Level One Violin $7.95 Music Theory for Stringszamoramusic.com/Music Theory for Strings.pdf · The Staff The musical staff is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces in between

Level One Violin $7.95

Music Theory for

4Strings

Zamora Publications

About the Author Kari Zamora is currently the orchestra director at Faubion Middle School in McKinney, Texas. Zamora received a Bachelor of Music Education from Hope College in Holland, Michigan and received a Master of Music in Music Theory from the University of Florida. While at the University of Florida, her presentation of her graduate thesis connecting serialism to passacaglias won first place in the Fine Arts Graduate Student Forum. Zamora is also a composer creating pieces for middle school string orchestras. She has a passion teaching strings as well as teaching practical theory skills that are meaningful to performance. Acknowledgements Mark Zamora, printing and publication Glenn Zamora, illustration and designs Michael Link, editing Zamora Publishing © 2008

The Musical Alphabet The musical alphabet includes letters from A through G. There are no Hs through Zs! When the notes ascend (get higher), you go through the alphabet forward: A B C D E F G A B C D E…. When notes descend (get lower), you go through the alphabet backwards: G F E D C B A G F E D C Exercises 1. In the blank, write the name of the note that would come AFTER the note

given B____ F____ C____ G____ A____ D____ 2. In the blank, write the name of the note that would come BEFORE the

note given G____ E____ B____ F____ D____ A____ 3. Write the musical alphabet ascending 4. Write the musical alphabet descending

1

The Staff The musical staff is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces in between those lines.

As notes get higher, they get higher on the staff

As notes get lower, they get lower on the staff

1. Connect the dots creating your own staff

. . . . . . . . . .

2. For each set of notes, determine if the second note is higher or lower than the first note. Write H for higher and L for lower.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

2

Clef Signs A clef sign is placed at the beginning of every staff line. It determines the set of pitches for that staff. Different instruments play in different clefs based on the pitch range of their instrument. Instruments that play low pitches (cello and bass) read in BASS CLEF. The viola, a middle-range instrument, reads in ALTO CLEF. Instruments that play higher pitches (like violin), read in TREBLE CLEF. 1. What is the name of your clef? 2. What is are the names of the two other clefs in orchestra? Drawing your clef sign—treble clef A treble clef sign looks like this

First draw a “fish hook”, draw at least 6 more of these

After drawing the fish hook, sweep to the left forming a loop, draw six

Extend to the bottom line of the staff and curve to the right, draw six

Continue curve and stop around the 2nd line of the staff, draw six

3

Time Signature A time signature appears after the clef sign at the beginning of a piece of music. It has two numbers. The top number tells how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number designates what kind of note gets one beat. The numbers are not a fraction. The beat is a steady pulse which remains unchanged despite various rhythms happening in the music. = 4 beats per measure =the quarter note/quarter rest gets the beat

barline barline

-measure- A measure is the distance from one barline to the next barline.

1. Add barlines in each line according to the time signature

How many measures in this line?______

How many measures in this line?______

How many measures in this line?______ 4

The Quarter Note A quarter note receives one beat of sound. When a quarter note appears on or

below the third line of the staff it looks like this: q, stem up, on the right side, like a

“d” that is filled in.

NOTE: When a note is “on the line” it means the line cuts through the note

1. Practice drawing 12 quarter notes that are on or below the third line

When a quarter note appears on or above the third line of the staff it looks like this:

Q , stem down, on the left side, like a “p” that is filled in.

2. Practice drawing 12 quarter notes that are on or above the third line

When you draw quarter notes—remember d and p (Dr. Pepper). No note should

look like a “b” or a “q”. 3. Add stems to the following noteheads. Make sure that you place the stems

in the correct direction on the correct side of the note.

