Some Principles of Correct Music Notation
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Date: Sat, 1 Nov 2008 Time: 5:36 AM
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The note (from nota—Latin—a mark or sign) consists of either
one, two, or three parts, these being referred to
respectively as head, stem, and hook. The hook is often called tail or
cross-stroke. The stem appears on the right side of the head when turned
up, but on the left side when turned down.
The hook is
always on the right side.
In writing music with pen the head and hook are best made with
a heavy pressure on the pen point, but in writing at the board
they are most easily made by using a piece of chalk about an
inch long, turned on its side.
2. When only one part (or voice) is written on the staff, the following
rules for turning stems apply: (1) If the note-head is below the
third line, the stem must turn up. (2) If the note-head is above the
third line the stem must turn down. (3) If the note-head is on the
third line the stem is turned either up or down with due regard to the
symmetrical appearance of the measure in which the note occurs. The
following examples will illustrate these points.
[Listen]
3. When two parts are written on the same staff, the stems of the upper
part all turn up, and those of the lower part turn down, in order that
the parts may be clearly distinguished. (Fig. 2.) But in music for piano
and other instruments on which complete chords can be sounded by one
performer and also in simple, four-part vocal music in which all voices
have approximately the same rhythm, several notes often have one stem in
common as in Fig. 3.
4. Notes of small denomination (eighths and smaller) are often written
in groups of two or more, all stems in the group being then connected by
one cross-stroke. In such a case all the stems must of course be
turned the same way, the direction being determined by the position of
the majority of note-heads in the group. Notes thus stroked may be of
the same or of different denomination.
[Listen]
In vocal music notes are never thus stroked when a syllable is given to
each note.
5. Rests, like notes, are best made with a heavy pen stroke or by
using a piece of chalk on its side. The double-whole rest, whole rest, and half rest occupy the third space unless for the sake of clearness in writing two parts on the same staff they are written higher or lower. The rests of smaller denomination may be placed at any point on the staff, the hooks being always placed on
the spaces. The hook of the eighth rest is usually placed on the
third space. Rests are sometimes dotted, but are never tied.
6. The G clef should be begun at the second line rather than below the staff. Experiments have shown clearly that beginners learn to make it most easily in this way, and the process may be further simplified by dividing it into two parts, thus, . The descending stroke crosses the ascending curve at or near the fourth line. The circular
part of the curve occupies approximately the first and second spaces.
7. The F clef is made either thus,
, or thus, the dots being placed one on either side of the
fourth line of the staff, which is the particular point that the clef marks. The C clef has also two forms, and .
8. The sharp is made with two light vertical strokes, and two heavy slanting ones, the slant of the latter being upward from left to right, ♯. The sharp should never be made thus, #.
The double sharp is made either thus
or
*, the first form being at present the more common.
9. The flat is best made by a down stroke retraced part way up, the curve being made without lifting pen from paper. The double flat consists of two flats ♭♭. The natural or cancel is made in two strokes, down-right and right-down, thus ♮.
10. The tie usually connects the heads of notes, thus .
11. The dot after a note always appears on a space, whether the
note-head is on a line or space. (See Fig. 5.) In the case of a dot
after a note on a line, the dot usually appears on the space above
that line if the next note is higher in position and on the space below
it if the following note is lower.
[Listen]
Note.—Correct notation must be made a habit rather than a
theory, and in order to form the habit of writing correctly,
drill is necessary. This may perhaps be best secured by
asking students to write (at the board or on ruled paper) from
verbal dictation, thus: Teacher says,
"Key of B♭, three-quarter measure: First measure, DO a
quarter note, RE a quarter, and MI a quarter. Second measure,
SOL a quarter, LA a quarter, and SOL a quarter. Third measure,
LA, TI, DO, RE, MI, eighths, stroked in pairs. Fourth measure,
high DO a dotted half." Pupils respond by writing the exercise
dictated, after which mistakes in the turning of stems, etc.,
are corrected. The pitch names may be dictated instead of
the syllables if desired, and still further practice may be
provided by asking that the exercise be transposed to other keys.
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