This week I’m covering a few essentials to reading music; sharps, flats and naturals. I forgot a couple things so I’ll include em in the next lesson, but this will help you understand some components of playing the piano.
This week I’m covering a few essentials to reading music; sharps, flats and naturals. I forgot a couple things so I’ll include em in the next lesson, but this will help you understand some components of playing the piano.
Comments
4 responses to “Music Tip Monday: Reading Music – Part 3”
Very cool. Part of the whole sharp/flat thing as well, just to add to your lesson, is it’s telling you what key the music is in. For example, the key of G always has the F#. I’m pretty sure composers choose a key to write in, then change what notes need to be changed throughout. Not sure if you are familiar with scales, but the way I was taught, you start with middle C which has no sharps or flats, then go to G, which has one sharp, D which has 2, etc. all the way back to middle C. It’s the best way I learned how to remember which scales had which sharps/flats in them. Also cool to note, sharps are a half step-up, while flats are a half-step down, which means a note that is G flat is also the same as saying a note is F#. Sorry for the essay, just adding to what you already said really!
One of the greatest things about having this blog is I know if I leave something out or get something wrong, someone will help me out. Thanks for elaborating on this! I meant to talk about that aspect of key signatures and kind of got sidetracked (I had just taken NyQuil for a cold and was a bit loopy 🙂 )
I’ll have to do a long review video when we are all done with learning how to read music.
Jesse,
I am loving this websight. Jenni is taking a keyboarding class and I am teaching a music class and we take some of your tips to both of those. Then we just enjoy the music you play each week.
One tip I would add: You need to keep your terminology straight because it gets a little confusing sometimes. For example: keys are the things you press on the keyboard – they are black and white. Notes are the dots written on the sheet music to tell you what keys to press.
Also, the white keys are not all a whole step apart. Notice there are no black keys between b and c or e and f. Our western music is set up in that pattern so if you move a song up or down on the keyboard you have to change the key signiture to keep the same pattern or is sounds wrong. That is why there are sharps and flats to keep the pattern straight.
I am sure that is too complicated to get into much. But something to be aware of.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. I’m learning this all myself as I go so please correct anything I get wrong.