5

The Quarter Rest A quarter rest receives one beat of silence. It is like an “invisible” note! Quarter rests look like this:

1. Practice drawing 12 quarter rests on the staff below

Musical Math Complete these mathematical musical equations with the correct number

Example + q = 2

2. + -- q = _____ 3. -- q = _____

4. q + ____ = 5. q + q + q = _____

6. + + q -- = ___ 7. X 2 + q = ____

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Counting Quarter Notes and Quarter Rests Counting rhythms is an important step in learning to play rhythms. Here is an example of how all quarter notes would be counted:

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

The numbers always go in order and start over at “1” after each barline When quarter rests are added, the number for that beat goes in parentheses since they are a silent beat. Notice in the next example how all the beats in the measure are still shown:

1 (2) 3 (4) (1) 2 (3) 4 1 2 (3) 4 1 2 3 (4) 1. Write the counting below the notes in the following lines. Make sure you check the

time signature first!

7

Note names on the staff—treble clef The names of the notes on the staff go up by step like a ladder:

Lines The gray boxes are the names of the notes on the lines. “On the line” means that the line cuts through the center of the note. A common way to remember the names of the lines is: (from the first-bottom line)

Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.

1. Put the name of each note in the blank under the note

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Spaces The white boxes above are the names of the notes in the spaces. From the bottom space up, the names of the spaces spell F-A-C-E. Remember “space for my face”.

2. Put the name of each note in the blank under the note

F E

DC

BA

G

F E

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 8

Ledger Lines Ledger lines extend the staff in both directions making it possible to play both higher and lower notes. Since the staff is already a “ladder”, continue using the ladder method to name notes on ledger lines. Here are ledger lines going up:

F G A B C D E F Here are ledger lines going down: E D C B A G

1. Write the note names underneath the notes then add barlines

9

Half Steps and Whole Steps A half step is the closest distance between two notes. A whole step is made up of two half steps put together. On violin or viola a half step is where our fingers touch whereas a whole steps is when our fingers are apart from each other. On cello a half step is when a note is one finger away and a whole step is when a note is two fingers away. On bass, a half step is two fingers away and a whole step is four fingers away. Besides using your instrument, another great way to visualize half steps and whole steps is by using a picture of a piano keyboard. A half step on a piano has no key in between whereas a whole step has one key in between (don’t forget to look UP for the black keys!)

V V Whole Half Step Step

Whole Half Whole Step Step Step (E-F#) (A#-B) (C#-D#)

1. Mark whether the distance between the two notes is a half step or a whole step. Use H for half and W for whole.

B___C# E___F A___B C___D F#___G A___Bb G___A C#___D B___C G#___A E___F# D___Eb F___G D#___E 10

Sharps A sharp sign (#) raises a note one half step higher. It is important to remember that F and F# are two different notes. A sharp should be drawn so that the middle square of the sharp is either fully inside the space if it’s on a space or that the line cuts through the center of the square if it is on a line.

On a space On a line

When you write a sharp by a note it always goes BEFORE the note on the same line or space as the note. When you say the note by letter name, the sharp goes AFTER the letter. 1. Draw 5 sharps on lines and 5 sharps on spaces in the staff below.

2. Add sharps to these notes, then write the note name in the blank below.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 3. Add sharps to these notes, then write the note name in the blank below.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 11

Naturals A natural sign cancels out a sharp or flat. It is also just the “regular” version of a note. Saying F and F natural is the same thing. A natural should be drawn so that the middle square of the natural is either fully inside the space if it’s on a space or that the line cuts through the center of the square if it is on a line.


When you write a natural by a note it always goes BEFORE the note on the same line or space as the note. When you say the note by letter name, the natural goes AFTER the letter. 1. Draw 5 naturals on lines and 5 naturals on spaces in the staff below.

2. Add naturals to these notes, then write the note name in the blank below.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 3. Add naturals to these notes, then write the note name in the blank below.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 12

Flats

A flat sign (b) lowers a note one half step. B and Bb are different notes.

A flat should be drawn so that the circle of the flat is either fully inside the space if it’s on a space or that the line cuts through the center of the circle if it is on a line. Yes, often times, a flat looks like a lowercase “b”.


When you write a flat by a note it always goes BEFORE the note on the same line or space as the note. When you say the note by letter name, the flat goes AFTER the letter. 1. Draw 5 flats on lines and 5 flats on spaces in the staff below.

