Music Reading Savant

Parts Of A Music Note (Printable)

March 5, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

What are the different parts of a music note?

Have you ever thought about this before?

Each of the 4 parts have their own name and serve an important function.

Part 1 – The Notehead

The is the oval shape (filled in or empty).

The placement of the notehead on the music staff (on a line or in a space) tells us the official letter name of the note.

Part 2 – The Stem

The stem is the little “stick” found attached to the notehead going up on the right or down on the left.

Part 3 – The Flag

Most commonly found attached to the stem, the flag indicates the rhythmic value of the note. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: parts of a music note

Stem Direction (Printable)

February 26, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

Do the stems of music notes go up or down?

How do I know what to do and when?

This little chart showing you the stem direction of notes will help you get unstuck quickly and back to writing music.

Stem Direction

The 3rd line tells us everything we need to know.

#1 – Any note on the 3rd line and above will have the stems going down on the left.

#2 – Any note below the 3rd line will have stems going up on the right.

Keep It Simple & Stay Productive

The biggest reason why people get stuck is because they are taking something simple and making it too complicated. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: stem direction

Dotted Notes (Printable)

February 12, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

What do you do when you see dotted notes?

How much are they worth?

How do I figure this out?

Dotted Notes

This guide was created to help you remember visually how to solve the dotted notes.

Whenever you see a dot attached to a note, you need to first remember the dot rule.

Dot Rule – Add half the value of the note to the note

How To Solve It

Step #1 – Look at the note the dot is attached to and divide it in half. This gives us the value of the dot. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: dotted notes

Dotted Rests (Printable)

February 10, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

The dotted rests can sometimes cause a little confusion, but they are not as difficult as you might think.

I created this little chart to help you visually understand the dot rule and how to apply it to the rests.

Dot Rule

This rule will help you understand the function and value of the dot in the easiest way possible.

Dot Rule = Add half the value of the rest to the rest

How To Apply It

You can figure out the total value of any dotted rest by using a little simple math. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: dotted rests

Ties & Slurs (Printable)

February 9, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

This little printable chart shows you the difference between ties and slurs.

Do you know what that is?

Ties

A tie uses a curved line between 2 or more notes that are the same.

This tells us to play or sing the first note you see and hold it for the value of the notes connected together.

You will not re-play or sing the other notes tied to the first note.

In other words, a whole note “F” tied to another whole note “F” will be held for a total of 8 counts (in a 4/4 time signature). The second “F” will not be played again.

Slurs

A slur also uses a curved line between 2 or more notes, but this time the notes are different. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: ties and slurs

Grand Staff (Printable)

February 7, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

The grand staff is read primarily by pianists and is made up of seven parts.

Each element has it’s own important purpose in helping us read music.

#1 – Treble Clef

The treble clef represents the higher notes on the piano that are played with the right hand.

#2 – Bass Clef

The bass clef is for the left hand and is used for reading the lower notes on the piano.

#3 – Brace

The brace (or sideways mustache) connects the treble clef staff and bass clef staff together. Pianists read both simultaneously. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: grand staff

Bass Clef Sign (Printable)

January 30, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

The bass clef sign is simple enough to draw, but if you’re still not sure, this handy printable guide just might be what you’re looking for.

It’s as easy as 3 little steps…

Step 1

Draw a dot on the 4th line (2nd line down from the top) of the music staff.

Step 2

Make an ear-shaped curve that extends down to the bottom (1st) line of the staff.

Step 3

Add one dot above the 4th line and one dot below the 4th line of the staff. Both dots should be on the right-hand side of the ear-shape you just made. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: bass clef sign

Treble Clef Sign (Printable)

January 29, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

The treble clef sign is one of those music symbols that looks much more difficult to draw than it really is.

It’s as simple as 4 easy steps.

This is good news for those who don’t have time to worry about making it look pretty.

In fact, professional musicians and composers could care less about how neat it looks.

They just need to get the music out of their head and down on paper as quickly as possible.

Drawing The Treble Clef Sign

Take a look at how this chart takes you visually through each step.

No written words are necessary, but I’m going to give you a little description here anyways. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: treble clef sign

Bass Clef Notes (Printable)

January 27, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

How are those bass clef notes doing?

Are you able to remember them okay?

If you’re having trouble, this printable one-page chart may be a handy reminder.

How To Work The Chart

1. Begin at the bottom of the music staff and work your up to the top.

2. Use one of your favorite sayings to help you remember the notes of the lines and spaces.

Lines

Good – Boys – Do – Fine – Always

Grizzly – Bears – Don’t – Fly – Airplanes

Spaces

All – Cows – Eat – Grass [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beginner Music Reading Tips Tagged With: bass clef notes

Treble Clef Notes (Printable)

January 26, 2014 by Teresa Leave a Comment

Are you having trouble remembering the treble clef notes?

This printable chart is a good reminder of how to think through it quickly.

How To Use It

1) Start at the bottom of the staff and work your way up.

2) Create your own mnemonic device (or saying) to help you remember the lines and spaces or use one of these: