Republic of the Philippines

Palompon Institute of Technology

Palompon, Leyte

TEACHING MUSIC IN THE

ELEMENTARY GRADES
Packet 1- Lesson 3
How To Read Notes
 

   
Prepared by:
Odessa L. Urgel
Instructor
Activity 4
Name: ________________________________ Date Submitted: _____________
Program/Yr./Section.: _______________________
Direction: Complete the letter names of these notes.
 

These are a bit mixed up.

 
What is a Note in music?
Þ is a symbol denoting a musical sound. In English usage a
note is also a sound itself. Notes can represent the pitch
and duration of a sound in musical notation. A note can
also represent a pitch class. Also, a notes are the building
blocks of much written music.
Þ Notes are placed on above or below the musical staff to
identify pitch. In other words, it is the location of the note
on the staff tells you which pitch to play.
 

Parts of a Note
 Head - the round part of a note. (All notes have a head.)
Stem - the straight line part of a note that is connected to the note
head.
Flag - a curved line that is attached to the other end of the stem
Beam - a straightened flag that connects two or more note stems.
 

Pitch
- it is the highness or lowness of a note or sound. Basically, the higher the note on the staff the higher
the pitch while the lower the note on the staff the lower the pitch.
Clefs are symbols that determine which note letter names belong to the lines and spaces of a staff
 
 
Treble Clef (or G Clef) - a clef that wraps around the second line from the
bottom of the staff, showing that this line is where the note “G” is found.
 

Bass Clef (or F Clef) - a clef that indicates that the fourth line from the
bottom of the staff (between the two dots) is where the note “F” is
found.
The Musical Alphabet
= A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Note that there is no such note as “H”.
 
 The hand staff or, the Guidonian hand—was first used by Guido
D’Arezzo (c. 991-c. 1033). You can use your hand staff to practice saying and
remembering the letter names of the lines and spaces of the staffs. If you hold up
one hand and turn it sideways, the five fingers on that hand represent the five
lines of a staff. And, if you spread those five fingers apart slightly, then the gaps
between those fingers represent the four spaces of the staff.

REMEMBER THAT WE ALWAYS COUNT LINES AND SPACES

AND SAY THE LETTER NAMES OF THE LINES AND SPACES FROM
THE BOTTOM UP, NEVER FROM THE TOP DOWN!!!

Reading of Notes

Every Good Boy Does Fine

A good way to remember the notes on the lines is to remember this phrase:
A good way to remember the notes on the spaces is to remember they spell out FACE from bottom to top.

 
A good way to remember the notes on the lines is to remember this phrase:
Good Boys Do Fine Always
A good way to remember the notes on the spaces is to remember this phrase:
All Cows Eat Grass.
 

NOTE: As you go up a staff from note to note (by step) without skipping any notes (going line-space-line-
space, etc.), the notes are in alphabetical order as they ascend by step like this. After “G”, you must start the
musical alphabet over again with “A”.
Here are two examples of this, in treble clef and in bass clef:

TREBLE CLEF (G clef) BASS CLEF (F clef)

 

Conversely, as notes descend by step on a staff, the note letter names are in reverse alphabetical
order:
 TREBLE CLEF (G clef)

BASS CLEF (F clef)

NOTE: On the two staffs directly above, the first three notes and the last note are on ledger
lines.
Accidentals are symbols that make a slight change to the pitch of the notes that follow them on the
same line or space within a measure, unless cancelled by another accidental. Accidentals include
symbols such as the sharp sign, flat sign, and natural sign.
 
Sharp sign – Raises the pitch of the note that follows it one half-step
higher. This change affects all notes on that same line or space for the rest
  of the measure, unless it is cancelled out by another accidental

Flat sign – Lowers the pitch of the note that follows it one half-step
lower. This change affects all notes on that same line or space for
the rest of the measure, unless it is cancelled out by another
accidental.

Natural sign– Cancels a previous sharp or flat sign. This change affects all
notes on that same line or space for the rest of the measure, unless it is
cancelled out by another following accidental

Measure - the space between bar lines. (Bar Lines = Measure Lines.)
 