2. Add flats to these notes, then write the note name in the blank below.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 3. Add flats to these notes, then write the note name in the blank below.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 13

Notes on the D and A string The first notes that are learned on the D and A strings are part of what’s called “finger pattern number 1”. There are five notes in a finger pattern.

your open string name will go in each triangle whole step

whole step your first finger

half step your second finger (H2)

whole step your third finger

your fourth finger

1. Fill in the note names for all open strings and all notes on the A and D string

2. Draw all of the notes that you filled in on the above chart on the staff below in quarter notes. Be careful of sharp placement and stem direction. Write the name of the note BELOW each note. (hint: there should be 12 notes in all)

14

Major Tetrachords Tetrachords are made up of FOUR notes moving by step (no skips). A major tetrachord has a specific whole step and half step formula. This is also the first four notes of finger pattern #1.

D E F# G W W H

(W=whole step H=half step)

1. Determine if the following sets of four notes are major tetrachords or not.

Circle ONLY the major tetrachords. C D E F# G A B C A B C D E F# G# A 2. Fill in the blanks below creating major tetrachords. The first note has

already been filled in for you. G ____ _____ ____ F ____ ____ ____ A ____ ____ ____ C ____ ____ ____ D ____ ____ ____ E ____ ____ ____ 3. What is the whole step/half step pattern for all major tetrachords? 4. How many notes are in a tetrachord?

5. Do tetrachords move by skip or by step?

15

Major Scales A major scale is made up of 8 notes total. It is also the combination of two major tetrachords joined with a whole step. The notes of a scale move by step and a scale should ALWAYS begin and end on the same note name.

C D E F G A B C W W H W W W H


1. How many notes are in a scale?

2. How many tetrachords are in a scale?

3. What is the half/whole step pattern for all major scales? 4. Write out the following scales ascending. The first note has been given for

you. Be careful to mark sharps by the correct notes. Circle each tetrachord when you are finished and mark all of the half and whole steps

G D 16

Eighth Notes An eighth note is worth a half a beat of sound. Two eighth notes equal one quarter note. Eighth notes can be seen by themselves or in groups of two or more barred together with a single beam. = = 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 2 +

Eighth notes are counted by saying “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”. The number always falls on the downbeat (or a foot tap down). The “and” (+) always falls on

the upbeat (foot tap up).

1. Draw 6 single eighth notes and 6 pairs of eighth notes (watch stem direction)

2. Count the following rhythms

3. Add barlines, then count the following rhythm

4. From the counting below, write rhythms that would match the counting,

draw your clef sign, correct time signature and barlines

1 2 + 3 4 + 1 + 2 3 (4) (1) 2 + 3 + 4 1 (2) 3 + 4 1 2 (3) 4 +

17

Key Signatures A key signature is the recipe of what notes are sharp, flat or natural for the entire song. It is placed at the beginning of every line of music following the clef sign. Reminder: read the sharps/flats like notes from left to right regardless of placement from top to bottom.

F, C, and G would be sharp B, E, and A would be flat Name the sharps or flats in the key signatures in the order that they appear

_________ ___________ _____________

___________ ___________ ____________ 18

The D major scale The D major scale has two sharps in the key signature—F and C. They always appear in that order.

The D major scale ascending (going up)

Notice that it consists of the D and A major tetrachords. 1. Write the note names for all open strings, then write the note names in the

circles on the D and A strings for the D major scale.

2. Write the note of the D major scale DESCENDING in quarter notes on the staff below. Don’t forget to add a clef and key signature at the beginning of the line!

19

Note Name Speed Test See how quickly you can name all of these notes! Write the note names under each note.

20

Accidentals When a flat, natural, or sharp appears before a note and it is not already in the key signature it is called an accidental. The accidental lasts through the end of the measure. 1. If you are playing in the key of D major (F# and C#), name 6 accidentals

that could appear. Choose two flats, two naturals, and two sharps 2. Tell whether or not the FIRST note is higher or lower than the SECOND

note. Write H for higher or L for lower Ab_____A C#_____C E_____Eb D_____D# F_____F# Gb_____G B_____Bb A#_____A D_____Db Fill in the blanks 3. A flat ________ a note by a _______ ________ 4. A sharp_________a note by a _________ _________

5. A natural__________ out a _______________ or ____________________

21

The Half Note A half note receives two beats of sound. Half notes look like quarter notes without

the noteheads filled in: h or H . The same rules about directions and placements of

stems on quarter notes apply to half notes.

