Pitch & the Treble Clef
Staff Notation in Music Music is written down in a number of different ways around the world. In the West, most instruments use a method called staff notation. The music …
The Bass Clef
We’ve already learned about our first clef, the treble clef. For most low-pitched music (where most of it is lower than middle C), we use the bass clef. The bass …
Accidentals
In music theory, the term “accidentals” is used to describe some notes which have been slightly altered. Accidentals are the symbols which are placed before the note on the stave …
The Grand Staff
The notes on the treble and bass clefs staves all belong to the same “giant” stave which has 11 lines in total. This is called a “grand staff”. The middle …
Questions on Pitch (ABRSM Grade 5)
In the ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory exam you will be asked to identify the pitch of notes in any of the four main clefs – treble, bass, alto or …
The Tenor Clef
The Tenor Clef The tenor clef is a “C” clef, which means it shows us where middle C is written on the stave. We’ve already seen the alto clef (at …
The Alto Clef
The alto clef is a type of C clef. It’s a clef which tells you where middle C is located on the stave. (It’s not the only C clef – …
Technical Names of Scale Degrees
Technical names Each note of a scale can be given a number from 1-7. For example, in the key of C major, C=1st, D=2nd and so on. These are called …
Double Sharps/Flats and Enharmonics
Double Sharps The sharp symbol (#) raises the pitch of a note by a semitone (or “half step”). D# is one semitone higher than D, and F# is one semitone …
Ledger Lines
Ledger Lines We have met middle C in the both the treble clef and bass clef and found out that the little line that goes through the middle of the …