Staff Notation

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Uketionary

Staff Notation

Staff Notation

 

The most common way of writing notation for western instruments is staff notation.

This form of notation is written on five lines known as a stave. Think of the stave like a ladder the higher the note is up the stave the higher its pitch.

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Clefs

Staff notation is usually accompanied by a clef. Depending on which clef we use the notes appear in slightly different positions on the stave.

 

Lines and Spaces

The most common clef is the ‘Treble Clef’ used for melodic instruments such as the flute, trumpet, violin and the right hand of the piano. 

Many musicians prefer to view the notes as either on the lines of the stave or in the gaps between. 

The notes in the spaces helpfully spell the word FACE. The notes on the lines are EGBDF. There are many mnemonics to help you remember this pattern.

 

Scales

The Ukulele School

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Uketionary

Scales

Scales

A scale is a series of notes going either up or down in pitch. we can use them as a way of organising notes together according to pitch.

Musical notes are named after letters of the alphabet from A to G. When we reach G we start again from A. This means if we go up or down from one letter we will eventually reach that letter again.

To play a C Major scale we would play each note from C to the next C. 

 

The notes of a C Major Scale
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There are Several different types of scale the most common being Major and Harmonic Minor.  Other types of scales include:

Melodic Minors

Modes 

Natural Scales

Whole Tone Scales

Chromatic scales.

Arpeggios (Broken Chords)

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Major and Minor

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Tempo

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The Interrelated Dimensions of Music

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Dynamics

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Strings and Frets

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Ukulele Tab

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Rhythm and Beat

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