Measure
Finding Pitches on a Piano Keyboard (A Grand Staff is below the keyboard):
 

Steady beat– an unchanging, continuous pulse.

Rhythm- a pattern of long and short notes and rests (sounds and silences).
 
  DURATION (LENGTH) VALUES OF NOTES AND RESTS

 A note is a symbol that indicates a specific time duration (length) of a single musical sound. When
placed on a staff, a note also indicates that a certain pitch is to be sounded for a certain length
of time.
A rest is a symbol that indicates a period of silence for a certain length of time.
Notes and rests are relative to one another in length, which is why they have fractional names:
 
A whole note is (generally) the longest note used in modern written music.
 
A half note is ½ as long as a whole note.
 
A quarter note is ¼ as long as a whole note.
 
An eighth note is ⅛ as long as a whole note.
 
A sixteenth note is / as long as a whole note.
1
16

The following table of notes and rests indicates how many steady beats long each note is and how
many steady beats long its corresponding rest is in 4/4 time (4/4 meter):
  Length of the Note and
Note Name Rest Name
Rest

Whole note 4 beats long Whole rest

Half note 2 beats long Half rest

Quarter note 1 beat long Quarter rest

Eight note 1/2 beat long Eight rest

Sixteenth note 1/4 beat long Sixteenth rest

Beams– notes with flags (such as eight and sixteenth notes) are joined together with a
straightened-out flag. Examples: ♫
 Dotted Note Rule:

A dot after a note adds one-half of the original note length value to the note. Meaning, a dot
that is placed after the note is to indicate a change in the duration of a note. So, the dot adds half
of the value of the note to itself.
 EXAMPLES OF SOME DOTTED NOTES
:
Note Name Symbol Length of the Note
 

Dotted half note (2+1)= 3 beats

Dotted quarter note (1+1/2)= 1 1/2 beats

Dotted whole note (4+2)= 6 beats

Dotted eighth note ♪ 1/4+1/16= 3/4

Dotted sixteenth note ¼ + 1/8= 3/8

Fermata (Hold) – A symbol that looks like a half circle with a dot inside it that, when placed
over a note (or sometimes under a note), tells the performer to hold that note out a little longer.
Nickname for this symbol: “bird’s eye.”
Triplets – Three notes of the same kind with a 3 over or under them. The three notes of a
triplet are played in the same amount of time that it normally takes to play two of these notes.
Time Signature or Meter Signature – Tells how the beats in music are divided into measures. A
measure contains the number of beats shown by the time signature. The top number of the signature
tells the number of beats in a measure; the bottom number tells what kind of note gets one beat.

EXAMPLES OF TIME SIGNATURES (METER SIGNATURES):

 
Some basic time signatures:
 
4/4 or common time (C), 2/2 or cut-
  time (¢), 2/4, 3/4 & 6/8
 

 
Key Signature – Flat signs or sharp signs without notes next to them that appear near the beginning
of the staff. They alter all of the notes on the indicated lines and spaces for the entire staff, unless
cancelled out by accidentals.
 
EXAMPLES OF KEY SIGNATURES:
 
The order of FLATS in a key signature:
BEADGCF mnemonic: BEAD, Girls Can Flirt.
The order of SHARPS in a key signature:

FCGDAEB mnemonic: Fat Cows Go

Down And Eat Barley.
 

