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Time Values

Those signs you see on music scores are notes which represent musical sounds. Each one of them has a different time value, that is, they last for a different length of time.

There are six types of notes which are commonly seen on scores today, they are the semibreve, the minim, the crotchet, the quaver, the semiquaver, and the demisemiquaver. Crochets and quavers most often used for single beats, of course others can be used as single beats but not as frequent as the crotchet and the quaver.

The semibreve is 4 times the value of a crotchet and twice that of the minim. It does not have a stem. The minim is twice the length of the crotchet. It has a stem and it is "not filled". Two quavers make one crotchet which is a black note with a stem, while a quaver is a black note with a stem and a tail. A semiquaver is half of a quaver and twice the value of a demisemiquaver. The semiquaver is a black note with a stem and two tails while the demisemiquaver has three tails instead of two.

The breve is twice the value of the semibreve which was mentioned earlier and eight times the length of the crotchet. This one is a semibreve that has two strokes on each side. We rarely see this note nowadays.

There is also a note of very short note value called the hemidemisemiquaver, a black note with a stem and 4 tails, this is one half the value of the demisemiquaver.

When every you see a dot behind a note, then the note's value is extended for half more of it's own length. we say that the note is dotted.








Time signature

That thing with two numbers at the very start of the score is called the time signature. The number in the top is the number tells you how many beats you have in one bar (or measure). The number below tells you the the time value or the length of each single beat. Each note has a number which represents it at the time signature. Below is a table with the number and the notes which has been introduced earlier in the time value sections.

1	=	semibreve
2	=	minim
4	=	crotchet
8	=	quaver
16	=	semiquaver
32	=	demisemiquaver
64	=	hemidemisemiquaver

If the time signature writes 3 on the top and 4 at the bottom then that means you have three crotchets in one bar (or measure). We say that the piece is in three four time.

If you see a sign that looks like a letter "C" that has the same meaning as four four time. Another time signature that's represented by a sign is the "alla breve" a "C" with a vertical line through the middle. This indicates two two time which is the same as four two time.





An Introduction To Compound Time

Does three four time and six eight time seem the same to you? Both of them indicates six quavers in a bar or their equivalent...but wait! THEY ARE DIFFERENT!!! Actually six eight time is similar, not to three four time but to two four time. Only Similar. Both of them indicates 2 beats in a bar, and two only. Confused? Basically, one of them, two four time, indicates two crotchets in a bar while six eight time actually means 2 dotted crotchet beats in bar.

Time signatures like two four time, three four time, etc. are simple time. They imply that each single beat is just a plain note and can be divided into 2 equal parts. As for compound time like six-eight, nine-eight, twelve eight,etc... implies that each single beat is a dotted note that can be divided into three equal parts instead of just two.





Scales

For scales there are two main types : major and minor scales.

For major scales each degree of the scale has a one tone interval with the one immediately next to them. The only exceptions are the intervals between the 3rd and 4th degrees, and the 7th and 8ve degrees. With these they both have an interval of a semitone only.

For minor scales they are divided into two different types of minors. harmonic and melodic.

For harmonic minors they usually flatten the third, reducing the interval between the 2nd and 3rd degree to a semitone and thus extending the interval between the 3rd and 4th to a tone. In the harmonic minor it also flattens the 6th degree of the scale.

As for melodic minors, in an ascending melodic minor scale it flattens the 3rd degree of scale, sharpen the 6th and 7th degrees. In the descending form it flattens the 6th and 7th degrees while the 3rd degree of the scale remains flattened.





Figured Bass

In the baroque period, figured bass was used to indicate the part of the continuo player(s). The continuo players plays the chords so that the harmony can be full and complete. The numbers in the continuo line, that is the figured bass, indicates the intervals above the bass note that was given in the bass line. The intervals and the bass note forms a chord which was played by the continuo player.

Take the C-major chord for example. The base note would be a C, and then above it would be E and G respectively. This C-E-G chord is the root position of the C-major chord. The figured bass that represents root position chords is . The 3 indicates the interval between C and E and the 5 indicates the intervals between C and G. The first inversion of this C-E-G chord would be a E-G-C chord with the C going to the very back of the row. The symbol for first inversions is , similarly they represent the intervals between the base note and the notes above. The second inversion of the C-E-G chord would form a G-C-E chord. Second inversions are represented by .