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Reference Material

  Click  on a  link to access each reference topic:

Notes on the Keyboard

If you play a musical instrument, you will probably recognise these notes. No matter whether you blow into a recorder or a flute, pluck the strings of a guitar or bow a violin, the notes have the same names and pitches even though the instruments vary in how they are played.

When you look at a keyboard instrument such as the piano, synthesizer or organ, you might think they are difficult instruments to play, with all their rows of black and white keys! But only seven different note names (C, D, E, F, G, A, B) make up the white keys, and the black keys are notes in between which are called sharp notes or flat notes – for example, C sharp, D flat, F sharp, G flat and so on. The symbol for a sharp note is # and for a flat note it is b. So, C sharp is written as C#, and G flat is written as Gb. All of these notes are just repeated at different pitches (higher or lower) on a keyboard instrument.

Voice Ranges

Voices from  highest in pitch (soprano) to lowest in pitch (bass):

Note: Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass voices (‘SATB’) are standard in most choirs

Soprano (high female voice)

Mezzo-Soprano (female voice between soprano and Alto)

Alto (low female voice)

   Counter-tenor (high or ‘falsetto’ male voice between tenor and alto)

Tenor (high male voice)

Bass (low male voice)

Walking Bass, Ground Bass and Alberti Bass

* Walking bass moves in a steady, constant rhythm and often by step

* Ground bass has a recurring or repetitive character, perhaps also using sequence

* Albert Bass is a form of broken 3-note chord (a triad), with the notes usually played in the following   pattern: LOWEST NOTE of chord (root note); HIGHEST NOTE of chord; MIDDLE NOTE of chord;   HIGHEST NOTE of chord 

See below for music notation and audio examples:

Compound Time

Music notation and (below) audio examples:

Keys, Scales and Chords

* Notes on the keyboard

* Voice ranges

* Keys, scales and chords

* Walking bass, Ground bass and Alberti bass

* Compound time

Musical Instruments

(Piccolo)

Flute

Oboe

(Cor Anglais)

Clarinet

(Bass Clarinet)

(Saxophone)

Bassoon

(Double Bassoon)

The sound of these instruments is produced by blowing. A performance technique used by them is flutter-tonguing. To watch videos on each of the Woodwind instruments see the Concept Listening Lists and the Resources page.

Strings

The sound of these instruments is produced by bowing (arco) or plucking (pizzicato). Performance techniques used by them are con sordino and vibrato. The harp and clarsach can also be strummed.

To watch videos on each of these string instruments see the Concept Listening Lists and the Resources page.

Violin

(in two groups called first violins and second violins)

Viola

Cello

Double Bass

(Harp)

The Orchestra

The instruments of the orchestra are divided into four groups or ‘families’: Woodwind, Strings, Brass and Percusssion.

Instruments shown below are listed in descending order of pitch; the highest pitched instruments appearing at the top. Instruments in brackets do not always appear in an orchestra, but may be used for certain pieces of orchestral music.

Brass

The sound of these instruments is produced by blowing. A performance technique used by them con sordino. To watch videos on each of these brass instruments see the Concept Listening Lists and the Resources page.

Trumpet

French horn

Trombone

Tuba

Percussion

The sound of these instruments is produced by striking. This is done using sticks, beaters, the hand, or by striking two instruments together (as with cymbals and castanets).

Percussion instruments come in two categories; tuned percussion and un-tuned percussion. There are lots of different types of percussion instrument, but these are the most common:

Tuned Percussion:

Timpani

Xylophone

Glockenspiel

Tubular bells

Un-tuned Percussion:

Gong

Snare drum

Bass drum

Triangle

Wood block

Cymbals

Tambourine

Folk Instruments

Bagpipes

Clàrsach

Bodhrán

Accordion

Fiddle

Acoustic Guitar

Güiro

Castanets

Bongo Drums

Sitar

Tabla

Steel Drums

Panpipes

Keyboard Instruments

Piano

Harpsichord

Organ

Keyboard

Synthesizer

Ethnic Instruments

  Musical instruments

* The orchestra:

* Woodwind    *Strings   *Brass    *Percussion

* Folk instruments

* Ethnic instruments

* Keyboard instruments

Note: For National 5 Music, only the following keys are required to be understood: C major; A minor; G major and F major.

Walking bass example 1 demonstrates how this walking bass might be played in a baroque orchestra

Walking bass example 2 demonstrates how this walking bass might be played (faster) in a jazz ensemble (with drum track accompaniment)

Alberti bass

Ground bass

In these audio examples, a piano plays the rhythm while a metronome click sounds the main pulse. The first beat of the bar is accented.

12/8 time

9/8 time

6/8 time

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Joe McGowan Music

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To watch videos on each of the voice ranges see the Concept Listening Lists and the Resources page.

To watch videos on each of these folk instruments see the Concept Listening Lists and the Resources page.

To watch videos on each of these folk instruments see the Concept Listening Lists and the Resources page.

To watch videos on each of these keyboard instruments see the Concept Listening Lists and the Resources page.

Woodwind