Those who perform professionally, know the importance of understanding even the most basic of music terms. Newcomers of the music world are often intimidated after realizing that there are thousands upon thousands of music terms, in several different languages.
Musicology: The Study of Music
This guide will help decipher some of the most basic of music terminology. Anyone seeking a career in music should learn to read sheet music at one point or another.
How to Read Sheet Music
A music staff is the set of five lines and four spaces that run horizontally across the page. Similar to a dash, the smaller lines that may appear above and below the staff are referred to as ledger lines.
At the beginning of the staff is a type of clef. The clef is a symbol that will indicate the potential pitches available within the staff. There are four commonly used clefs:
- Bass clef
- Tenor clef
- C clef
- Treble clef
In addition to these four, there are a variety of other clefs that were either used historically, or are extremely rare in the world of music. These clefs are considered to be extinct within the world of modern music, and may be discovered in music history.
Understanding Key Signatures
Following the clef, there may or may not be a set of symbols, called accidentals:
- The flat (which looks somewhat like a ‘b,’) tells the musician that the corresponding notes on that line or space of the music are lowered by one semi-tone.
- The sharp (which looks like a ‘#,”) tells the musician that the corresponding notes on that line or space of the music are raised by one semi-tone.
- The natural, (which looks like a ‘?,’) tells the musician that any sharps or flats found on those lines or spaces throughout the music are canceled out.
All together, these symbols make up with is called the key signature. The symbols in the key signature are placed on specific lines or spaces to represent a key.
In some cases, there are no symbols. The lack of symbols is C Major.
Understanding Time Signatures
Following the key signature is what is known as the time signature. The time signature consists of two numbers that appear as a fraction. The top number tells the musician how many beats in every measure. The bottom number, which can only be 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16, corresponds to a specific note. For example, 1 is the whole note, 2 is the half note, 4 is a quarter note, and so on.
Understanding all of the basic symbols is the first step toward learning to properly read music. Following this, music notes are the next step toward understanding the music as it is printed onto the page. Overall, sheet music can easily be understood through learning with patience.
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