http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/reading-music-learning-rhythms-time-signatures-and-counting.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/reading-music-learning-rhythms-time-signatures-and-counting.html Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500
All commonly used time signatures consist of one figure over another at the start of a piece or section of a piece of music. The top figure represents simply "how many" of whatever value the bottom figure relates to, will be in each bar of music in that piece or section. To understand what the figure on the bottom refers to, we need to understand a western evaluation (mainly US based) of note-lengths. This system expresses the semibreve (an open note without a stem) as a "whole note", and can therefore be thought of as being represented by the number 1. The note half the length of a semibreve is a minim but referred to in this system as a "half-note." It is an open note but with a stem either up or down from it. If we think of one-half written as a fraction we have the number 2 at the bottom, and the figure 2 at the bottom of a time signature also refers to "half-notes." Therefore in a time signature of 3 over 2, there are three half-notes in each bar. 2 over 2 would be two half-notes in each bar, etc.

The note one quarter of the length of a semibreve is a crotchet, but referred to in this system as a "quarter-note" - a filled-in note with a stem either up or down. One quarter as a fraction has a 4 on the bottom and a time signature of, say, 3 over 4 means there are three "quarter-notes" in each bar. 4 over 4 is four quarter-notes to a bar, etc.

The note one eighth of the length of a semibreve is a quaver - a filled-in note with a stem in either direction but also with a tail from the stem. Following the same system a time signature of 3 over 8 means there are three eighth-notes in a bar. 6 over 8 equals six eighth-notes in a bar, etc.

Now we understand what time signatures mean, we need to learn a little about how to count in music. Time signatures that have 2, 3 or 4 on the top are referred to as "Simple" times, where each beat of music could be divided into halves. These are counted using the number of each beat and an "and" for each beat that could be divided further, as in "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and" for a bar of 4 over 4 time. "1 and 2 and 3 and" is how to count a bar of 3 over 4 time.

Times that have 6, 9 or 12 at the top are "Compound" times, meaning each beat could be divided into thirds (not halves as in Simple time.) A bar of 6 over 8 has 6 eighth-notes in it but the eighth-notes are grouped in threes to form each beat. Therefore 6 over 8 is counted "1 and a 2 and a", showing us that this time signature has only 2 Compound beats in it, each beat being a total of three eighth-notes. To write one note equaling a beat in this case, we must write a dotted crotchet (a crotchet or quarter-note with a dot AFTER it.) The dot adds half the length of the normal value to the note. So a bar of 6 over 8 could have two dotted crotchet beats in it, or six quavers grouped in threes, or one dotted crotchet and three quavers, etc. A bar of 12 over 8 would be counted "1 and a 2 and a 3 and a 4 and a" to represent all of the thirds available for each beat.

There will be more explanations of Rhythms and Times in the next article.

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Brian Farley has been a worldwide professional Musical Director and pianist since 1974. His duet sheet music website "Easy Duets, Sheet Music for Schools, Musical Instrument Students" provides original musical duets and trios for early level students and some good free "reading musical notation" information.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/live-music-musicians-fascinate-uk-youngsters.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/live-music-musicians-fascinate-uk-youngsters.html Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
It is easy to see why therefore, that during my live gigs lately, I am frequently faced with a young person totally agape watching the live musician at work. They have no doubt become conditioned to accepting music as an impersonally generated medium and find it fascinating to witness the live, hands-on music creativity. Fortunately, this seems to be having an inspirational effect. Having spent most of my career working with theatre orchestras and larger musical combos, I have recently returned to working a lot of solo gigs as a cocktail pianist playing a variety of music styles but often older standards such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin, etc. The thing is, not only am I now finding I’m being booked by the youngster that first saw me a few years ago, but they are requesting that I play the same style of music for their wedding reception or birthday party. It seems that they have got into this sort of music through being made aware of it when I first played for them and they were so intrigued by it.

There is very little coverage on UK radio or television of any music style other than the most recent commercial music. The sad thing is that if younger people do not get the opportunity to witness other musical styles because it is not in the mainstream broadcasts and because live music is so rare, we are not giving them the chance to decide if they like it or not. We have therefore been creating a generation for many years that is one-tracked in its musical culture, when we should have been giving our youngsters much more choice.

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Brian Farley has been a worldwide professional Musical Director and pianist since 1974, and now operates "pianist4u.co.uk" from the UK as a cocktail pianist for weddings and other functions. His easy sheet music website "Easy Music Pieces" for those learning to play a musical instrument, provides simple original music solos with a recorded play-along accompaniment.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/musical-scales-why-change-the-minor-scale.html http://www.articletrader.com/entertainment/music/musical-scales-why-change-the-minor-scale.html Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0500
Playing the major scale pitches downwards starting on the 6th degree for an octave (the natural or relative minor) does produce a sad sound but has two serious drawbacks. Firstly, the same scale doesn’t sound quite right when going upwards. The reason for this is our second drawback – the scale does not have a leading-note. This is the note that makes all the difference to the chords at the end of a section or piece (the cadence), when the harmonies move pleasantly to the home or tonic chord by using the familiar sounding 7th note going up a semitone to the 8th note. Since all harmonies (chords) are built using the notes of the scale, without the leading note the cadences just don’t seem to do their job, sounding more like just two unrelated chords. It was decided that this just wasn’t good enough, and the scale must be given a leading note by raising its 7th degree by a semitone, and because we could use this scale going up or down and we built all the harmonies from it, it became known as the Harmonic Minor scale.

So far, so good, but now it was the turn of the vocalists to complain! Singers found it difficult to pitch the gap between the 6th note and the now raised 7th note of the Harmonic Minor scale, this gap now being 3 semitones or a tone and a half. It was decided therefore to adjust the Minor scale so that it was easier to sing but still pleasing to the ear whilst retaining its sad quality. It was also decided that in order to best achieve this, the scale would be made slightly different according to whether the notes were rising or falling. This was the birth of our Melodic Minor scale, named because it was derived from the melody sung, which, compared to the Major scale starting on its 6th degree, had a raised 6th and 7th when ascending but lowered these notes again when falling to revert back to the natural minor scale.

So now we can please everyone. Singers have the Melodic Minor scale that is easy to sing upwards and downwards, and instrumentalists have the Harmonic Minor scale with which to form all our harmonies and chords. As a plus, everyone can also borrow from the other just to be different!

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Brian Farley has been a worldwide professional Musical Director and pianist since 1974. His duet sheet music website "Easy Duets, Sheet Music for Schools, Musical Instrument Students" provides original musical duets and trios for early level students and some good free "reading musical notation" information.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>