🎼 Unit 1: Fundamentals of Music Notation and Rhythm

Pitch

The perceived highness or lowness of a sound.

Pitch Notation

The system of writing pitches on a staff using clefs and noteheads.

Clef

A symbol at the beginning of the staff that indicates pitch range (e.g., treble, bass).

Staff

The five horizontal lines on which musical notes are written.

Ledger Lines

Short lines added above or below the staff for pitches outside the normal range.

Accidental

A symbol that raises or lowers a note (sharp, flat, or natural).

Enharmonic Equivalent

Two notes that sound the same but are written differently (e.g., F# and Gb).

Half Step

The smallest interval between two pitches in Western music (E–F or B–C).

Whole Step

Two half steps combined (C–D or F–G).

Rhythmic Value

The duration of a note or rest relative to others.

Beat

The basic unit of time or pulse in music.

Meter

The pattern of strong and weak beats grouped in measures.

Simple Meter

Each beat divides into two equal parts (e.g., 2/4, 3/4, 4/4).

Compound Meter

Each beat divides into three equal parts (e.g., 6/8, 9/8).

Duple Meter

Two beats per measure.

Triple Meter

Three beats per measure.

Quadruple Meter

Four beats per measure.

Measure

A segment of time defined by a given number of beats, separated by bar lines.

Time Signature

A symbol that shows how many beats per measure and which note gets one beat.

Tempo

The speed of the beat, measured in beats per minute (BPM).

Dynamic Marking

A symbol that shows how loud or soft to play (e.g., p, mf, f).

Articulation

The way a note is played or sung (staccato, legato, accent, etc.).

Staccato

Short and detached articulation.

Legato

Smooth and connected articulation.

Accent

A stress or emphasis on a note.

Crescendo

Gradually getting louder (<).

Decrescendo

Gradually getting softer (>).

Major Scale

A sequence of pitches following the pattern W-W-H-W-W-W-H.

Scale Degree

The position of a note within a scale (1st = tonic, 5th = dominant, etc.).

Key Signature

Sharps or flats written at the beginning of a staff to indicate a key.

Tonic

The first and central pitch of a scale; the tonal “home.”

Dominant

The fifth scale degree; creates tension that resolves to the tonic.

Subdominant

The fourth scale degree.

Leading Tone

The seventh scale degree in a major scale, a half step below tonic.