehend these formulas of combinations. The following table shows some of the most common combinations. The sixteenth notes (semiquaver) below the written notes indicate the subdivision in four equal parts of the beat:

Develop your music reading skills using the Rhythmic Dictation exercise.

Eighth-Note (quaver) and Sixteenth-Note (semiquaver) Rests

There are also symbols to represent silence with the value of eighth notes (quaver) and sixteenth notes (semiquaver):

Note Eighth (quaver) Sixteenth (semiquaver)

Rest

Following we can see a few examples using rests. sixteenth notes (semiquaver) below the written notes indicate the subdivision in four equal parts of the beat:

Develop your music reading skills using the Rhythmic Dictation exercise.

Triplets
To this point, we have only subdivided each beat in two or four equal parts. However, it is also possible to divide a beat in three equal parts, with the use of triplets. Triplets are notated by writing the number 3 above the group of notes that will form the triplet. Note how, as in the second example, we can join two of the eighth notes that are part of the triplet, forming a quarter note inside the triplet:

Beat Unit
Until now, we have used the quarter note (crotchet) to represent the value of a beat. Nevertheless, we can indeed use any note value to serve as the beat unit. In time signatures the lower number indicates the kind of note that gets one beat, i.e., quarter note/crotchet (4), half note/minim (2), eighth note/quaver) (8), sixteenth/semiquaver note (16), etc. (see Time or Meter Signatures for more information). If we use 2 for the bottom number, the half note (minim) will then become the beat unit. We will now illustrate a series of rhythmic formulas written using the time signature of 2/2. Note that the half note (minim) now represents one beat, the quarter note (crotchet) is a half beat and the eighth note (quaver) is a fourth of a beat.

Please visit the Reference Section for more information.

Simple and Compound Meters

The kinds of measures we have studied so far use what is known as simple meter. With simple meters, each beat is subdivided in equal halves. In the case of a 4/4 meter, each beat is divided into two eighth notes, as we saw earlier. With compound meters, each beat is subdivided into three equal parts. We can tell a compound meter because it uses 6, 9 or 12 for the top number of the time signature. Lets take a look at several examples of the compound meter of 6 over 8 (6/8). This meter actually has two beats; the note value that has the value of a beat is the dotted quarter note (crotchet), which can be subdivided into three eighth notes (quaver).

Please visit the Reference Section for more information.

Reading Musical Notes

Now that we know how to read rhythms, how do we then read musical notes? Notes are written on a staff:

The clef assigns names to the notes. In the following example we show a staff with a treble clef. The treble clef is commonly used for high pitched instruments like the flute and the violin. This clef assigns the note G to the second line. Note how the treble clef shape seems to curl around the second line. All notes written on that line are a G:

The note written on the space above the G is an A and the one on the following line is a B. As you can see, the notes continue in order (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G) alternating lines and spaces:

Using ledger lines we can write notes higher than the G and lower than the D:

To help the memorization of notes on the staff it is useful to memorize the names of the notes over the lines and spaces:

The notes over the spaces make the word FACE. The notes over the lines can be memorized using the following phrase: Every Good Boy Does Fine. Practice note reading with our Clef Reading exercise.

An Example
With all of what we have learned already, we can start reading a simple example. Let's try the well-known melody of Frre Jacques.

Accidentals
All the notes we have seen so far correspond to the white keys of the piano keyboard. We will now see how to write notes that correspond to the black keys of the piano. Here we show how the white keys of the piano are written on the staff:

How do we write the black keys? Let's take an example. The black key located between the C and D keys can be notated by preceding the C with the symbol of the sharp accidental , or by

preceding the D with the symbol of the flat accidental . The other keys can be written in a similar way:

The distance between any key and the following one is called a half-step. The sharp symbol raises a note by a half-step, while the flat symbol lowers the note by a halfstep. For more information see:

Whole and Half Steps Accidentals Enharmonic

Translated by Dan Romn, English version revised by Sue Talley

Key Signatures
When a piece is not in the key of C Major or A Minor, it requires the use of regular accidentals. In order to avoid having to keep writing those accidentals, we can place them at the beginning of the piece using what is known as a key signature. For instance, a piece in the key of D Major makes regular use of the notes of Fsharp and C-sharp. The key signature of D Major will then utilize those two accidentals; meaning that when this key signature is present, all F and C notes are automatically raised and become sharp notes, unless they are preceded by the symbol of the natural accidental.

