Learn to Read Music with JAZCLASS Welcome - The Two-Term Lesson Plan             What's online : Term 1 - Term 2 Transposing Instruments - Basic Theory 1 - Music Notation Course on CD - Jazclass Links

RM 1 - Welcome

Reading an overview of the Music Notation system (like Jazclass BT 1 and BT 2) is interesting and useful, but it does not make you an instant music reader. Learning to read music requires that you practise reading and playing from written music.

I have therefore adapted 10 lessons from the Music Notation Course (on CD or as download) for online use. Two new lessons, complete with quiz, exercises and midi file demos, will be uploaded half monthly. This is for you a great opportunity to get started on this most essential musical skill. After the first few lessons you will perhaps realise that reading music is not so difficult after all. You may also have gained sufficient determination and enthusiasm to continue your music reading efforts. If that proves to be the case the Music Notation Course will be an inexpensive and excellent companion on your road to ultimate success.

RM 2 - The Two-Term Lesson Schedule

The 10 lessons of the online Music Reading Course are divided into two Terms.
Term 1 covers Lessons 1 - 5, Term 2 covers Lesson 6 - 10.

Each lesson is online for one month, and is then replaced by the following lesson.
Two new Lessons will come online every 1st and every 15th of each month. One new lesson for Term 1 and one new lesson for Term 2.

After two and a half months Term 1 starts again at Lesson 1, and Term 2 starts again at Lesson 6. Both Terms are synchronised, so that after completing Lesson 5 from Term 1 you can go straight onto Lesson 6 (the first Lesson of Term 2) at the following upload.

RM 3 - What's on this Week : Term 1 - Term 2

	Term 1
	Date	Lesson	Main Subjects
	Feb 1	Lesson 1	The Keyboard - Note Letter names
	ONLINE	Lesson 2	The Great Staff - The Treble Clef
	ONLINE	Lesson 3	More notes on the Treble Clef - Intervals
	Jan 1	Lesson 4	The Bass Clef - The Piano Staff
	Jan 15	Lesson 5	Note Lengths - Bar lines
	(Down - Up - Top)
	Term 2
	Date	Lesson	Main Subjects
	Feb 1	Lesson 6	Leger Lines - Rests
	ONLINE	Lesson 7	Dotted Minims * - Ties - Repeats
	ONLINE	Lesson 8	Accidentals : Sharps - Flats - Naturals
	Jan 1	Lesson 9	Quavers * - Staccatos
	Jan 15	Lesson 10	Key Signatures - Major scales - Dotted Crotchets *

Please note that the dates shown below refer to Australian Eastern Standard Time. There is a North-South running date line across the Pacific Ocean halfway between the USA and Australia. Therefore if you reside in the USA new lessons may come online a day earlier than specified below.

RM 4 - Transposing Instruments

For most exercises there are three different Audio Demos. Make sure you listen to the ones that are in the pitch of your instrument.

• Bb instrument demos match the correct instrument pitches of the clarinet, trumpet, tenor sax and soprano sax.

• Eb instrument demos match the correct instrument pitches of the alto sax and baritone sax.

• C instrument demos match the correct instrument pitches of most other instruments (keyboard, guitar,bass, flute, trombone, violin, recorder, voice, etc).