INTRO TO MUSIC THEORY

Mr. Kevin Kleindl

Mr. Nate Raabe
 Unit 1
Elements of
Music
Chapter 1:
Pitch and Pitch Class
• Intro to Pitch
• The Piano Keyboard
• Reading Pitches from a Score
• Dynamic Markings
 Intro to Pitch

• When we follow a piece of music we are reading a

Score

• How do we know what notes are what…………

The Musical Alphabet
 Musical Alphabet

• Think of it as an endless
Circle

• Now skip each one; What

are we doing?

• How fast can you go

backwards or downwards?

• How about forward or

upwards?
 `
What is 8 above “C”?
-an Octave
All “C”’s belong to the same
Pitch Class
That differs from Pitch
The opening beat differs in
Timbre (tamber) but still
belong in the same pitch class
The Piano Keyboard
When you look at a piano separate it into 2 different groups;
White Keys and Black Keys
Locate the keys in relation to the two- and three- note groups of
black keys
Middle C is the C closest to the middle of the piano
Black Keys are the “Sharp” and “Flat” keys
When the keys share a note name, it is called an “Enharmonic”
Sharps and flat symbols are called “accidentals”. Another
accidental is a “Natural” which cancels a sharp or flat
 Half Steps & Whole Steps
The distance between notes is called an “Interval”.
Intervals are made up of whole steps and half steps.
“Half Steps” are also called “Semi-Tones”
“Whole Steps” are also called “Whole Tones”
The final 2 accidentals: A “Double Sharp (x)” raises a pitch 2 half
steps or 1 whole step. A “Double Flat (bb)” lowers a pitch 2 half steps
or 1 whole step.
 Reading Pitches from a Score

• The “Staff” is the specific

pitches that are located on
lines or spaces

• Notes vary based on the

“Clef” which is the
symbol that appears to the
far left of every staff
 The Staff

• Treble Clef is generally used for higher notes,

played by the piano’s right hand

• Bass Clef is used for lower notes, played by the

piano’s left hand

• Ledger Lines allow us to write lower or higher

notes on short lines
 The Staff

• Note Heads are the main oval part of the note

• Stems are the lines that either go up or down on

the note head.

• Flags are the lines that go either on top of or on

the bottom of the stem.
 C Clefs?

• The C Clef is a movable clef that positions itself on the

staff to identify Middle C.

• The C Clef can be positioned on any of the lines on the

staff
 Choral Tenor
Clef
It looks like a treble clef
with a small 8 attached
beneath it.
 Registers and Grand Staff

• When you name pitches there is a specific octave placement

based on “C” and 1-8

• The Grand Staff is the two staves, one in treble clef and one in
bass clef connected by a brace

• Ottava Sign (8va)(8vb) means either an octave higher (8va) or

an octave below (8vb)
Dynamic
Markings
 Terms You Should Know…

• Accidentals-Flats, Sharps, Natural, Double Flat, Double Sharp

• Clef-Treble Clef, Bass Clef, C-Clefs, Alto & Tenor

• Counting in Thirds • Ledger Line

• Dynamic Markings • Musical Alphabet
• Octave
• Enharmonics • Octave equivalence
• Grand Staff • Pitch
• Pitch Class
• Half Step • Staff
• Whole Step
• Interval