Following we have a fragment from Beethovens famous Ode to Joy, in the key of D Major. Note how all the F and C notes are played sharp: Practice key signatures construction and identification For more information see:

Key Signatures Identifying Key Signatures Building Key Signatures

What is an Interval?
An interval measures the distance between two notes. We have to know how to identify intervals in order to be able to identify chords and scales.

Name of Intervals
We count the degrees to find the interval. That is why it is important to know the order of the notes.

Some examples:

Interval Quality
Yet, not all intervals of the same numerical classification are of the same size. That is why we need to specify the quality by finding the exact number of whole and half steps in the interval. From any piano key to the next we have a half step:

Some seconds have 2 half steps or a whole step and some seconds have 1 half step. In the following example the second from C to D has a whole step while the one from B to C has only a half step:

The same thing happens with other intervals. That is why we need to specify the quality of the interval by finding the exact number of whole and half steps.

Seconds
Seconds are: major if they have 2 half steps or 1 whole step. minor if they have 1 half step. Examples of major seconds:

Examples of minor seconds:

NOTE: There are also augmented seconds. See our Reference for more information.

Thirds
Thirds are: major if they have 2 whole steps (4 half steps) minors if they have 1 1/2 whole step (3 half steps) Examples of major thirds:

Examples of minor thirds:

NOTE: There are also augmented and diminished thirds. See our Reference for more information.

Fourths
Fourths are: perfect if they have 2 1/2 whole steps (5 half steps) augmented if they have 3 whole steps (6 half steps) Examples of perfetct fourths:

Examples of augmented fourths:

NOTE: There are also diminished fourths. See our Reference for more information.

Fifths
Fifths are:

perfect if they have 3 1/2 whole steps(7 half steps) diminished if they have 3 whole steps (6 half steps) augmented if they have 4 whole steps (8 half steps) Examples of perfect fifths:

Examples of diminished fifths:

Examples of augmented fifiths:

Sixths
Sixths are: major if they have 4 1/2 whole steps (9 half steps)

minor if they have 4 whole steps (8 half steps) Examples of major sixths:

Examples of minor sixths:

NOTE: There are also augmented sixths. See our Reference for more information.

Sevenths
Sevenths are: major if they have 5 1/2 whole steps (11 half steps) minor if they have 5 whole steps (10 half steps) Examples of major sevenths:

Examples of minor sevenths:

NOTE: There are also diminished 7ths. See our Reference for more information.

Identification and Construction

There are more reliable, faster and easier methods to identify and construct intervals than counting whole and half steps. This animation will let you explore some of them. A brief description of each one: 1. Scales - if you know the major and minor scales in your instrument, you can use scales to identify intervals. For example: from D to A we have a perfect 5th because they are the 1st and 5th note of the D major and D minor scales. If the A is sharp, the interval gets bigger and becomes augmented. If the A is flat, the interval gets smaller and becomes diminished. 2. Chords - if you know the basic chords in your instrument (or the arpeggios), you can use chords to identify some intervals. For example: from D to A we have a perfect 5th because they are the 1st and 3rd note of the D major and D minor chords. If the A is sharp, the interval gets bigger and becomes augmented. If the A is flat, the interval gets smaller and becomes diminished. 3. Inversion - This method is very useful to work with big intervals like the 6th and the 7th since after inversion they become 3rds and 2nds. Isn't it easier to identify a 2nd than a 7th? See Inversion and Identifying by Using Inversions for more information.

Seconds Thirds Fourths Fifths Sixths Sevenths