1 (2) 3 (4)

The parenthesis show how the note is held THROUGH that beat

1. Practice drawing 12 half notes that are on or below the third line 2. Practice drawing 12 half notes that are on or above the third line

3. Add stems to the following noteheads then add barlines according to the time signature

22

The Half Rest A half rest receives two beats of silence. It is like an “invisible” half note! Half rests look like a “top hat” on top of the third staff line:

(1 2) (3 4)

1. Practice drawing 12 half rests on the staff below

Musical Math Complete these mathematical musical equations with the correct number

+ q = 3 Example

1. + -- q = _____ 2. -- q = _____

3. h + ____ = 4. h + q + = _____

5. + h + q -- = ___ 6. X 3 + q = ____

23




Counting Half Notes and Half Rest Here is an example of how half notes and rests mixed with quarter notes and rests would be counted:

1 (2) 3 (4) 1 (2) (3 4) 1 2 3 (4) 1 (2) 3 (4) Reminder: The numbers always go in order and start over at “1” after each barline and

EVERY beat is shown. : 1. Write the counting below the notes in the following lines. Make sure you check the


24

Notes on the G, D and A string Let’s learn the G string note names in finger pattern #1!


whole step your first finger



your fourth finger

1. Fill in the note names for all open strings and all notes on the G, A and D string

2. Draw all of the notes that you filled in on the above chart on the staff below in half notes. Be careful of sharp placement and stem direction. Write the name of the note BELOW each note. (hint: there should be 16 notes in all)

25

The G major scale The G major scale has one sharp in the key signature—F. Because there is NO C# in the key signature, it means that C is NATURAL.

The G major scale descending (going down)

Notice that it consists of the G and D major tetrachords.

1. Write the note names for all open strings, then write the note names in the circles on the G and D strings for the G major scale.

2. Write the notes of the G major scale ASCENDING in quarter notes on the staff below. Don’t forget to add your clef and key signature at the beginning of the line!

26

Finger Pattern #1 on all strings To review:

your open string name will go in each triangle whole step whole step your first finger



your fourth finger

1. Fill in the note names for all open strings and all notes on all strings


27

The Whole Note and Whole Rest A whole note receives four beats of sound. Whole notes look like half notes without stems.

1 (2 3 4)


A whole rest receives four beats of silence OR silence for the whole measure in time signatures that have less than four beats per measure. Whole rests hang from the fourth line.

(1 2 3 4)

1. Practice drawing 12 whole notes 2. Practice drawing 12 whole rests

28

Counting Whole Notes and Whole Rest Here is an example of how whole notes and rests mixed with quarter notes, half notes, quarter rests, and half rests would be counted:

1 (2 3 4) (1 2 3 4) 1 (2) (3 4) 1 (2) 3 4 Reminder: The numbers always go in order and start over at “1” after each barline and

EVERY beat is shown. : 1. Write the counting below the notes in the following lines. Make sure you check the


29

Finger Pattern #2 on all strings Finger pattern #2 has a half step between first and second fingers


half step your first finger

whole step your second finger (L2)


your fourth finger

1. Fill in the note names for all open strings and all notes on all strings


30

Minor Tetrachords Tetrachords are made up of FOUR notes moving by step (no skips). A minor tetrachord has a specific whole step and half step formula. This is also the first four notes of finger pattern #2.

D E F G W H W


1. Determine if the following sets of four notes are minor tetrachords or not. Circle ONLY the minor tetrachords.

C D E F# G A B C A B C D E F# G A 2. Fill in the blanks below creating minor tetrachords. The first note has

already been filled in for you. F ____ _____ ____ G____ ____ ____ D ____ ____ ____ C ____ ____ ____ A ____ ____ ____ E ____ ____ ____ 3. What is the whole step/half step pattern for all major tetrachords? 4. How many notes are in a tetrachord?

