1/9 1. Musical Notation Fundamentals Free Online FlashCards

What is a musical staff?

A staff has five horizontal lines and four spaces. Notes placed on these positions show relative pitch when read with a clef.

Which clef is also called the G clef?

The treble clef, also called the G clef, identifies the line containing G4, commonly called the G above middle C.

What are the treble-clef spaces?

In treble clef, the spaces from bottom to top are F–A–C–E, spelling FACE.

What is a ledger line?

A ledger line is a short horizontal line extending the staff above or below its normal five-line range.

What does a sharp do?

A sharp raises a note by one half step.

What does a natural sign do?

A natural cancels a previous sharp or flat and restores the unaltered letter name.

How long does a measure accidental normally last?

Within a measure, an accidental normally affects later occurrences of the same written pitch in the same staff position and octave until the next barline.

How many quarter-note beats equal a whole note?

A whole note equals four quarter-note beats when a quarter note is one beat.

What does a rest represent?

A rest represents silence for a specified duration. Its value corresponds to a note value.

What does an augmentation dot add?

An augmentation dot adds half of the original note or rest value. A dotted half note therefore lasts $2+1=3$ quarter-note beats.

What does a tie do?

A tie connects notes of the same pitch and combines their durations into one sustained sound.

How does a slur differ from a tie?

A slur usually connects different pitches and indicates smooth performance or phrasing; a tie connects the same pitch and combines durations.