Introduction - A Unique Musical History by RDBuras is not a reference manual. It is a story about the historical growth and development of music written from the author's unique point of view.
A descriptive listing of the staves with illustrations. The musical staff is constructed of 5 horizontal lines separated by 4 spaces used for the placing of the symbols of musical notation of the major and minor scaling systems.
They say that music imitates life. Sometimes it’s the other way around. We all know of various connections our music has with the things around us. Some things just happen naturally and can readily be interpreted as song. Perhaps the rustle of the wind through the trees might be heard as applause for the voice of the songbirds..
A descriptive listing of all Clefs including illustrations. A clef is placed at the beginning of the first measure of the staff indicating the pitch of the instrument for which the music is written.
It would seem that Primitive music has always been here. No one can say for sure just when, where or how people first started making music. It undoubtedly stemmed from the very things we do today to amuse ourselves. Tapping a foot or clapping hands have always been a means of musical expression.
The time signature, also called a meter signature, is placed after the clef and indicates the number of beats per measure by the top numeral while the bottom numeral indicates to which notes to apply that value. The example shown shows a meter of 4 beats per measure with the quarter note taking a full beat.
Just as primitive people drummed, sang and danced, the mood of the ancient ruled world was just as anxious to entertain themselves. They were now beginning to realize that they were actually making music and it felt good to be heard. It was the Greeks who first studied and experimented with the science of sound to any depths around the year 500 BC.
The key signature is placed after the time signature indicating the key or pitch range of the scaling system for the appropriate instrument with a series of sharp or flat signs. Depending upon the key, the signature could contain one or several sharp or flat symbols. See also Keys and Chords for key breakdown, assignment, and reference.
We've been singing in churches, synagogues, and temples since the beginning of religion. The musical styles of biblical days was actually Ancient music. It was there but its sound has mostly faded to a mystery to modern man. The people of biblical times drank wine, danced and sang. Music was indeed a happy part of daily life for many during biblical days.
After learning the symbols to starting a new composition, we continue with the symbols that make up the actual music, notes. Notes are placed on the lines and spaces of the staff to tell the performer which tones to play, when to play them, and how long each one lasts. How long a note's sound will last depends upon several factors such as..
Monophonic was the term used to describe a wide variety of fairly organized musical styles from the period after ancient rule until just before any real forms of musical style started appearing about the twelfth or thirteen century. As implies it's earned title, the music of Medieval times was generally quite mono-thematic..
Next we continue with the symbols of silence, rests. Like notes, rests are placed on the lines and spaces of the staff to tell the performer when to remain silent and for how long. How long a rest will last depends upon several factors such as..