ARTICULATION MARKS:
 Stacatto mark – a dot over or under a note (not beside it) that tells the performer to play the note
shorter and to make it separated and detached from the note after it.
Legato or tenuto mark – a line over or under a note that tells the performer to play the note long
and hold it out for its full value to make it connected to the note after it.
Slur – a curved line over or under two or more notes of different pitch that tells the performer to play
the notes smoothly and connected. Wind instrument players should play slurred notes in one breath,
using a tongue start on only the first note of the slur.
Tie – a curved line over or under two notes of the same pitch that tells the performer that the two
notes are joined together and played as one note. As with a slur, wind instrument players should play
tied notes in one breath, using a tongue start on only the first note of the tie.
Accent mark – shaped like a sideways “V”, this symbol tells the performer to play the note louder
than all of the other notes around it so that it stands out.
 Dynamics marks are symbols that indicate what the loudness or softness of the music should be.
Pianissimo – very soft
Piano – soft
Mezzo Piano – medium soft
Mezzo Forte – medium loud
Forte – loud
Fortissimo – very loud
Crescendo – getting gradually louder as the two lines get further apart
Decrescendo (or Diminuendo) – getting gradually softer as the two lines get closer
together.
Multi-measure rest or Multi-bar rest – Tells the performer how many measures to rest
without a change in the meter or time signature. EXAMPLE: The example to the left tells
the performer to rest 10 measures. So, if the meter or time signature is 4/4, then the
performer would silently count to four ten times in order to rest for the indicated amount of
time.
Breath mark – Looks like a comma. It tells a wind instrument performer where to take a
breath. (It tells a non-wind instrument player to create a slight break in the sound.) This
“break” does not change the tempo or meter and it also does not interrupt the steady beat.
Although breath marks are sometimes written in scores by composers and publishers,
they are most often written in by the performers. The best place for a breath is at the end
of a phrase, especially after long notes or during rests
 
 Phrase – a complete musical thought or a musical sentence. It is usually best for wind instrument
players to take a breath at the end of each phrase.
Grand Pause or Caesura – Indicates a brief, silent pause, during which time is not
counted and the steady beat is briefly interrupted. Nickname for this symbol: “ railroad
tracks.”
First and Second Endings – Indicate that a repeated passage of music is to be played with
a different ending (under the designated bracket) each time.
Tempo – The speed of a piece of music. Largo or Lento – very slow.
Grave – slow & solemn. Adagio – slow & stately; at ease.
 
Andante – walking speed. Moderato – moderate or medium tempo
Allegro – quick & lively. Vivace – very fast.
 
Presto – extremely fast. Ritardando or Rallentando – gradually slowing down.
Accelerando – gradually speeding up

Finding Pitches (Note Letter Names) on the Piano Keyboard

 

Notice that the black keys come in alternating sets of 2 and 3. (That is, 2 black keys that are
close together, and 3 black keys that are close together.) This pattern repeats over and over across
the piano keyboard.
You can learn the letter names of the white keys by remembering where they are in
relationship to the sets of black keys. For example, the white key that is immediately to the left of a
set of 2 black keys is always the note, C. As another example, the note to the right of a set of 3
black keys is always the note B.
Notice that, going from left to right, the white keys occur in alphabetical order, A through G.
When you get to a G, then you have to start all over again after the G with a higher A (since there
are no notes that are named H through Z.)
The black key notes are in-between notes that are sharps or flats. Each black key has two
names: A sharp name, and a flat name.
For example, if a black key is between C and D, then it is called either C# (C-Sharp) or Db (D-Flat).
If you already know how to play another instrument, such as a band instrument, then you
already know how to read the notes on the staff, so now all that you have to do to play your band
songs on the piano is to use the keyboard picture above to help you find the correct notes on the
piano keyboard.
Notice that there is never a black key between E and F, and also never a black key between B
and C.
 
 Rhythmic Pattern
- Is a combination of notes and rests; the pattern depends on meter
or time signature. (video)
Activity 5. Application/ Assessment
Composition Task
Name: ______________________________________ Course & Yr. ______________
Date Submitted: ________________
1. Your task is to compose a four bar melody with lyrics.
2. Use the following criteria to complete your melody. To the grand stave below add:
A. a treble clef.
B. a sign that indicates there are 4 beats in every bar.

