Reading Music 8 ACCIDENTALS Tones & Semitones Sharps & Flats Naturals The Chromatic scale Quiz - Quiz Answers Exercises Song - 'Careless Love' Lesson Material RM Main Page - Links to Jazclass Music Reading Course Complete Music Notation Overview : Basic Theory 1 - Basic Theory 2
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RM 8.1 - Tones & Semitones

From the 7-note system used by the Greeks the present day Western music system developed. From approximately the 11th to the 15th Century five new notes (the black keys on the piano) were added to the system.
As a result our present music system now contains 12 notes (7 white keys and 5 black keys) evenly spaced over one complete octave.

Audio 8.1

A semitone is the distance between two adjacent notes, whether black or white. Some white notes have black ones between them, but there is no black key between E and F, and no black key between B and C. Therefore the distance between E and F, and also between B and C, is only 1 semitone.

RM 8.2 - Sharps & Flats

To notate the black key notes on the staff system sharp and flat signs are used.

A sharp (#) placed in front of a note raises that note by a semitone.
For example a sharp placed in front of the F becomes F# ('F sharp'), which is the black note between F and G.

A flat (b) placed in front of a note lowers that note by a semitone.
For example a flat placed in front of the B becomes Bb ('B flat'), which is the black note between A and B.

Notes can be written in two different ways :

F# is the same as Gb A# is the same as Bb

B# is the same as C Cb is the same as B

E# is the same as F Fb is the same as E

These pairs are called enharmonic equivalents.

RM 8.3 - Naturals

A natural sign cancels a sharp or flat.

A sharp or flat stays in force for the remainder of the bar in which it occurs for all notes on that line, or in that space, unless it is cancelled by a natural.

When a sequence of notes goes up or down in semitone steps (a 'chromatic' run) :

• use sharps when the run is going up

• use flats when the run is going down

This minimises the number of accidentals required.
The music should therefore be written as in Example A below, not as in Example B.

Audio 8.2

RM 8.4 - The Chromatic scale

The Western music system uses 12 notes within each octave. On the keyboard these are the 7 white keys and 5 black keys.

When all twelve notes within the octave are placed in ascending (or descending) order they form the chromatic scale ('chromatic' means 'colour').

The chromatic scale is called a symmetric scale, because all the notes in the scale are spaced at equal (semitone) intervals.

Audio 8.3

When ascending the chromatic scale (or a chromatic passage) is written with sharp signs.

When descending the chromatic scale (or a chromatic passage) is written with flat signs.

RM 8.5 - Quiz

1. What is a semitone ?
   
   
2. What is a whole tone ?
   
   
3. How many semitones are there in one octave ?
   
   
4. How many whole tones are there in one octave ?
   
   
5. Name three types of accidentals.
   
   
6. How long does an accidental stay in force ?
   
   
7. Does a sharp in the F space on a Treble Clef also change any F note on the top line to F# ?
   
   
8. What are enharmonic equivalents ?
   
   
9. What is the enharmonic equivalent of F ?
   
   
10. What is the enharmonic equivalent of B ?
    
    
11. Which 5 notes are used in Exercise 8.2 - C, and what can you observe about them ?
    
    
12. Which 6 notes are used in Exercise 8.2 - D, and what can you observe about them ?
    
    
13. How many semitones are the intervals between the following notes ?
    

    The first note is in each case the lower one. C - E D - F G - C C - B F - C E - D B - C D - E

RM 8.6 - Exercises

Exercise 8.1

Exercise 8.1 : Draw a Treble Clef* at the start of each staff. Then identify each note.
Record your answers on a copy of Answer Sheet 1.
Play Exercise 8.1 as on the Demo.
ANSWERS to Exercise 8.1

* = If you wish to practice Bass Clef notation , draw a Bass Clef instead and identify all notes of Exercise 8.1 as Bass Clef notes.
Record your answers on a copy of Answer Sheet 1.
Play Exercise 8.1 as on the Demo.
ANSWERS to Exercise 8.1 (for Bass Clef Exercise)

Exercise 8.2

Draw all bar lines at their correct positions in Exercise 8.2.

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 8.2 on your instrument at your own pace, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them (1 2 3 4) in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)

Play Exercise 8.2 on your instrument using a metronome, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them (1 2 3 4) in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)
ANSWERS to Exercise 8.2

Exercise 8.3

Tap the beat with your foot (or feet) while clapping (or calling out) each note in Exercise 8.3 at their correct starting points.

Play Exercise 8.3 on your instrument at your own pace, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them (1 2 3 4) in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)

Play Exercise 8.3 on your instrument using a metronome, while tapping the beats with your foot (or feet) and counting them (1 2 3 4) in your mind. (Notation for BASS CLEF players)

RM 8.7 - Song : Careless Love

Careless Love also features the I, IV and V7 chords, this time of the G major scale (see Lesson 10).
There is an F# in the G major scale, this produces the D major triad (D F# A) or D7 chord (D F# A C) as the V chord.

Audio 8.4
(Played 1 octave lower as written.)

Two other chords, G7 and Cm, occur in Careless Love. (These two chords do not fit into the G major scale and represent short modulations into other keys (see Lesson 10).

To convert a major triad into a minor triad simply lower the middle note of the stack by a semitone.

Audio 8.5

RM 8.8 - Lesson Materials