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Music Notations Tommaso Zillio www.musictheoryforguitar.com
Contents 1
Rhythmic Notation 1.1 Time Signature 1.2 Beat Division . . 1.3 Rests . . . . . . 1.4 Triplets . . . . . 1.5 Dotted notes . . 1.6 Tied notes . . .
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5 5 6 7 7 8 8
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Standard Notation 9 2.1 Treble Clef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2.2 Accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2.3 Bass Clef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3
Tablature
12
4
Nashville Number System
13
5
Classical Roman Numerals Notation
15
6
Printable Tab and Score Pages
16
A Tables of chords in a given key
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1
Rhythmic Notation
The basic unit of rhythm is the beat, which corresponds basically at the speed at which you tap your foot when listening to music. One tap is one beat. A bar (also called measure) is made by a fixed number of beats. The number of beats per bar is usually specified at the beginning of the song by means of the time signature ( 44 or 43 or similar).
1.1 Time Signature There are many types of time signatures, here we will treat only the simplest (and most common) ones. 4
•
, read “four fourths” is by far the most common time signature in modern music, so much that it is also called “common time” (it may be notated by a “C” rather than by 44 ). In 44 every bas has 4 beats, so a bar corresponds to counting: 1,2,3,4.
•
(three fourths) where a bar lasts 3 beats. Waltz are the most well-known example of music written in 43 .
•
(two fourths) where a bar lasts 2 beats. This time signature is typical of polkas and some marches.
•
(five fourths) where a bar lasts 5 beats. It is less common than the others, you can hear it in “Take Five” by Dave Brubeck.
4
3
4
2
4
5
4
So far so good, but what happens if the number at the bottom is not a 4? Well, the most common case happens when this number is 8. Traditionally then the lower number is 8, then the upper number is a multiple of 3 (such as 6, 9, or 12). This combination means we want to specific that every beat is then subdivided in three. Let’s see these cases one by one. 6
•
(six eights) is made by two beats divided in three. This corresponds to count “one-and-a two -and-a”. In music this is different than a 43 , that would correspond to count either “One two three ” o r “One and two and three and” (the second counting happens when we divide each beat in two, see below).
•
(nine eights) is made by three beats each divided in three: “ one-and-a two -and-a three-and-a”.
•
12
8
9
8
(twelve eights) is made by four beats each divided in three: “ one-and-a two-anda three-and-a four-and-a”. This is the time signature used for most Blues. 8
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1.2
Beat Division
Let’s take a bar in 44 . As mentioned previously, this bar correspond to count 1,2,3,4. Different notes length take their names from how they divide a 44 bar. Let’s see how we can divide this bar with notes. We can play a single note throughout the bar. This note is then four beats long and it is called a whole note. It covers a whole 44 bar after all! Click here to hear Example 1:
We can split the bar in half by playing two notes two beat long each. Notes this long are called half notes (Click here to hear Example 2):
We can divide it with 4 notes one beat each. These are called quarter notes (Click here to hear Example 3):
Can we go beyond? Sure, we can divide the bar in 8 notes, each one half a beat long.
ˇ“(
We will call these eight notes. They can be notated this way when alone , but when there are more together, they are usually joined together to make it easier to understand where the beats are (Click here to hear Example 4):
ˇ“)
We can divide the bar in 16 notes. Now it takes 4 of these notes to make a beat! These are called sixteenth notes. Again they can be notated when alone, and tied together when there are more to make the beats clearer ( Click here to hear Example 5):
We can divide the bar in 32 notes; 8 of these notes will be one beat long. Logically, we call these notes thirty-second notes. These two can be notated one-by-one as together (Click here to hear Example 6):
ˇ“* or tied
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All these note durations can be mixed in any possible way to create any rhythm. For instance (Click here to hear Example 7):
1.3
Rests
What happens if we do not want to play a beat, but have some silence there instead? As we have symbols for sound (the notes) we have symbols for silence: the rests. For every note duration there is a rest of the same duration as shown here: Duration
Note Symbol Rest Symbol
Whole Half Quarter Eight Sixteenth Thirty-second
¯ ˘“ ˇ“ ˇ“( ˇ“) ˇ“*
‰ = > +? ; and so on. When TWO dots are added, then the total length of the original note is increased by 75%. It can visualized this way: ˘“‰‰ = ˘“ + ˇ“ + ˇ“( ; or ˇ“‰‰ = ˇ“+ ˇ“(+ ˇ“); and so on. the duration of the note. In other words:
As usual, an example is worth a thousand words. ( Click here to hear Example 12):
1.6
Tied notes
Sometimes we want a note to hold over a bar line (i.e. we want the sound to continue, but we do not want to re-articulate the note again). In this case, we simply tie the two notes with a curve line as shown here (Click here to hear Example 13):
Confront this last example with this next one to hear what the tie does ( Click here to hear Example 14): 8