Activity 5. Application/ Assessment

Composition Task
Name: ______________________________________ Course & Yr. ______________
Date Submitted: ________________
1. Your task is to compose a four bar melody with lyrics.
2. Use the following criteria to complete your melody. To the grand stave below add:
A. a treble clef.
B. a sign that indicates there are 4 beats in every bar.
C. a rhythm mainly consisting of half notes, quarter notes, and one set of eighth notes

D. notes that move by step or same (not more than 2 same notes in a row are to
to be used).
E. use the first five notes of the scale only: C, D, E, F, and G
G. the first and last note must be a C.
H. Give your melody a title
3. Take a video of yourself singing your composition and send/attached the video to our Fb
Group/YouTube (optional)/google classroom. (Note: you can use any accompaniment)
Song Presentation Rubric

 
Criteria Description Points

All notes are written neatly using proper bar

Music Notation 10
line placement

All measures have the correct number of

beats & a variety of rhythms are used
Meter & Rhythm 15
including half notes, quarter notes, & eighth
notes.
 Students should be able to used expressive
Expression/Characterization 5
elements to artfully share the song’s meaning

Student should made a beautiful sound,

Tone & Clarity of the Voice speaks clearly & distinctly all the time and no 10
mispronounces of words.

Looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye

Posture and Eye Contact contact with everyone in the room during the 10
presentation.

Total 50

Feedback
In a 1 whole sheet of yellow pad paper/short bond paper, write your insights/reflection using
the following guide questions.
 What difficulty have you encountered in the lesson? Why?
 What genre of song did you perform? How did you choose your song? What inspires you to
compose your song?
 How did you feel when you sing your song? Why?
 

Summary
Music notation offers a more practical solution to transmit music to somebody so that the musician can
play himself. Its purpose is to be able to represent the contents of a musical work in written form. In this
manner. We can communicate in a precise way anything that occurs during the execution of a piece of music.
This musical notation language evolved throughout history up to the present day. The modern system such as
it currently exists is largely recognized on the international level and forms a universal language understood by
most musicians worldwide. An immense repertoire is available in this form in musical bookshops. Learning this
language thus opens communication with most of past and present musical works. It also lets you write a
music so others can play it. (http://www.arpegemusic.com/)
Grand staff refers to a two staves joined together, with an invisible line in between them. There are two
staves which make up the Grand staff. The top stave uses the Treble clef to identify notes and bottom stave
uses the Bass clef. The grand staff is divided into two parts, the lines and spaces, and ledger lines which is
important in a composition. On the other hand, understanding the lines in a music composition plays an
important role in a grand staff because it gives us the backbone of each note, they tell musicians how loud or
soft to play, it illustrates the shape of musical phrases, and it give information about how different instruments
relate to one another. (www.study.com)
Another important aspect in music is learning how to read notes in music. Reading of music notes is
like reading an alphabet book, once you familiarize and understand you will be able to write and read notes of
different kind of musical piece. Furthermore, reading of notes is important because it will help us to understand
and appreciate more on music. Hence, as you learn to read music notes more, you will also improve your skills
accordingly. And with your ability to read music notes, you can also compose your own song in the future.

Suggested Readings
https://www.musicnotes.com/
https://samusicacademy.com/
https://www.musictheory.net/
https://corcoranhighschoolmusic.weebly.com/uploads/2/9/2/8/29287141/basicmusictheorytextbook.pdf

 
References/Resources
MUSIC NOTATION SYMBOLS
https://musicnotationsymbols.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/music-notation-symbols-ebook1.pdf
Understanding Lines in Musical Notation
https://study.com/academy/lesson/understanding-lines-in-musical-notation.html#:~:text=The%20higher%20the
%20note%20appears,staff%2C%20the%20higher%20the%20pitch.&text=If%20the%20ledger%20line
%20is,appears%20on%20the%20space%20below.
 
Musical Notation part 1
https://www.slideshare.net/HashiniHerath2/musical-notation-part-1-lines-used-in-music?qid=191b4f40-b2fd-
4eae-a4f8-7fedc355326e&v=&b=&from_search=1

How to Read Music Notes?

https://www.slideshare.net/liraleiannbondoc/how-to-read-music-notes

Grand Staff
https://www.slideshare.net/PrinceGyamfi4/grand-staff-1

Reading the Notes on the Musical Staff

https://www.slideshare.net/JoseMedina58/reading-the-notes-on-the-musical-staff?next_slideshow=1

HOW TO READ MUSIC NOTES (QUICK-LEARN CHEAT SHEETS), Page 1

https://1.cdn.edl.io/nEOQZcvkRprl94CZsiscvM5GBc8zn9SBVIupGmRJTTAx2S16.pdf