Circle of Fifths Explained
The circle of fifths is used to memorise the order of the keys and the order of the sharps or flats within key signatures. Circle of Fifths – Major Keys The major keys are the ones in the middle circle coloured grey. To memorise the circle of fifths, start with the key of C which […]
Master Reading Rhythms (Part Two)
This article is the second part of two articles to help you understand and master to how read rhythms. Prior to practicing the exercises in this lesson, I recommend you first go through the exercises in part 1. Part 2 consists of 10 exercises that use the notation you used in part one plus it […]
Master Reading Rhythms (Part One)
This article is the first part of two articles to help you understand and master reading rhythms. It consists of 10 exercises that use semibreves, minims, crotchets, quavers, semiquavers and triplets. Before proceeding, I would recommend reading 10 Common Rhythms You Must Be Able to Read as it covers the basics of what we are […]
10 Common Rhythms You Must Be Able To Read
You have probably noticed yourself tapping a steady beat with your foot when listening to music. Your foot is tapping in time with the music. In music notation, we use music notes of different durations against that beat. In this article, we are going to look at the most common rhythms you will find in […]
Major Scales And Keys Explained
Major scales are made up of the intervals tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone. In other words, the semitones are between the third and fourth scale degrees and between the seventh and eighth degrees. Learn more about tones and semitones here. Below is the major scale in A. Note that there are three sharps in the A major scale (F […]
Learn How To Transpose Music
To transpose music means to move a song up or down from one key to another. Note that the sol-fa remain the same in the new key as in the original. In addition, all the note values are also the same. It is important to ensure the interval remains constant whether the new version is […]
Binary and Ternary Form in Music
Pieces of music are written in patterns/structures called form. Two of the simplest forms are binary and ternary form. Binary form Pieces in binary form have two distinct parts. These are usually indicated by the letters A and B. Below is the children’s piece This Old Man. It is an example of binary form. Note […]
How Accidentals Work in Music
Accidentals are musical signs which change the pitch of a note. The two main ones you may have already encountered in your musical studies are the sharp and the flat. Below is what a sharp and flat look like in music. The sharp raises the note by a half step. The flat does the opposite. […]
Slurs, Staccato and Ties Explained
This article explains what slurs, staccato and ties mean in music and how they differentiate. A basic knowledge of how to read music is needed to be able to fully understand the content. Slurs A slur is a curved line placed over or under two or more notes to indicate to play the notes joined […]
Key Signatures Explained
When we talk about the key of a piece of music, we are referring to the scale that is used to make up the melodies and chords. Below is the C major scale. A song in the key of C major is based on the notes of the C major scale. Therefore, a song in […]