Piano Notes 01

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Lesson 1
Introduction
In this lesson, you are going to learn how to represent the keys you learned in music notation. Music notation is used
to record music in written form. Music notation is written on what is called a musical staf. In piano, two staves are
used. These two staves combine to form what is called the grand staf.
We name the ascensions of pitch with the frst 7 letters of the alphabet, A B C D E F G. The alphabet ascends
smoothly through the lines and spaces of the grand stave. We repeat the names at each eighth ascension.
A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
The Music Staf (Steve)
Let's take a look at the musical staf. Think of it as a visual representation of the piano keyboard. Each line and space
on the staf represents a white key on the piano keyboard. Moving notes up on the staf from line note to space note
or space note to line note corresponds with moving to the right on the piano keyboard.
Clef Signs
Let's take a look at clefs. To make each space and line represent a specifc white key on the piano, clef signs are
used. Piano music uses two clef signs, the treble clef, also called the G clef, and the bass clef, also called the F clef.
Treble Clef
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Let's take a look at the treble clef, also known as the G clef. The G clef makes the line that the circular part of the G
clef sign wraps around a G above middle C. From this, you can fgure out what the rest of the notes are.
Bass Clef
Let's take a look at the bass clef, also known as the F clef. The line between the two dots of the F clef is where the F
below middle C goes. From here you can fgure out the rest of the notes.
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All Cows Eat Grass
Grand Staf
The two stafs combine together to form the grand staf. You'll notice that middle C appears in two diferent
places on the grand staf. Actually, the line that the middle C appears on is the same line. In order to make
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the grand staf easier to read, the line between the two staves were removed and the two staves were
spaced further apart.
I often find it helpful to think of the grand stave. The top two lines of the alto clef are the bottom two
lines of the treble clef. The bottom two lines of the alto clef are the top two lines of the bass clef.
The tenor clef is a line under the alto clef. The top of the tenor clef is the bottom of the treble clef. The
middle of the tenor clef is the top of the bass clef. The bottom of the tenor clef is the middle of the
bass clef.
The easy ascension on the grand stave doesn't look so easy on the 5 line staves. The middle line is B on the treble
clef, D on the bass clef, C on the alto clef and A on the tenor clef.
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Lesson 2
Introduction
In this lesson, you are going to learn about how rhythm is represented in music notation.
Keeping Time in Music
When playing music, you have to know how to keep time. Music is divided into separate chunks of time called
"measures". Measures are separated from each other by a vertical line called a "bar line".
Time Signatures
A time signature tells you how a particular piece of music is played. A time measure consists of two numbers written
as a fraction (i.e. 4/4). The top number tells you how many counts (beats) are in each measure, and the bottom
number tells you what kind of a note (e.g. a whole note, a half note, etc.) receives one count. For example, when the
time signature is 4/4, the "4" on the top tells you that there are four beats in each measure, and the "4" on the bottom
tells you that a "quarter note" receives one count (or beat). When a "time signature" shows "3/4", the "3" on the top
tells you that there are three beats in each measure, and the "4" on the bottom tells you that a "quarter note" receives
one count. Our lessons will be using the time signatures of "4/4, 3/4, and 2/4".
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Four Counts per Measure
Music written with a time signature of 4/4 has four counts per measure. Let's go ahead and count one through four in
each measure. Notice that there is a plus sign between the numbers. You can substitute the plus sign (+) with "and".
By doing this, you can count "one and two and three and four and". This will make it easier for you to count an
"eighth note" further in this lesson and lessons to come.
Three Counts per Measure
Sometimes, music is written with three counts per measure instead of four. Music written with a time signature of 3/4
is called 3/4 time and receives three counts per measure. Let's go ahead and count "one and two and three and" in
each measure.
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Two Counts per Measure
At other times, there are two counts per measure instead of four. Music written with a time signature of 2/4 is called
2/4 time and receives two counts per measure. Let's go ahead and count "one and two and" in each measure.
Conclusion
Good work! You have just learned how to represent the keys on the piano keyboard as music notation and 3 types
counting Beats in the Measure.

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