Download HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL CHORAL 90, 10, 20, 30 MUSICAL

HOLY CROSS HIGH SCHOOL
CHORAL 90, 10, 20, 30
MUSICAL LITERACY
Lesson 1: Note Reading
A staff is made up of five horizontal lines and four spaces.
Pitches are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet (A B C D E F G).
A clef is a musical symbol placed at the beginning of the staff that determines the
letter names of the lines and spaces.
The two main clefs are the treble and the bass:
A grand staff is a combination of both the treble and bass clefs connected by a
vertical line on the left side of the staves (more than one staffs).
Ledger Lines are an extension of the staff. They are additional lines both above
and below which are parallel to the staff. Each ledger line contains one note.
A measure or bar is a segment of time defined by a given number of beats, each of which are
assigned a particular note value. A measure is divided by a bar line.
A system is a combination of two staves or more on which all the notes to be played
simultaneously in different registers or on different instruments are vertically aligned.
Lesson 2: Note Values
The triplet subdivides a beat into three. The triple notation has been shown in two ways - one,
with the number 3 over the group of three eighth notes; the other, with a bracket as well as the
number. The three eighth notes are played in the time of two eighth notes.
Meter is the regular recurring pattern of strong and weak beats of equal duration;
also known as time. The meter or time signature in a musical composition is
indicated by a fraction, and located at the beginning of a piece of music. The
lower number of the fraction tells what kind of note receives one beat. The upper
number tells how many beats are in a measure. There are two types of meter,
simple and compoud.
In simple meter the upper number is either 2, 3, or 4. Each beat is subdivided by
two.
In compound meter the upper number is either 6,9, or 12. Each beat is a dotted
note and subdivided into groups of three beats.
Lesson 3: Intervals
An interval is the distance between two notes. Intervals are always counted from the lower note
to the higher one, with the lower note being counted as one. Intervals come in different qualities
and size. The smallest interval is the half step. A visual representation of a half step would be
the distance between a consecutive white and black note on the piano. There are two exceptions
to this rule, as two natural half steps occur between the notes E and F, and B and C. A whole
step is the distance between two consecutive white or black keys. It is made up of two half steps.
Intervals can be described as Major (M), Minor (m), Perfect (P), Augmented (A), and
Diminished (d).
Intervals come in various sizes: Unisons, Seconds, Thirds, Fourths, Fifths, Sixths, and Sevenths.
2nds, 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths can be found as Major and Minor.
Unisons, 4ths, 5ths, and Octaves are Perfect.
Augmented: When a major interval is raised by a half step, when a minor interval is raised by
two half steps, or When a perfect interval is raised by a half step, it becomes augmented.
Diminished: When a major interval is lowered by two half steps, when a minor interval is
lowered by a half step or when a perfect interval is lowered by a half step.
Interval Identification
It is important to be able to hear and identify intervals. This is a very important thing for
musicians to do. Here is a list of familiar songs that will help you to identify the intervals.
Perfect Unison Minor 2 – Ascending: Stormy Weather, Jaws, White Christmas
Descending: Fur Elise, Joy to the World
PU
nd
m2
-2
Major 2nd – Ascending: Happy Birthday, Silent Night, Rudolph the Red Nosed-Reighndeer
M2
Descending: Mary had a little Lamb, Three Blind Mice
+2
Minor 3rd – Ascending: O Canada, Lullaby, O Where Has My Little Dog Gone, So Long
Farwell
Descending: Hey Jude, Frosty the Snowman
Major 3rd – Ascending: Oh when the Saints, Kumbaya, Michael Row the Boast Ashore
Descending: Swing Low Sweet Chariot, Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me
m3
-3
M3
+3
Perfect 4th – Ascending: Here Comes the Bride, Seventy Six Trombones, We Whish You
Merry Christmas, Amazing Grace
Descending: Oh Come all Ye Faithful, I’ve Been Working on the Railroad
P4
Augmented 4th – Ascending: Maria from West Side Story, The Simpsons
Descending:
A4
Perfect 5- Ascending: Star Wars, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Descending: Flintstones, The Way you Look Tonight
P5
Minor 6th – Ascending: In My Life by the Beatles
Descending: Love Story Theme
m6
-6
Major 6th – Ascending: My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean, Hush Little Baby, For He’s a Jolly
Good Fellow
M6
Descending: Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, Music Of the Night from +6
Phantom of the Opera
Minor 7th – Ascending: Somewhere from West Side Story, Star Trek Theme
Descending:
m7
-7
Major 7th – Ascending: Bali Hai from South Pacific, Somewhere Over the Rainbow (first 3
pitches)
M7
Descending:
+7
Perfect Octave- Ascending: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, I’m Singing in the Rain
Descending:
P8
Lesson 4: Scales
There are many different types of scales. They are the backbone of music.
Major Scale:
Natural Minor Scale:
Chromatic Scale: made up entirely of half steps. When ascending, the scale uses sharps, when
descending it uses flats
.
