Choral Basics - Aurora Chorus
Transcript of Choral Basics - Aurora Chorus
ChoralBasics
ContentsNotes:names,symbolsandvalues.................................................................................................................................2
Rests:namessymbolsandvalues ..................................................................................................................................2
Letternamesandtrebleclef ..........................................................................................................................................3
Ledgerlines: ...................................................................................................................................................................3
Halfsteps/wholesteps ...................................................................................................................................................4
SharpsandFlats..............................................................................................................................................................4
TimeSignatures ..............................................................................................................................................................5
Notations........................................................................................................................................................................5
Rhythm–DotsandTies..................................................................................................................................................6
Syncopation....................................................................................................................................................................6
MajorScales ...................................................................................................................................................................7
KeySignaturesofMajorScales.......................................................................................................................................8
Intervals..........................................................................................................................................................................9
ChromaticIntervals ......................................................................................................................................................10
SightReadingExercise..................................................................................................................................................11
RhythmExercises..........................................................................................................................................................12
Tosingistoloveandaffirm,toflyandsoar,tocoastintotheheartsofpeoplewholisten,
totellthemthatlifeistolive,thatloveisthere,thatnothingisapromise,
butthatbeautyexistsandmustbehuntedforandfound.-JoanBaez
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Notes:names,symbolsandvalues
Rests:namessymbolsandvalues
pp:pianissimo–verysoftp:piano–softmp:mezzopiano–mediumsoftmf:mezzoforte–mediumloudf:forte–loudff:fortissimo–veryloud
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Letternamesandtrebleclef
NamesoftheLINES(mnemonics):EveryGoodBirdDoesFlyorEveryGoodBoyDeservesFudgeorEmptyGarbageBeforeDadFaints
NamesoftheSPACES:FACE
Ledgerlines:
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Halfsteps/wholesteps
InthesystemofmusicmostcommonlyusedintheWesternworld,thesmallestdistancebetweentwopitchesiscalledahalf-step,orsemi-tone.Adistanceequaltotwohalf-stepsiscalledawhole-steporwholetone.
SharpsandFlats
Sharp Raisesthepitchonehalfstep
Flat Lowersthepitchonehalfstep
Asharporaflataffectsthenotebeforewhichitstandsandalsothesucceedingnotesonthesamelineorspaceinthemeasureinwhichitoccurs.Succeedingmeasuresarenotaffected.Anoteofthesameletternamebutonadifferentlineorspaceisalsounaffectedunlessithasitsownsharporflat.
Halfstep Halfstep Wholestep
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TimeSignatures
Meter:therecurringpatternofaccentedandunaccentedpulsations
Thetopnumberindicatesthenumberofbeatsineachmeasure
Thebottomnumberindicateswhichnotedefinesthebeat
4beatspermeasure
thequarternotegetsthebeat
3beatspermeasure
thequarternotegetsthebeat
2beatspermeasure
thehalfnotegetsthebeat
6beatspermeasure
theeighthnotegetsthebeat
Notations
=fermata=pauserit=ritartando=graduallyslowingspeed(alsoindicatedbyrall=rallentandol)poco=little,asinpococresc=smallcrescendomolto=much,asinmoltorit.=muchslowing
cresc=crescendo=gettinglouder
decresc=decrescendo=gettingsofter
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Rhythm–DotsandTies
Sinceonlythosetoneswhoserelativedurationcanbeexpressedinmultiplesoftwoarepossiblewithindividualnotesandrests,itisnecessarytosupplementthesesymbolswithsomedeviceforextendingtheirduration.Onesymbolusedtoextendthedurationofanoteisthetie.Withthetie,thetotaldurationisextendedtoequalthatofallnotesconnectedbyit:
Anotherdeviceusedtoextenddurationisthedot.Adotplacedafteranoteincreasesitsdurationbyonehalf.
Dottednotesaremostoftenwritteninconjunctionwiththeshortnoteornoteswhichmakeupthebalanceofalargerunitofduration.
