Notation Vocabulary

Pitch Catalog Vocabulary:

Staff- five parallel lines on and around which musical notation will be placed.

Score- one or more staves to be performed simultaneously.

Grand Staff -common combination of treble and bass clef staves into one score  to accommodate most of the range for piano and human voice.

Clef- symbol placed at the beginning (left) of a staff to assign staff pitches (letter names). 

“G” or Treble Clef- indicates the “G” line, thereby defining all other lines and spaces in and around that clef.

“F” or Bass Clef- indicates the “F” line, thereby defining all other lines and spaces in and around that clef.

Ledger Line- a line added outside the staff to accommodate music beyond the eleven note staff limit.

Octave- literally “eight notes”.  The musical scale and alphabet repeat on the eighth note to indicate the musical similarity of doubling frequency. 

Rhythm Chart Vocabulary:

Rhythm- any regular division of time.  Established by the duration (time length) of sounds and silences in music.

Beat or Pulse- the basic rhythmic or time unit in music.  A regular recurring length of time.

Tempo- the speed of the beat.  Established by its duration (time length).

What are our rhythmic symbols named for?

Why?  Why not something else?