Lesson 5: Expression Marks
Tempo
Largo: Very slow
Adagio: Slow, leisurely
Lento: Slow
Moderato: Moderate
Andante: Moving with a moderate tempo
Allegro: Moderately fast
Vivace: Lively, animated, brisk
Presto: Fast, rapid
Dynamics
pp
Pianissimo: very soft
p
Piano: soft
mp
Mezzo Piano: moderately soft
mf
Mezzo Forte: moderately loud
f
Forte: loud
ff
Fortissimo: very loud
<
Crescendo: increasing in loudness
>
Decrescendo and Diminuendo: decreasing in loudness
sfz
Sforzando: sudden accent
fp
Fortepiano: loud then soft
Articulation
Staccato: a dot placed above or below a note means to play it short
Slur: a curved line either above or below notes that connects two
different pitches that are to be played smoothly
Tie: a curved line either above or below two of the same notes indicating
not to attack the second note
Tenuto: a line above or below the note means to play the full value of the
note
Accent: an accent placed above or below the note means to emphasise the
note. Horizontal accents suggest playing the note louder, while vertical
accent marks suggest playing a note more forcefully and shorter.
Breath Mark: an apostrophe placed above the staff means to take a breath
Caesura: a break or interruption in music, notated by two diagonal lines
often refered to as railroad tracks. The break can be of any length at the
discretion of the conductor
Repeats
The most common device for repeating sections is the repeat mark which we show below - a pair
of lines, one thick and the other thin, with two, or sometime four dots, which are placed to the
left of the thinner line if an 'end repeat' or to the right of the thinner line if a 'begin repeat'. Notice
that if the first section repeated lies at the beginning of the piece no 'begin repeat' sign is needed
but for sections lying within the piece the composer must mark both the beginning and end of the
section.
To see how repeat signs work, examine the schematic below:
Sometimes the last few bars of a passage to be repeated may be altered when played a second
time. To make this clear, 'first time' (in Italian prima volta) and 'second time' (in Italian seconda
volta) marks can be placed over the relevant bars; as shown below. The 'second time' mark is
open to the right because it leads to new material.
Sometimes instructions are given that mean one repeats different sections from different places.
Instruction
Meaning
What You Must Do
D.C. al Fine
D.C. (da capo) =
from the start
Fine = end
go back to the beginning and
end at Fine
D.C. al Coda
D.C. (da capo) =
from the start
Coda = tail
go back to the beginning and
play to the coda sign, then
skip to and play the Coda
D.S. al Fine
D.S. (del segno) =
go back to the sign and end at
from the sign
Fine
Fine = end
D.S. al Coda
D.S. (del segno) = go back to the sign and play
from the sign
to the coda sign, then skip to
Coda = tail
and play the Coda
Fine
segno = sign
indicating a place from
which an additional
instruction should be
observed, as, for example, go
back to the 'sign' and then 'do
something'
coda sign
jump from this sign to the
section marked coda missing
out all the bars between the
coda sign and the coda
section
End
marking the place where the
music stops
Lesson 6: Singing Terminology
Classification of the Voice (from highest rang to lowest)
Soprano: Timbre tends to be light and bright, although there are also many full-voiced sopranos.
Vocal Range: G, below middle C, to Anywhere Above high C.
Mezzo Soprano: Timbre tends to be rich and creamy. Vocal Range: E, below middle C, to at
least high C.
Alto (or Contralto): Timbre tends to be heavy and full. Vocal Range: D, below middle C.
Tenor: Timbre tends to be light and flexible. Vocal range: B an octave below middle C, and up
to high C or D (or above).
Baritone: Timbre tends to be thick and creamy. Vocal range: G or F an octave below middle C,
to F or G above middle C.
Bass: Timbre tends to be dark, heavy, and full. Vocal range: E (or lower) an octave below
middle C, to E or F above middle C.
More Singing Terms
A Cappella: Singing without any form of instrumental accompaniment.
Accent: Giving a particular note or phrase more stress than the ones before or after it. Italics do
it in print, accents do it in singing. To be effective in solo singing, accents must usually be subtle.
Accompaniment: The instrumentation that plays beneath the singing.
Accompanist: A pianist who plays music beneath the singing.
Attack: Describes the process of a singer first hitting a note, as in "his attack on that high C was
too harsh," or "her attack at the beginning of the song was very gentle."
Belting: Originally a term applied to female voices only. This is a loud, driving sound that is
produced by pushing the natural chest register beyond its normal limits. Most 'belters' can carry
it fairly comfortably up to around B flat in the middle of the staff.
Blend: In solo singing, the smooth transition between the head and chest voice. Or, when more
than one individual is singing, the sound combination between singers, which preferably makes
it difficult to pick out one singer's voice amid the group.
Break: The sudden change in tone between the head and chest voice, caused by vocal tension.
When a singer hits his or her break, there may be a "popping" sound, or some other sound that is
jarring and ugly. This can be avoided with good vocal technique.
Breath Support: Efficient use of the singer's stream of breath, controlled primarily by the
diaphragm.
Catch Breath: A quick, short, unobtrusive breath.
Chest Voice: Or "chest register." The lower notes of a singer's range, which is in the same
general range as the speaking voice. When singing in the chest voice, the vocal cords become
naturally thick, and the resulting sound is generally associated with deep, warm tones.
