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Reading Music 10
KEY SIGNATURES

  1. The C Major scale
  2. The F and G Major scales
  3. Key Signatures
  4. Dotted Crotchets
  5. Quiz - Quiz Answers
  6. Exercises
  7. Song 'At the Hannans Ball'
  8. Lesson Material

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RM 10.1 - The C Major scale

A scale is a series of notes arranged in step wise order. It is the resource from which a piece of music is created. A song can be composed using one or more scales.

The major scale is the most important scale in Western music. The easiest one to remember is the C major scale, for it consists of all seven white keys on the keyboard.
The first note of the scale (in this case C) is called the tonic of the scale.

Audio 10.1
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This scale is constructed from two major tetrachords.

A tetrachord consists of 4 notes within the span of a perfect 4th (5 semitones, see Lesson 12). It was the smallest system used in ancient Greek music, and possibly derived from the four strings on an early Lyre.
Later, tetrachords were used to construct the ancient modes (predecessors of our present scales).

The four notes in a major tetrachord are spaced : tone - tone - semitone.
In the C major scale :

C -- tone -- D -- tone -- E - semitone - F
and
G -- tone -- A -- tone -- B - semitone - C

Audio 10.1
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The two major tetrachords of the C major scale are separated by a whole tone.

C ---- D ---- E -- F - tone - G ---- A ---- B -- C



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RM 10.2 - The F and G Major scales

The above note spacings do not only apply to the C major scale, but to the major scales in all the other 11 keys. (There is a major scale for each one of the 12 notes of the music system.)
For the major scale in each key the note spacings are :

Tone - Tone - Semitone - Tone - Tone - Tone - Semitone

For the F major scale :

Audio 10.2
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The F major scale must have a semitone between the 3rd and 4th note of the scale. Therefore the B is lowered one semitone to become Bb.
This produces a semitone between A and Bb and a whole tone between Bb and C.

For the G major scale :

Audio 10.3
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The G major scale must have a semitone between the 7th and 8th note of the scale. Therefore the F is raised one semitone to become F#.
This produces a semitone between F# and G and a whole tone between E and F#.



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RM 10.3 - Key Signatures

When a song is written using (predominantly) the F major scale the song is said to be in the key of F major. F is in this case the key note of the piece.

Obviously when using the F major scale most Bs will be Bbs.
To avoid writing this flat every time it occurs in a piece in the key of F major a flat is placed on the middle line of the staff after the Clef. This is called the key signature, and indicates that all Bs in the piece are flattened (to Bb) unless the flat is cancelled by a natural sign placed in front of an individual note.
Below two lines in the key of F major. The first one using individual flat signs, the second line using the appropriate key signature.

Audio 10.4
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There is an F# in the scale of G major. Accordingly, the key signature for G major is a sharp placed on the top F line after the Treble Clef.

Audio 10.5
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Unlike accidentals, the key signature applies to all notes with the same letter name regardless of where they occur (up or down) on the staff.
Compare for example the two third bars above.
In the upper example separate accidentals (within the one bar) are required for the low F in the space and the high F on the top line.
In the lower example the key signature covers both.



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RM 10.4 - Dotted Crotchets

As explained in Lesson 8, a dot placed behind a note (or rest) increases the length of that not by half its value.
Therefore a dotted crotchet is :

1 beat + 1/2 x 1 beat = 11/2 beats

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Here are some typical rhythms using dotted crotchets.
The rhythms in the first two 4/4 time bars are typical for many bass lines in Bossa Novas.

Audio 10.6
(The rhythm of each bar is played 4 times before moving to the next bar.)

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RM 10.5 - Quiz

  1. What is a scale ?

  2. What is the name for first note of any scale ?

  3. What is a tetrachord ?

  4. What is the interval pattern of the major scale expressed in tones and semitones ?

  5. What is a key signature ?

  6. Which occurs first on the staff the key signature or the time signature ?

  7. What is the key signature for G major ?

  8. What is the key signature for C major ?

  9. What is the key signature for F major ?

  10. What is the length of a dotted crotchet ?

  11. Can a dot also be placed behind a rest sign ?

  12. Name a music style that uses dotted crotchets in its bass rhythms.


Quiz ANSWERS



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RM 10.6 - Exercises

Exercise 10.1
Mark the major scales in all 12 keys on the Keyboard Diagrams of Exercise 10.1 in the same way as shown for the C scale.

Use the formula : Tone - Tone - Semitone - Tone - Tone - Tone - Semitone

ANSWERS to Exercise 10.1


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Exercise 10.2
Draw all bar lines at their correct positions in Exercise 10.2.

Tap the beat with your foot (or feet) while clapping (or calling out) each note in the exercises at their correct starting points.

Play Exercise 10.2 on your instrument at your own pace, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)

Play Exercise 10.2 on your instrument using a metronome, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)
ANSWERS to Exercise 10.2


Exercise 10.3
Draw all bar lines at their correct positions in Exercise 10.3.

Tap the beat with your foot (or feet) while clapping (or calling out) each note in the exercises at their correct starting points.

Play Exercise 10.3 on your instrument at your own pace, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)

Play Exercise 10.3 on your instrument using a metronome, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)
ANSWERS to Exercise 10.3



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RM 10.7 - Song : At the Hannans Ball

At The Hannans Ball features a simple chord progression made famous by Hoagy Carmichael's Heart and Soul and George Geshwin's I Got Rhythm.
It is the I - VIm - IIm - V chord progression. In the key of C :

Audio 10.7
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The keyboard left hand notation represents a typical stride bass pattern.
The bass notes are played long, the chord fragments are played staccato. Slur each bass note onto the first chord fragment as shown.

Audio 10.8
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Keyboard players can also play a simple left hand bass line, repeating C - A - D - G throughout the entire piece.




RM 10.8 - Lesson Materials
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ItemSheet MusicMidi Files
General files Manuscript paper
Exercises Exercise 10.1 Answers 10.1
Exercise 10.2 Answers 10.2 C instr. Bb instr. Eb instr.
Exercise 10.3 Answers 10.3 C instr. Bb instr. Eb instr.
Bass Clef Notation Exercise 10.2 Exercise 10.3 11.2 11.3
'At the Hannans Ball' Treble Clef
Bass Clef
Keyboard p.1
Keyboard p.2
C instr. Bb instr. Eb instr.
Metronomes 70 bpm 80 bpm 90 bpm


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