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We ned not be on a bar line in order to be able to tie two notes. The effect is the same: the second note is simply the continuation of the first and is not re-articulated ( Click here to hear Example 15):
Tied notes can be used to make rhythms clearer to read. In the following example we have a rhythm we have already seen above, but written in two different ways. The second way is clearer since it’s easier to see where the beats are. ( Click here to hear Example 12):
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Standard Notation
Please make sure you have read and understood the previous section on Rhythmic Notation. The Standard Notation builds up on the Rhythmic notation by adding information on the pitch of the notes. Notes are represented on 5 lines (the “staff”), and their position on the staff indicated the pitch, as shown below
2.1
Treble Clef
Most music for guitar is notated using the Treble Clef. The clef determines what notes are on what line/space of the staff. With the Treble Clef the notes are:
D
F
E
G
B
A
E
D
C
F
G
What happens if you need to write a note that is above or beyond the notes in the staff? Then you can extend the staff by adding ledger lines this way:
A
C
B
A
B
C
D
G
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To help you connect the notation with actual sounds, these are the open strings on your guitar:
6 4
E B G D A E
When two or more notes are on the same vertical position, they are meant to be played together. For instance, here are some common chords (it’s a good exercise for you to try and play these chords):
2.2
Accidentals
If you do not know what accidentals are (sharps and flats), please check out my free eBook Beginning Music Theory at: http://www.musictheoryforguitar.com/beginningmusictheoryguide.html
To notate an accidental, you simply precede the note with a or a . In the following example we have a B and a C
When a flat or sharp is used, the “altered” status of the note persists for the whole bar. In the next example, all the C’s in the first bar are actually C , but the C’s in the second bar are not.
If we need to use a natural C in the same bar after a C had been notated, then we need to use a “natural” sign ( ). In the next example, only the first C is a C , all the others are natural C’s. 10
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In most keys we have notes that are permanently altered. For instance in G major we always have F rather than F. In this case the accidentals are written at the beginning of the score, and applied to all the notes in the piece. This is called the “key signature” and is the way to indicate the key of a music piece. For instance, for a piece in D major we will put a on F (the highest line of the staff) and C (the third space of the staff from below). In all this music piece any F or C indicated are played as F and C respectively, with no need of specifying the again.
2.3
Bass Clef
The Bass Clef is not used ofter for guitar music, but it’s still very common to notate lower range instruments. When the Bass Clef is used, the notes on the staff are:
A
G
F
E
D
C
B
B
A
G
F
The Bass Clef and the Treble Clef are often used together (for instance in piano music). The C on the first ledger line above the Bass staff is the same note as the C on the first ledger line below the Treble staff. This also means that all notes in the Bass staff are lower than any note in the Treble staff:
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
C
A
B
C
D
E
F
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G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
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3
Tablature
A Tablature (Tab) staff is superficially similar to the staff of Standard Notation, but works in a completely different way. A Tab has 6 lines, representing the 6th strings of your guitar. The highest line represent the first string (the thinnest one, also called “high E”), and the lowest represent the 6th string (the thickest one, also called “low E”). On these lines we write numbers representing the fret we need to put our finger on in order to produce the note that we need. The number zero is used to indicate that you need to play the open string. Tab has usually no rhythmic indications built in. You are usually supposed to know the song you are studying (and thus know when the various note are played) and it is a good idea to have a recording of the song handy. Another possible solution is to supply both Tab and Standard Notation: the Standard Notation can be used to read the rhythm, while the Tab show the fingering of the notes. As an example, here is a G major scale in both Standard Notation and Tab:
8
5
5
4
4
3
3
5
5
5
5
7
7
8
8
7
7
7
7
And here are some common chords:
E
G
0 0 1 2 2 0
3 3 0 0 2 3
A
C
0 2 2 2 0
0 1 0 2 3
D
F
Em
Am
2 3 2 0
1 1 2 3 3 1
0 0 0 2 2 0
0 1 2 2 0
As in Standard Notation, when the numbers appear one after the other, they will be played one after the other. When the numbers are stacked together vertically, they are played together. Since a number of different techniques exist to play notes on the guitar (bend, slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs . . . ) there are specific Tab symbols that indicate these techniques. Here are some of the more common: 12
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8va
2 4
10
13
13
Hammer-On
5
10
Pull-Off
1/2
T
10
13
10
full
13
Tapping
Slide
8va
1 1/2
2
12
12
12
12
Bend (half step)
Bend (whole step)
Bend (1+1/2 steps)
Bend (two whole steps)
8va
9
full 13
P.M.
