No__73___Learn To Read Music

[Peter Anderson]

There follows a list of all the different Key Signatures.


First of all those with flats (b) in them, but starting with the Key of C, which you now know has no Sharps or Flats.


Key of C                       No Sharps or Flats



Key of F                       1 Flat



Key of Bb                       2 Flats



Key of Eb                      3  Flats



Key of Ab                       4  Flats



Key of Db                       5  Flats



Key of Gb                       6  Flats



Key of Cb   7  Flats


In the next Reply we look at all the key Signatures with Sharps.

Peter

[Peter Slack]

Why are flats so much easier to play than sharps, they really are.

[John Szczechowski]

Allegedly C major is the most difficult to play from a physical point of view!
Keys with more accidentals are easier to play. The reason is that they conform very well to the anatomy of the hand: the long fingers (2.3,4) usually play the black keys, the short fingers (1,5) usually play the white keys.

I find that practicing scales in all keys then helps playing pieces in heavy key signatures, especially those written in Cb  or C#! (Thankfully there aren't many!)

John

[Peter Anderson]

I agree, flats are easier than sharps, and thank you, John, for this insight.
I've never known why this is so, but have wondered if there is psychological reason.....namely, as we aim for a note but it is flattened, we simply drop back a bit.    However, if it is sharpened we have to reach a little and we can't cope with that. Very easily.   Laziness, maybe?
Peter

[Peter Anderson]

Here is a list of all the Key Signatures with Sharps (#) in them, but again beginning with the Key of C, which has none, of course.



Key of C                      No Sharps or Flats



Key of G                    1  Sharp



Key of D               2  Sharps



Key of A              3  Sharps



Key of E                       4  Sharps



Key ofB                   5  Sharps



Key of F#             6  Sharps



Key of C#        7  Sharps


In the next posting I’ll give you a couple of ‘tricks’ to enable you to remember these Key signatures.

Peter

[Peter Anderson]

Here are a couple of ‘tricks’ that you can use to enable you to remember these Key Signatures.

Flats

For Key Signatures with Flats, the key signature is the second to last flat.

So in this example:



This is the Key of  E flat    (Eb)   because E flat (Eb) is the second to last flat in the Key Signature..



Here is another example:



This is the Key of D flat    (D♭),    because D flat  (D♭)  is the second to last flat in the Key Signature.
It is not the Key of D, because there is a D flat (D♭)  in the Key, and therefore it is the Key of D flat (D♭).


 


Sharps

For Key Signatures with Sharps, the Key Signature is the note name half a step above the last sharp.


Here is an example:


This is the key of G, because F# is the last sharp in the key signature, and the note of G is half a step above the note of F#.


Here is another example:



This is the Key of E, because E is half a step above D#, which is the last sharp in this key signature.
It is not the key of E#, because there is no E# in this key signature.


Now a final example:



This is the Key of C#.    Why?

Work it out, then go to the next Reply to confirm your reasoning.

Peter

[Peter Anderson]

Please read the previous Reply before reading this one.

Thank you.


Now for that third example, which was:



Why is this the Key of C#?


The last sharp in this Key Signature is B#.

Half a step above that is C#.             Yes, C#.

Remember there is a naturally occurring half step between B and C.

This means that B# is the same pitch as C.

So half a step above B# is C#.           That is a half step above C.

The quicker way to determine this is to look at the sharps already in the Key Signature.   In this case, there is already a C# in the Key Signature, so this is the key of C#.


Before you ask, although these little ‘tricks’  will help you to quickly determine the Key Signature when there are multiple sharps or flats, neither of them work for the Key of C or the Key of F.   You will just have to remember them, but they are very common, so you will get used to recognizing them very quickly.

Peter

[Peter Anderson]

I think that should conclude this series of postings about Learning To Read Music.

However, if you have a specific request you would like us to cover, or simply wish to elaborate on any issue to this subject, please make your request in a Reply below, and we’ll see what we can do.

Also it would be encouraging to hear if this has benefitted any of you in any way, so equally let us know with a Reply below, please.

There follows a further 5 Replies which show our friend Peter Hayward giving personal instruction for you.  (First one next week.)

Peter

[Charles Hughes]

Peter,

I just want to publicly acknowledge the amount of work you have put in to preparing and presenting the musical knowledge series and say thank you for a magnificent effort.  I'm sure that there will be many who will benefit from such a concise series of notes covering a such a wealth of material.  Well done.

Charles

[Peter Anderson]

Thank you, Charles.  Good to have positive feedback.  I hope that all the posts on the AR-Group will prove to beneficial to many, even in future years, as long as the AR organ keeps going, anyway.
Your Reply is much appreciated, just as you are personally.
Peter

[Peter Anderson]

How to Begin to Read Music – Part 1  with Peter Hayward

Think you can't read music?   Peter Hayward's unique and simple explanation will have you picking out melody lines from written music within seconds!






Peter

[Peter Anderson]

How to begin to read music Part 2 with Peter Hayward



Continuing our series for people who THINK they can't read music. Peter Hayward's amazingly simple explanation will have you playing a melody (from written music notes!) within seconds. Here we look at flats, sharps, and Middle-C.

Peter

[Peter Anderson]

How to begin to read music Part 3 with Peter Hayward

Why do we see 4/4 or 3/4 at the start of a piece of music?      How do we count notes correctly and what is the reason for counting?      Peter Hayward explains the main basics of rhythm, beats and timing, here in Part 3 of his beginner's guide on how to start to read music.   

Click on this video to get straightforward instruction of this vital aspect.



Peter

[Peter Anderson]

How to begin to read music Part 4 with Peter Hayward

In this video, Peter Hayward shows us the correct way to count dotted crotchets, quavers and triplets. He also explains more useful rhythm patterns in part four of his short beginners guide on how to begin to read and understand written music.


   
Peter

[Peter Anderson]

How to improve your music reading with Peter Hayward

Were you taught to read music as a child, but gave up, and now many years later you have decided to take up playing again?       

In this vintage clip first recorded on VHS - "Music in View"  tuition series, professional musician Peter Hayward gives you his very best tip for reading music more easily and more efficiently.     

This will enable you to learn new tunes faster, as well as playing your music more smoothly while being more relaxed. He also suggests another good idea for finding your way smoothly through those confusing repeat signs.



Peter