Today We Begin... Make sure you have notebook and staff paper – you will want to take notes so you have a reference for your homework (it will be a couple weeks before we get our textbooks!)

Elements of Pitch Subtitle

Pitch ▪Pitch, in music, refers to the highness and lowness of a sound. ▪Pitches are named by using the first seven letters of the alphabet – A, B, C, D, E, F, and G

The Staff ▪A staff is used in music to indicate the precise pitch desired. ▪A staff consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces, but it may be extended indefinitely through the use of ledger lines ▪Every line or space represents a WHITE KEY on the keyboard

The Staff – Ledger Lines ▪A ledger line is a small line that extends the staff when we run out of room ▪Ledger Lines (high) ▪Ledger Lines (low)

Clefs ▪A clef must appear at the beginning of the staff ▪The clef determines which pitches are associated with which lines and spaces ▪4 Clefs: Treble, Bass, Alto, and Tenor – Correspond to different ranges ▪Treble: HIGHEST pitches ▪Alto ▪Tenor ▪Bass: LOWEST pitches

The Treble Clef – “G” Clef ▪The Treble Clef is also known as the G clef – it draws a “G” around the G line ▪It represents the highest range of pitches ▪Flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, and violin players all read treble clef

The Treble Clef – Lines & Spaces ▪The lines on the Treble Clef (from bottom to top) are E G B D F – “Every Good Boy Does Fine” ▪The spaces on the Treble Clef (from bottom to top) spell the word FACE

The Treble Clef - Practice ▪Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. DG C F

The Treble Clef - Practice ▪Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. AF D E

The Bass Clef – “F” Clef ▪The Bass Clef is also known as the F clef – the two dots surround the F line ▪It represents the lowest range of pitches ▪Bassoon, Trombone, Baritone/Euphonium, Tuba, Cello, and Bass players read bass clef

The Bass Clef – Lines & Spaces ▪The lines on the Bass Clef (from bottom to top) are G B D F A – “Good Boys Do Fine Always” ▪The spaces on the Bass Clef (from bottom to top) are A C E G – “All Cows Eat Grass”

The Bass Clef - Practice ▪Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. CE G E

The Bass Clef - Practice ▪Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time. GB B D

The Alto Clef – “C Clef” ▪The Alto Clef is known as a C Clef – the middle of the clef marks where middle C is ▪It is LOWER than the Treble clef, but HIGHER than the bass and tenor clefs ▪Violas play in alto clef

The Alto Clef – Lines and Spaces ▪The lines of the alto clef (from bottom to top) are F A C E G ▪The spaces (from bottom to top) are G B D F

The Alto Clef - Practice ▪Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time GD F D

The Tenor Clef – “C Clef” ▪The Tenor Clef is known as a C Clef – the middle of the clef marks where middle C is ▪It is LOWER than the Treble clef and Alto clefs, but HIGHER than the Bass clef ▪Trombones and bassoons will play in tenor clef (in their higher registers) C

The Tenor Clef – Lines and Spaces ▪The lines of the tenor clef (from bottom to top) are D F A C E ▪The spaces (from bottom to top) are E G B D

The Alto Clef - Practice ▪Name the pitch. Use your notes and take your time DC A E

Staff Relationships ▪Below is where Middle C is on Treble, Bass, Alto, and Tenor Clefs ▪Composers try to avoid ledger lines as much as possible – if the range of an instrument is consistently higher or lower than usual, the clef will change (if available – there is nothing higher than the treble clef. Flutes and clarinets read a LOT of ledger lines)

The Grand Staff ▪The Grand Staff is a staff that combines the treble and bass clefs ▪Middle C lands right between the two

Octave Registers ▪Octaves directly related to the keyboard ▪The C nearest the middle of the keyboard is called “Middle C” or C4. ▪Higher C’s (moving towards the right of the keyboard) are named C5, C6, and so on. ▪Lower C’s (moving towards the left) are named C3, C2, and C1. Notes below C1 are followed by a 0 – B0 and A0.

Octave Registers C4C5C6C7C8C3C2C1

Octave Registers ▪From any C up to or down to the next C is called an octave ▪All the pitches from on C up to, but not including the next C are said to be in the same octave register ▪The white key above C4 would be D4 because it is in the same octave register ▪However, the white key below C4 would be named B3 – (we go C-C because the C Major scale involves all the white keys)

Octave Registers C4 B3 D4 C3 B2 D3

Octave Registers - Practice ▪Middle C is C____ ▪Give the pitch and octave number ???? C4

Assignment ▪Complete Self-Test 1-1 And Exercise 1-1 ▪You may get started in class now – finish the rest for homework ▪This will be collected first thing tomorrow