---
13
15 17 15
Bend and Release
4
Trill
7
7
7
7
Palm Muting
Nashville Number System
The Nashville Number System is a chord notation system — unlike in Standard Notation or Tablature, it is not possible to write a melody in the Nashville system. On the other hand, while limited to chords and chord progressions, the Nashville Number System is a great tool for a number of reasons: • It is key-independent: this makes transposition easier. • it focus on the actual structure of the chord progression, making progressions easier
to remember or communicate. So how does it work? In the Nashville Number System, every chord is designated with a number that indicates the interval from the root of the key. Of course you need to know the key of the piece before playing it. If you are not familiar with the intervals, here c Guitar Mastery Solutions, Inc.
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is a table describing all of them (don’t worry, you will memorize this table fast if you use it): Interval Symbol Interval Name Number of frets (semitones) 1 Unison 0 2 Minor Second 1 2 Major Second 2 3 Minor Third 3 3 Major Third 4 4 Perfect Fourth 5 #4 or 5 Augmented Fourth or Diminished Fifth 6 5 Perfect Fifth 7 6 Minor Sixth 8 6 Major Sixth 9 7 Minor Seventh 10 7 Major Seventh 11 8 Octave 12 Following this table, we can identify notes using numbers. If we assume we are in the key of C, for instance, 1 is C, 2 is D, 3 is E and so on. In the key of G, 1 is G, 2 is A, 3 is B and so on. In the key of D, 1 is D, 2, E, 3 is F#, and so on. Once we know the intervals, here is the Nashville notation: 1. A Major chord is indicated by the corresponding number alone. For instance 1 4 5 1 in the key of C indicates C F G C, in the key of D indicates D G A D, and so on. 2. A Minor chord is indicated by either a ‘-’ or a ‘m’ after the number. So, in the key of C and I can notate an Am with either 6- or 6m. If I just write 6, then I’m indicating the A major chord! 3. A Diminished chord is indicated by a after the number. ◦
4. A slash symbol such as 5/7 is to be read as chord/bass note. so 5/7 in the key of C is the G chord, but the bass player plays a B note. 5. Chords out of key are indicated in the same way as chords in key. For instance, if I am in the key of D and I need to indicate the F chord I can’t use 3, because 3 is F#. So I use 3 instead (refer to the table of intervals to understand this). Two things are useful to know now: • The chords of a major key will always be: 1 2m 3m 4 5 6m 7 . ◦
• The chords in a minor key will always be: 1m 2 3 4m 5m 6 7 ◦
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If you do not know the chords in the keys, have a look at page 22 of this eBook, where you will find some handy tables of all chords in all keys. Finally, here’s an example of a chord progression notate with the Nashville Number System together with some realizations: • Nashville System: 1 6m 5 4 1 5/7 6m 5 1. • Realization in C: C Am G F C G/B Am G C. • Realization in D: D Bm A G D A/C Bm A D. • Realization in E: E C m B A E B/D Cm B E.
As everything, the more you use this system the more familiar and easier it becomes. After a while you use it, you will notice that the many different songs have in fact the same number progression (even if they realize it in different keys). It will then become easier for you to remember and play these songs “from the numbers” as opposed to the actual chords.
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Classical Roman Numerals Notation
Please make sure you have read and understood the previous section on the Nashville Number System. The Roman Numeral Notation works on the same principles with just a few differences that I am listing below. Please keep in mind that the Roman Numeral System is not consistent from author to author: depending on the book you are reading, the system will be slightly different. I have tried to remark on the differences point by point. 1. Rather than using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3. . . ) you need to use Roman numerals (I, II, III.. . ). 2. Usually the major chords are indicated with upper case numerals (I, II, III. . . ), and minor chords with lower case numerals (i,ii,iii), thought this is not a universal rule and many theory texts just use the upper case and expect you to know if that chord is major or minor in the specific key they are working it. 3. Whenever a 7th chord is wanted, the notation will just put a small “7” on the right of the numeral. Note that it is up to the reader to know what kind chord fits that position in the key. In C major, I 7 indicates a C∆, while in C minor i 7 indicates a Cm7. c Guitar Mastery Solutions, Inc.
