The pitch is the quality which allow us to distinguish between low and high sounds. The sequence of one pitch after another configures the melody of a piece.
La Altura es la cualidad del sonido que nos permite distinguir entre sonidos agudos y graves.
ANGLO-SAXON SYSTEM
The name of the notes change in English. They use the letters of the alphabet, A (La), B (Si), C (Do), D (Re), E (Mi), F (Fa), G (Sol).
Tenemos dos sistemas para nombrar las notas, el sistema latino (Do, Re Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si) y el sistema anglo-sajon.
SCALE: It is the ordered sequence of ascending (low to high) or descending (high to low) notes:
Escala: conjunto de sonidos en sentido ascendente y descente que empiezan y acaban en la misma nota.
STAFF: It is a group of five lines and four spaces that we use to write notes on. When a note is too high or too low to draw it on the staff, we have to add ledger lines.
CLEF: It is the symbol at the beginning of the staff. It indicates the name of the notes.
So, the G Clef on the 2nd line indicates that the note on the 2nd line is called G.
El pentagrama es un conjunto de 5 lineas y 4 espacios donde escribir las notas. Cuando una nota es muy aguda o muy grave usamos líneas adicionales.
GAME TO LEARN THE NAME OF NOTES, latin system.
The difference in pitch between notes is mesasured in tones and semitones. Our natural scale (from C to C') is made up of 5 tones and 2 semitones distributed as follows:
La diferencia de altura entre las notas se mide en tonos y semitonos. Nuestra escala natural de Do a Do' tiene 5 tonos y dos semitonos.
As you see, semitone are located between the notes E-F and B-C. Los semitonos se encuentran situados entre las notas Mi-Fa y Si-Do
An interval is the distance between two notes. Intervals can be ascending (from low to high) or descending ( from high to low). In order to analyze an interval we have to count all the notes it covers (including the first and the last) and measure the tones and semitones between them.
Un intervalo es la distancia entre dos notas. Puede ser ascendente o descendente. Para analizar un intervalo tenemos que contar todas las notas incluyendo la primera y la última y mirar los tonos y semitonos.
Accidentals are written on the left of the note and on the same line or space. They affect all the notes with the same name but just within the measure.
El sostenido (#) sube medio tono la nota, el bemol (b) baja medio tono y el becuadro anula el efecto de las dos. Las alteraciones se sitúan a la derecha de la nota en la misma línea o espacio y afectan a todas las notas con el mismo nombre dentro del mismo compás.
These are the notes which have different names but sound the same, because thre is no distance between them.
Notas que tienen distinto nombre pero igual sonido.
The diatonic scale has 5 tones and 2 semitones. The diatonic scale has two different modes: Major and minor
a) Major (M) It follows the pattern of the C scale C - D - E - F
- G - A - B - C
I - II - III - IV - V- VI- VII-VIII
So, in Major scale the semitones are placed between the III-IV degrees and between the VII-VIII degreees.
If we want to build a Major scale from a note other than C, we will need to correct the distribution of tones and semitones using sharps and flats, so that it souns like the model.
b) Minor (m). it follows the pattern of the A scale A- B - C - D - E - F - G - A
I-II- III - IV- V- VI - VII-VIII
Key signature: When we write music in other scales differente from C major or A minos, flats ad sharps are neeed. They are indicated at the beginning of the staff, just between the clef and the time signature.
The sharps and flats of the key signature affect all the notes with the same names in the piece.
OTHER SCALES