Syncopation
Syncopationisadeliberatedisturbanceofthenormalpulseofmeter,accentandrhythm.TheprincipalsystemofrhythminWesternmusicisbasedonthegroupingofequalbeatsintotwosandthreeswitharegularlyrecurrentaccentonthefirstbeatofeachgroup.Anydeviationfromthisschemeisperceivedasadisturbancebetweentheunderlyingpulseandtheactualrhythm.
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MajorScales
Ascaleisapatternofconsecutiveascendingordescendingtoneswithinthecompassofanoctave.Amajorscaleisanarrangementofwholestepsandhalfstepsinthefollowingsequence:WWHWWWH.
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KeySignaturesofMajorScales
Tosaveunnecessarywriting,theessentialsharpsorflatsoccurringinthescalesareplacedatthebeginningofa
pieceofmusicimmediatelyaftertheclefsignandontheirproperlinesorspaces.Thisarrangementofsharpsorflatsatthebeginningofapieceiscalledthekeysignature.Asharporflatinthekeysignatureaffectsallnotesofthatletter-name,atalloctaves,throughoutthepiece,unlesschangedbyanother“accidental”(sharp,flatornatural
–seepage11).
Theorderinwhichthesharpsoccuris:F,C,G,D,A,EandB.Theyareplacedonthestaffinthatorderaccordingtothefollowingpattern:
Thelastsharpinakeysignatureisalways“ti”orthe7thscaledegree.Thekeyisonehalfstephigherthanthenotevalueofthelastsharp.
Theflatsoccurinexactlythereverseorder:B,E,A,D,G,CandF,andareplacedonthestaffasfollows:
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Thelastflatinakeysignatureisalways“fa”orthe4thscaledegree.Whenmorethanoneflatisinthekeysignature,thesecondtothelastflatisthenameofthekey.OneflatisthekeyofF.
Intervals
Anintervalistherelationoftwotoneswithrespecttotheirdifferenceinpitch.Whenthetwotonesaresoundedtogethertheintervalissaidtobeharmonicandwhensoundedinsuccessiontheintervalissaidtobemelodic.
Thedistancefromanypitchofagivenletternametothenexthigherorlowerpitchwiththesameletternameiscalledanoctave(eightlinesandspaces,oreightletternames;hence,octave).Thefirstthreeovertonesarethemostfundamentalintervalsinnatureandmakeupthefoundationofoursystemofpitchrelationships.Theoctave,fifth,fourthandunisonarecalledperfect(distinctfrommajororminor).
Thenumbernameofintervalsisalwaysdeterminedbythenumberofletternamesincludedinitsformation,includingthefirstandthelast.
Insuccessionthissevennotesystemiscalledadiatonicscale.
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ChromaticIntervals
Whenanyoftheintervalsinamajorscaleareeithercompressedorenlarged,theybecomechromaticintervals.Thesechangesinpitcharerepresentedbytheuseofaccidentalswhichareplacedimmediatelyinfrontofthenotetobeaffected.
Sharp Raisesthepitchoftheletter-nameonehalfstep
Double-sharp Raisesthepitchoftheletter-nameonewholestep
Natural Returnsthetonetothepitchoftheletter-name
Flat Lowersthepitchoftheletter-nameonehalfstep
Doubleflat Lowersthepitchoftheletter-nameonewholestep
Anaccidentalaffectsthenotebeforewhichitstandsandalsothesucceedingnotesonthesamelineorspaceinthemeasureinwhichitoccurs.Succeedingmeasuresarenotaffected.Anoteofthesameletternamebutonadifferentlineorspaceisalsounaffectedunlessithasitsownsharporflat.
Whenthesamepitchesarerepresentableonthestaffbydifferentletternames,thetonesaresaidtobeenharmonic.Enharmonicnotationisusuallytheresultofmelodicorharmonicmovement.Thissubjectisdealtwithingreaterdetailintheformalstudyofharmonywhichexceedsthescopeofthisformatofinstruction.