Diaphragm: The dome shaped muscle attached to the bottom of the lungs that separates your
chest and stomach cavities. Its main function is to initiate inhalation.
Diction: The clear pronunciation of words. This requires attention to both consonants and
vowels. Good diction helps produce good sound, however, so all singers should pay attention to
it.
Diphthong: literally "two sounds" or "two tones”, refers to two adjacent vowel sounds occurring
within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is one vowel with two different vowel sounds.
That is, the tongue moves during the pronunciation of the vowel (ex: eye, hay, boy, low, and
cow)
Falsetto: In male singers, a high register (actually, sung in the female range) similar to the head
voice. However, unlike the head voice, falsetto cannot blend with the chest voice. All men also
have a head voice.
Forced: Singing that is forced may sound strained, and is accompanied by unnecessary tension
in the throat.
Head Voice: Or "head register." Singing in the higher part of the range. While singing in the
head voice, the vocal folds are thin; the head voice is usually associated with light, bright sounds.
Intonation: Refers to pitch. If he or she has "bad intonation," they sing either flat or sharp.
International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA): A set of symbols and modifying signs defined by the
International Phonetic Association to provide a consistent and universally understood system for
transcribing the speech sounds of any language.
Marking: When a singer chooses to sing half-voice for a rehearsal, usually because their voice is
tired. Marking should be done infrequently.
Nasal/Head Cavity: resonating area in the upper half of your head.
Phrasing: Refers to the breaths or "stops" in between notes. Natural phrasing will include
"stops" after all periods, commas, semicolons, or colons. Additional phrasing may be necessary
for the singer to take catch breaths or to achieve a certain style. It's an excellent idea for singers
to sit down with sheet music in hand and mark their phrasing before they begin to sing. This
helps prevent unexpected losses of breath and awkward phrasing that draws attention to itself.
Pitch: The sound of a particular note. When pitch is referred to, it's usually in reference to being
"on" or "off" pitch. "On pitch" means the singer is singing in tune. "Off pitch" means the singer
is either flat or sharp.
Placement: A singing technique that uses the sensation of vibrations in the head to achieve
healthy sound that resonates and carries well. Most healthy singing is done in what is often
referred to as "forward placement" (or "the mask"), with vibrations behind the teeth/lips, on the
cheekbones, and sometimes the forehead and/or nose. The resulting sound is full, not nasally or
thin.
Projection: Generally, the ability to be heard by the audience. Sometimes also refers to the
ability to communicate emotion to the audience, as in "she projects great sadness."
Range: Refers to the notes that a given performer can sing comfortably.
Repertoire: The songs a singer knows well and can perform.
Resonance: Occurs naturally when the voice is free to travel through the spaces above your
vocal cords (your resonators) where it is modified and amplified before leaving your mouth;
determines the final quality of your tone and makes your voice sound different from anyone
else's.
Scat: A jazz term referring to a technique where singers use wordless sounds and improvised
notes, often imitating jazz instruments. Frank Sinatra's famous "doo-be-doo-be-do" is an
example of scatting.
Scoop: Beginning a note beneath it's pitch, then sliding up to the correct pitch.
Sight Singing: The ability to look at sheet music and read sing it with near-perfection. Very few
singers have this ability. Most professional singers can read music and sight read with at least
some accuracy.
Slide: stylistic singing from note to note, without any break in tone.
Soft Palate: the soft area located around the roof of the mouth. This can be felt by placing the tip
of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, which is the hard palate, and then when you roll your
tongue toward the back, you will feel the soft palate.
Timbre: also known as tone color or tone quality, is the quality of a musical note or sound or
tone that distinguishes different types of sound production. In simple terms, timbre is what
makes a particular musical sound different from another, even when they have the same pitch
and loudness. For instance, it is the difference between a guitar and a piano playing the same
note at the same loudness.
Tone: The quality of sound of a note.
Trill: An operatic "trick" used mostly, but not exclusively, by sopranos. A trill consists of a
rapid alternation between two notes, usually a half step or a step apart.
Vibrato: The steady pulsation of the voice that is heard of a sustained note. The pulsation is
caused by a slight fluctuation in pitch above and below the tonal center of the note. It's important
to stress "slight fluctuation”. Some singers produce vibrato naturally, others have to be taught.
Although some singers and teachers consider vibrato to be ugly and perhaps even harmful,
correct vibrato is not only an attractive sound, but will not harm the voice. The best singers have
full control over their vibrato and use it to accent certain words or phrases for dramatic or
emotional effect. Vibrato should not be confused with a warble, which is a large fluctuation in
pitch, which is usually the result of bad singing technique.
Vocal Cords: Muscles found inside the larynx (or voice box). The vibration of the two vocal
cords, caused by expelling air from the lungs, produces vocal tones or singing. Also called
"vocal folds."
Warm Up: Anything that helps the singer prepare for a rehearsal or performance. Typically, a
warm up consists of vocal exercises, such as running scales. It may also include warming up the
body with stretches to relieve tension and help wake the sense, with special emphasis on the jaw,
tongue, and lips. The latter may include tongue twisters.