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4. Chord inversions are notated using a number system — see table below. The num bers indicate the intervals of the chord notes from the lowest note played 1 . This system of notate inversions comes from the “continuous bass” system in use in the Baroque era. If you need to use this system, you are probably better off memorizing the table below rather than trying to understand the reason for every number. After you have acquired a certain familiarity with it, the number will make more sense. Symbol Chord Indicated I Root Position 6 I First Inversion 6 I4 Second Inversion 7 I Seventh Chord, Root Position 6 I5 Seventh Chord, First Inversion 4 I3 Seventh Chord, Second Inversion 4 I2 or I2 Seventh Chord, Third Inversion
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Realization in C major C C/E C/G C∆ C ∆/E C ∆/G C ∆/B
Printable Tab and Score Pages
In the next pages I prepared some blank staff and Tab paper for your use. You can print them and use them for your musical ideas. This is what you will find in the next pages: 1. Printable Tab Paper 2. Printable Fretboard Paper 3. Printable Tab+Fretboard paper 4. Printable Staves (for standard notation) 5. Printable Staves+Tab
1A
root position chord has one note a 3rd above the bass, and the other a 5th above the bass. A first inversion chord has one note a 3rd above the bass (like the root position), but the other is a 6th above the bass, so we indicate it. A second inversion chord has one note a 4th above the bass, and the other a 6th above the bass, so we indicate both. If you do not understand this footnote, no problem — as explained above it’s not really important in order to learn the notation.
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A
Tables of chords in a given key
Major Keys:
Key
Chords I ii iii IV V vi vii C Dm Em F G Am Bdim Db Ebm Fm Gb Ab Bbm Cdim D Em F#m G A Bm C#dim Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb Cm Ddim E F#m G#m A B C#m D#dim F Gm Am Bb C Dm Edim Gb Abm Bbm Cb Db Ebm Fdim G Am Bm C D Em F#dim Ab Bbm Cm Db Eb Fm Gdim A Bm C#m D E F#m G#dim Bb Cm Dm Eb F Gm Adim B C#m D#m E F# G#m A#dim ◦
C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B Minor Keys:
Key i ii Cm Cm Ddim C#m C#m D#dim Dm Dm Edim Ebm Ebm Fbdim Em Em F#dim Fm Fm Gdim F#m F#m G#dim Gm Gm Adim G#m G#m A#dim Am Am Bdim Bbm Bbm Cdim Bm Bm C#dim ◦
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Chords bIII iv v bVI bVII Eb Fm Gm Ab Bb E F#m G#m A B F Gm Am Bb C Gb Abm Bbm Cb Db G Am Bm C D Ab Bbm Cm Db Eb A Bm C#m D E Bb Cm Dm Eb F B C#m D#m E F# C Dm Em F G Db Ebm Fm Gb Ab D Em F#m G A
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About the Author Tommaso is a prog rock/metal guitarist, composer, and teacher based in Edmonton, AB, Canada. He has been playing guitar since 1992, on and off stage, both solo and with a variety of bands. In 2009 he released, together with other 13 artists, the compilation CD “Under the Same Sky”, distributed worldwide in 10.000 copies. Tommaso is a proud endorser of AMT Electronics, the best distortion pedals on the planet. His choice pedals are the SS-20 and the DT-2. Tommaso’s influences are very varied, expressing the love of music that transcends genera and instruments. Some of his favorite musicians are: Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, Joe Satriani, Andy Timmons, Mike Oldfield, JeanMichel Jarre, Deine Lakaien, Litfiba, Nightwish, Astor Piazzolla, Hans Zimmer. Tommaso is a graduate of Tom Hess’ Music Careers Mentoring Program and Elite Guitar Teachers Inner Circle.
For more information about Tommaso visit his website at: http://www.tommasozillio.com. Tommaso can be contacted at:
[email protected]
This eBook is under international copyright protection. It cannot be copied, sold, rented, loaned, or distributed in any way whatsoever, without written consent of Guitar Mastery Solutions, Inc. c Guitar Mastery Solutions, Inc.
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