5. Do tetrachords move by skip or by step?

31

The Dotted Half Note/The Rule of the Dot A half note receives two beats of sound. When you add a dot to a note it adds half of the value of the note. Half of two is one and one plus two is three; therefore, the dotted half note receives three beats of sound. When drawing a dotted half note in a space, the dot goes in the same space as a note. When drawing a dotted half note on a line, the dot goes in the space above the line.

1 (2 3) 1 (2 3)


1. Practice drawing 12 dotted half notes that are on or below the third line 2. Practice drawing 12 dotted half notes that are on or above the third line

3. Count the following rhythms using parentheses in the correct places

4. How many beats does a dotted whole note receive__________ 5. How many beats does a dotted quarter note receive_________ 32

Ties and Slurs Both ties and slurs use a curved line, but they are very different. A tie is a curved line connecting two or more of the same notes. The tie adds the note values together. The following notes sound the same and are played and counted the same way.

= = Draw a note using exactly one tie that will add up to the number indicated under the staff

3 4 5 6 7 8 A slur is a curved line connecting two or more different notes. The slur indicates to play both of the notes in the same bow.

Mark whether or not the following groups of notes are Ties (T) or Slurs (S) ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

33

The C major scale The C major scale has no sharps or flats in the key signature. Remember that this key signature is not “nothing”, it is the omission of both sharps and flats.

The C major scale ascending (going up)

Notice that it consists of the C and G major tetrachords. 1. Write the note names for all open strings, then write the note names in the

circles on the G, D, and A strings for the C major scale.

2. Write the notes of the C major scale DESCENDING in quarter notes on the staff below. Don’t forget to add your clef and key signature at the beginning of the line!

34

Dynamics In music, the name for volume is dymanics. Forte (f) means loud. Mezzo Forte (mf) is medium loud. Mezzo Piano (mp) is medium soft. Piano (p) is soft. Fill in the table with the appropriate terms/symbols/definitions

p

Soft

mp

Mezzo piano

Medium

loud

forte

Other Musical Terms/Symbols 1. Draw the following Symbols Up Bow Down Bow Repeat Sign Staccato Natural Sign Quarter Note 2. What does DC al Fine mean?

35

Note Name Analogies Fill in the blank with the note name that completes the equation. 1. Open A is to C# as Open D is to ____

2. E is to G as ______ is to D

3. A is to B as B is to _______

4. Open G is to C as Open A is to ______

5. G is to Open D as ______ is to Open G

6. E is to F# as D is to _____

7. D is to F as A is to _____

8. G is to A as D is to ____

9. D is to A as ___ is to G

10. C is to D as ____ is to C#

BONUS QUESTION: F is to A as ____ is to D 36

Rhythm Counting Review Count the following rhythms

37

Theory Knowledge Ladder—Level One The C major Scale (one octave)___

Ties/Slurs___

Dynamics/Terms___

Dotted Half Notes___

Minor Tetrachords___

Finger Pattern #2___

Counting whole notes/rests___


The G major Scale___

Counting half notes/rests___

The D major Scale___

Key Signatures___

Counting eighth notes___

Major scales___

Major tetrachords___

Flats___

Naturals___

Sharps___

Half Steps/Whole Steps___

Ledger Lines___

Note Names___

Counting Quarter notes/rests___

Time Signatures___

Drawing staff and clef signs___

Theory Knowledge Ladder—Level One The C major Scale (one octave)___

Ties/Slurs___

Dynamics/Terms___

Dotted Half Notes___

Minor Tetrachords___


Counting whole notes/rests___


The G major Scale___

Counting half notes/rests___

The D major Scale___

Key Signatures___

Counting eighth notes___

Major scales___

Major tetrachords___

Flats___

Naturals___

Sharps___

Half Steps/Whole Steps___

Ledger Lines___

Note Names___

Counting Quarter notes/rests___

Time Signatures___

Drawing staff and clef signs___

Documents

Level One Violin $7.95 Music Theory for Stringszamoramusic.com/Music Theory for Strings.pdf · The Staff The musical staff is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces in between