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Year 10

Score Reading Reference

RHYTHM

NOTE AND REST VALUES

French
English Time American
Note counting Value Rest
Name Time Name
syllables

Semibreve Whole Note Ta-a-a-a 4

Minim Half Note Ta-a 2

Crotchet Quarter Note Ta 1

Quaver Eighth Note Ta-ti

Sixteenth
Semiquaver Ta-fa-ti-fi
Note

DOTTED NOTES
A dot next to a note or rest increases the original value by half.
Year 10
Score Reading Reference
GROUPINGS
Notes and rests in simple time are grouped into crotchet beats.

No

Yes

TRIPLETS
Triplets are when 3 notes are played in the time of 2.

= play 3 notes in the time of 2 quavers (a crotchet)

= play 3 notes in the time of 2 semiquzvers (a quaver)

= play 3 notes in the time of 2 minims (a semibreve)

TREMOLO
Tremolos are used as short hand to avoid having to write a lot of notes.
Written Played

Tremolo play as fast as possible

Repeated semiquavers. In this case, a


minims worth of semiquavers. (This is
a measured tremolo)

Repeated quavers. In this case, a


minims worth of quavers. (This is a
measured tremolo)
Year 10
Score Reading Reference

TIME SIGNATURES

You need to know the following time signatures

simple duple simple triple simple quadruple common time

2 crotchet beats per 3 crotchet beats per 4 crotchet beats per 4 crotchet beats per
bar bar bar bar

PITCH

You need to know the pitch of notes in the following 4 clefs.


What it looks like
Clef Name Alternative Name
Middle C

Treble Clef G clef

Alto Clef C clef

Tenor Clef C clef

Bass clef F clef

Vocal tenor clef


Year 10
Score Reading Reference
TREBLE CLEF
Notes on lines: Every Good Boy Drinks Fanta
Notes in spaces (Dirty) FACE (George)

BASS CLEF
Notes on lines: Great Big Dogs From Africa
Notes in spaces: All Cows Eat Grass

LEDGER LINES
Use ledger lines when you run out of space on the stave.
Pitch names still follow the line-space-line-space pattern.
Year 10
Score Reading Reference
ACCIDENTALS

Double Sharp Play the note 2 semitones higher

Sharp Play the note 1 semitone higher

Natural Restores the note to normal

Flat Play the note 1 semitone lower

Double Flat Play the note 2 semitones lower

ENHARMONIC EQUIVALENT

Notes that are written differently but sound the same e.g. E# and F
Year 10
Score Reading Reference
INTERVALS
An interval is the distance between 2 notes.
MELODIC intervals are horizontal. HARMONIC intervals are vertical.

minor 7th Major 3rd


(harmonic) (melodic)

Name Short name Number of Semitones


Perfect unison Unis 0

minor 2nd min 2 1

Major 2nd Maj 2 2

minor 3rd min 3 3

Major 3rd Maj 3 4

Perfect 4th Perf 4 5


Tritone / Augmented 4th /
Aug 4 / dim 5 6
Diminished 5th / Diabola in musica
Perfect 5th Perf 5 7

minor 6th min 6 8

Major 6th Maj 6 9

minor 7th min 7 10

Major 7th Maj 7 11

Perfect Octave (8ve) Perf 8 12


Year 10
Score Reading Reference

KEY SIGNATURES

You need to know the key signatures up to 2 sharps and 2 flats, majors and minors.

Use Father Charles to help you.

Order of Sharps: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Order of Flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Father

The Circle of Fifths:

Is it Major or minor? Major: start at C


Minor: start at A

How many sharps or flats? Sharps: count to the right e.g. D Major has 2 sharps
Flats: count to the left e.g. F Major has 1 flat

Which sharps or flats are they? Order of sharps is FCGDAEB e.g. if 4 sharps: FCGD
Order of flats is BEADGCF e.g. if 3 flats: BEA
Year 10
Score Reading Reference
RELATIVE KEYS
Major and minor keys go in pairs. A Major and a minor with the same key signature are called
relatives.

Major minor

No sharps or flats C a (+G#)

1 sharp (F#) G e (+D#)

2 sharps (F#, C#) D b (+A#)

1 flat (Bb) F d (+C#)

2 flats (Bb, Eb) Bb g (+F#)

In pieces in a minor key, you will see raised 7th notes (leading notes) as accidentals

PLACEMENT OF KEY SIGNATURES

Below you can see where the first 2 sharps and flats are placed on the stave in each clef.
It is important that these are drawn accurately.
Year 10
Score Reading Reference
MAJOR SCALES

G Major scale ascending, without key signature

G Major scale descending, without key signature

G Major scale ascending, with key signature

All ascending Major scales follow the pattern:

Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone


Year 10
Score Reading Reference
MINOR SCALES
There are 3 different types of minor scales.

Natural minor
As per key signature
e.g. E Natural Minor

Harmonic minor
Raise the leading note (7th note) with an accidental.
e.g. A Harmonic Minor

Melodic minor
Ascending: raise the submediant and leading note (6th and 7th)
Descending: lower them back to normal (as per key signature)
e.g. D Melodic Minor

DEGREES OF THE SCALE


I = Tonic
II = Supertonic
III = Mediant
IV = Subdominant
V = Dominant
VI = Submediant
VII = Leading Note
(VIII / I = Tonic)
Year 10
Score Reading Reference

CHORDS

BUILDING CHORDS
Triads are chords with 3 notes a root, a third, and a fifth.

IF the root is on a line, the 3rd and 5th will also be on lines.

IF the root is in a space, the 3rd and 5th will also be in spaces.

NAMING CHORDS
Roman Numerals chords are numbered according to the key.
Jazz/Rock chords are named with the letter of the root note.

Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Roman
I II III IV V VI VII
Numeral
e.g.
in C Major

Jazz/Rock C Dm Em F G Am B

PRIMARY CHORDS
These are the most common and important chords in any key: I (tonic), IV (subdominant) and V
(dominant)
Year 10
Score Reading Reference

TEXTURE

Texture describes how busy the music is, and how the different layers of sound work together.

Textures can also be described as thick (many parts) or thin (fewer parts).

MONOPHONIC one melody, everybody playing in unison.

HOMOPHONIC one main melody with accompaniment.

POLYPHONIC 2 or more melodies overlapping.


Year 10
Score Reading Reference

PERFORMANCE DIRECTIONS

ARTICULATION

Staccato short, detached

Slur smooth (legato)

Accent play with more force

Tenuto held for full value

TEMPO MARKINGS EXPRESSION MARKINGS


Adagio slowly Cantabile in a singing style
Andante walking pace Dolce sweetly
Moderato moderate speed Espressivo expressively
Allegro fast Maestoso majestically
Vivace lively Tranquillo calmly
Presto very fast Pesante heavily
Giocoso joyfully
A tempo in time; go back to the original Molto very; much
speed
Accelerando (accel) gradually get faster
Rallentando (rall) broadening; gradually
get slower
Ritardando (ritard.); Ritenuto (rit.) gradually
get slower
Year 10
Score Reading Reference
DYNAMICS

pp pianissimo sfz fz sforzando

p piano sf subito forte

mp mezzo piano fp fortepiano

mf mezzo forte piu f more loudly

f forte meno f less loudly

ff fortissimo
crescendo

decrescendo /
diminuendo

TERMS AND SIGNS


MUSICAL ROAD SIGNS

D.C Da Capo go back to the beginning

D.S Dal. Segno Go back to the sign

Segno sign

Fine Finish. The End.

Repeat

First and second time ending bars

COMMON SIGNS
Metronome
marking 120
Glissando slide
crotchet beats per
minute
Roll the chord
play the notes
Play an octave higher
separately but
quickly

Play an octave lower Rehearsal Mark


Year 10
Score Reading Reference

Fermata / pause Melisma more


hold the note for than one note per
longer than written syllable

Tie same pitch notes.


Hold the note for the Syllabic one note
length of all values tied per syllable
together

4 bars rest

STRING TECHNIQUES

Divisi divide
Down Bow div
the parts

Tremolo play
as fast as possible
Up Bow
at the tip of the
bow
Pizzicato pluck
pizz con sordino With mute
the string

Play with the


Arco Harmonic
bow

Double stopping
play 2 notes at Violin = GDAE
once Viola = CGDA
Triple stopping open strings Cello = CGDA
play 3 notes at Double Bass =
once, bottom 2 EADG
then top 2

ORNAMENTS

Trill Turn Mordent Appogiatura Acciacatura


Year 10
Score Reading Reference

COMPOSITIONAL DEVICES

Repetition repeat the idea repeat the idea

Imitation another instrument/voice repeats the idea

Sequence repeat the idea higher or lower

Diminution shorter note values

Augmentation longer note values

Inversion upside down

Retrograde backwards

Retrograde Inversion backwards and upside down

Fragmentation break the idea into little pieces

Register Displacement put some notes in a different octave

Word Painting make the music match the lyrics (e.g. mountain ascend to high
note, maybe also loud with Major chord)

FORM

Form (structure) in Music is usually described with different letters for different/contrasting sections.
Some common forms are:

2 contrasting sections, often divided with


Binary A B
repeat signs
2 contrasting sections then back to the
first section. Sometimes D.S. al Fine
Ternary A B A
instead of writing out first section again
at end.
Strophic A A1 A2 A3 A4 verses
12 Bar Blues I I I I IV IV I I V IV I I A 12 bar chord pattern

Used in the first movement of most


symphonies and sonatas. 2 main themes
Exposition Development
Sonata Form which are in contrasting keys (I and V or
Recapitulation - Coda
Maj and min), then they are developed,
then restated in the tonic key.
Year 10
Score Reading Reference

INSTRUMENTS
SCORE LAYOUT
On a conductors score, the layout from top to bottom is:
Woodwind flute
oboe
clarinet
bassoon
Brass french horn
trumpet
trombone
tuba
Percussion timpani
others (grouped by player)
Other (e.g. piano) choir
banjo
guitar
harp
piano
Strings violin 1
violin 2
viola
cello
double bass

FOREIGN NAMES FOR INSTRUMENTS


ENGLISH ITALIAN FRENCH GERMAN
Flute Flauto Flte Flte
Oboe Oboe Hautbois Oboe
Clarinet Clarinetto Clarinette Klarinette
Bassoon Fagotto Bassoon Fagott
French Horn Corno Cor Horn
Trumpet Tromba / Clarino Trompette Trompete
Trombone Trombone Trombone Posaune
Tuba Tuba Tuba Tuba
Timpani Timpano Timbales Pauken
Violin Violino Violon Violine / Geige
Viola Viola Alto Bratsche
Cello Violoncello Violoncelle Cello
Double Bass Contrabasso Contrebasse Kontrabass
Year 10
Score Reading Reference

ENSEMBLES
Some common ensembles are:

String Quartet Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello

String Orchestra Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

Piano Trio Violin, Cello, Piano

Wind Quintet Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn, Bassoon

Jazz Band Saxophones, Trumpets, Trombone, Piano, Bass Drums

Concert Band Woodwind, Brass, Percussion

Symphony Orchestra Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, Strings

Chamber Orchestra A smaller orchestra of Woodwind, Brass, Percussion

Voices.
SATB choir = Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Choir
SSA choir = Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto
TTBB choir = Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Bass 1, Bass 2

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