Piano Lesson No. 2a: How to Read Notes?

now that you're familiar with the pitch names of the white keys or natural keys ( ie. C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C ), let's try to read the notes. but first, be sure that you already know the difference between a G-clef and F-clef, a whole note from an eighth note, a half rest from a quarter rest and so on... if you don't know what i'm talking about, naku for sure you skipped my Symbols and Terminology Section. tsk tsk... ang hirap kaya magformulate ng lesson plan na crash course ang dating... kaya kung ako sa inyo read it from the very first page... now na! hehe sige kain muna ako habang ginagawa nyo yan...

*after 1 hour
ok i'm done... if you're ready let's start.... :)



Question: Why do we need to learn how to read sheet music?
Answer:
actually, it isn't essential to learn how to read sheet music in order to play most instruments, in this case a piano. however, the ability to read music is essential if you'd like to play music that you don’t already know since it allows you to play any piece of music correctly even if you've never heard it before or if you'd like to play with other musicians who read music tulad nalang sa isang orchestra. kung ano man yang rason ninyo, for sure most of you are here because you want to play your favorite song sa piano kaya eto ka't nagbabasa ngayon dito... tamaaaaa =p so sige ituloy ang ligaya....



PITCH NAMES and its POSITIONS in PIANO
di ba sabi ko last time, you will only need to remember the 7 white keys / natural keys ( with their pitch names and/or sol fa names ) and its position?! nako!!!! if you don't know it yet, utang na loob... i-memorize mo na dahil wala kang maiintindihan sa mga susunod kong lessons na ilalagay dito kung hindi mo alam man lang ang 7 white keys na yun!!! go back to Piano Lesson No. 1b: Name that Key and Piano Lesson No. 1c: Pitch Names on a Staff now na!!!!



Question: why do we need to know only 7 white keys out of 88 keys?
Answer:
like what i've mentioned last time, repetitive kasi ang 12 keys ( 7 white keys including 5 black keys ) na yan sa piano, kaya para hindi ka mahilo at malito only 7 white keys ang kelangan mong matandaan dahil may pattern naman siya sa piano same goes sa music sheet...

figure 2a.1
Grand Staff with a simple C Major Scale and its corresponding Pitch Names

looking at a sheet music, you'll see these common symbols as seen on figure 2a.1: a grand staff, treble clef and bass cleff, measure, bar lines, key signature, time signature, rests and noteheads or notes tama ba?! if you don't any idea sa mga pinagsasasabi ko please go back sa first page... if familiar ka na then let's move on...


what you see on the above picture ( figure 2a.1 ) is a common C Major Scale ( disregard muna the value ng whole notes, i'm just using it for illustration ). one for the TREBLE STAFF ( for the right hand ) and the other for the BASS STAFF ( for the left hand ).


Question: Why do we need Clefs?
Answer:
it's like asking why do we need money? hehe a CLEF is for a sheet music parang PERA na kailangan natin to buy goods/stuffs/foods/etc. hanep ba sa analogy? may koneksyon ba? labo di ba? lelz... well actually it makes it much easier to read and play music, since they allow composers to shift the location of notes on the staff to best accommodate the range of pitches that a given instrument typically plays. as a result, music can be written using fewer ledger lines, which makes it easier to read. imagine kung ang clef lang na gagamitin mo eh G-clef lang eh yung note pala na kailangan mong basahin at i-play eh galing pa sa 3rd octave to your left sa piano... eh di ang daming LEDGER LINES nun... yung isang page ng bond paper baka one note lang maisulat mo hindi ka man lang nakabuo ng piyesa... o di ba... crazy!!!! ^_^v that's why Clefs are essential in music notation...

figure 2a.2
Ledger Lines/Spaces

remember:
in a staff there are 5 lines and 4 spaces. after a line there's a space then a line again then space and so on... so, for instance nakakita ka ng isang staff... the first symbol that you'd look for is..... the CLEF symbol...


halimbawa G-clef...
laging paka tandaan na kapag sinabing TREBLE CLEF, ang G-clef symbol ay naka-position sa 2nd line ng isang staff counting from the bottom or kung galing sa top ang pagbilang mo it's on the 4th line...


or kung F-clef naman ang nakalagay sa isang staff...
always remember na kapag sinabi namang BASS CLEF, automatic ang F-clef symbol ay naka position sa ika-fourth line of staff counting from the bottom or 2nd line from the top...


oh ito para madali mong malaman which is which when it comes to reading notes in a music sheet... always start with the MIDDLE C in a staff

figure 2a.3
Middle C in a Treble Staff

Middle C = 1st ledger line below the Treble Staff ( ledger line yung nilagagay kapag wala na sa normal staff yung mga notes )

D = 1st ledger space below the Treble Staff
E = 1st line (normal ledger line ng isang treble staff)
F = 1st space
G = 2nd line (kung saan nakaposition ang G-clef)
A = 2nd space
B = 3rd line
C = 3rd space
D = 4th line
E = 4th space
F = 5th line
G = 1st ledger space above the Treble Staff
A = 1st ledger line above the Treble Staff
and so on...

same din para sa bass clef, start ka muna sa Middle C ng Staff... don't get confused about the Middle C of Treble Clef and the Middle C of Bass Clef... iisa lang yun. parehas na middle C. ang pinag kaiba lang nitong 2 Clefs is that if the piano notes are located on a Treble Staff, it will be played above the middle C. if the piano notes are located on a Bass Staff, it will be played below the middle C.

figure 2a.4
Middle C in a Bass Staff

TIP:
i suggest pababa ang gawin mong pattern sa pagbabasa ng notes para sa Bass Clef... let's start from

Middle C = 1st ledger line above the Bass Staff
B = 1st ledger space above the Bass Staff
A = 1st line of a Bass Staff counting from the top (or pde ding 5th line of a Bass Staff counting from the bottom kung saan ka comfortable dun ka!)
G = 1st space of a Bass Staff from the Middle C position
F = 2nd line (where the F Cleff is positioned)
E = 2rd space
D = 3rd line
C = 3rd space
and so on and so forth...




next Piano Lesson no. 2b: Notes on a Staff

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