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CHAPTER 1
More than noise
OVERVIEW
What exactly is music? Is it just noise that
sounds pretty? No, we know that there’s more
to music than that. Music has many different
elements that composers put together and that
musicians bring out as they play. There are
rules to music, rules that are important to learn
even if you deliberately break them later, as
many great musicians have.
The focus of this chapter is on learning about
some of those rules – rules that inform the use
of notes, melody and chords. These are some
of the basic elements of music, musical styles,
cultures and instruments. These elements
are crafted and manipulated by composers to
contribute to joy and meaning in music, and to
the way we experience music as entertainment.
This chapter also introduces you to some of
the rich musical traditions of New Zealand and
the rest of the world. It focuses on the life and
works of two musicians – baroque composer
Johann Sebastian Bach and New Zealand
musician and singer-songwriter Dave Dobbyn.
ISBN 978-1-107-61206-8
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Cambridge University Press
Photocopying is restricted under law and this material must not be transferred to another party.
Music for New Zealand
Naming and reading notes
pitch the highness or
lowness of a sound
scale an arrangement
of ascending and
descending notes
octave the interval
between two notes,
one having twice or
half the frequency
of the other
For centuries, musicians and composers have
written music using a method of naming and
marking down the individual notes that they
want to play. Learning to read and write music
is one of the most important skills for any
musician or composer.
Names of notes
We name notes after the letters of the alphabet,
from A up to G. Each note is a sound with a
specific pitch or tone. These seven different
notes are the basics of all musical notation.
We arrange the notes in a specific order,
called a scale. A set of all seven notes on the
scale is called an octave. If you play every note
in order from A to G, the next note is A again,
but it’s in the next octave. Even though the
second A is a higher note than the first A, it
still has a matching sound, while the A and
G sound different. You can hear this yourself
if you go through the notes in order on an
instrument, such as a piano.
When we talk about music we use the
names of the letters, but when we write them
down we use symbols rather than letters,
because this helps us show many other details.
The staff and the clef
To write music, we draw circles on a set of five
horizontal lines called a staff.
The staff
The lines and the spaces between them
represent different pitches, from low to high.
We start with a blank staff, but that
doesn’t give us enough information because
we also need to know the octave that we’re
playing in and where the notes should sit
on the staff. We use a symbol called a clef (a
French word meaning ‘key’) to tell us which
notes go where. The most common clefs are
the treble clef (also known as the G clef ) and
the bass clef (or F clef ).
The treble clef is a spiral that starts at the
second line from the bottom. This tells us that
notes on this line are G.
& w1
G
Treble clef
Sheet music
2
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Cambridge University Press
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Chapter 1: More than noise
We can work out the other notes simply
by going forwards or backwards through the
alphabet:
w w w w
& w w w w w w w
D
E
F
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
Lines and spaces
You can see that the notes go up the staff in
half steps, so that some sit on the line and some
sit between the lines.
The notes on the lines follow this pattern:
E-G-B-D-F.
Note names
The bass clef is a curl and two dots above
2
and
below the second line from the top. The
dots
∑ that this∑line is F. This
∑ F is just∑ over
& tell us
an octave below the treble clef G, so it tends to
be used for lower instruments like bass guitar
and cello.
The note order on the bass clef is:
w
w w w w w
w
w
w
w
w
G
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
A
Note names
If we need to show more notes above or
2
below
the staff we draw a line under them,
∑
∑ line. ∑
∑
which is called
a ledger
& w
w
C
2
&
B
∑
w
w
w
A
B
C
∑
w
w
E
G
B
D
F
2
∑ in the ∑spaces follow
∑ this pattern:
∑
&The notes
D-F-A-C-E-G.
w
w
w
w
w
F
A
C
E
G
2
Bass clef
F
w
D
F
E
w
& w
? w
1
?
& w
∑
∑
∑ don’t go
∑ in the order
∑ A-B-C-D∑
&The notes
E-F-G, because each time we move up from
space to space or line to line, we skip a note in
the scale. So the order is actually E-G-B-D-F
for the lines and F-A-C-E for the spaces of the
treble clef.
It’s very important to remember these
note sequences. F-A-C-E is easy enough,
as it spells the word ‘face’, but what about
E-G-B-D-F? Here’s a phrase to help you:
Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit.
The bass clef has its own pattern of notes as
they appear on the staff, too. G-B-D-F-A for
the lines and A-C-E-G for the spaces. Good
Boys Deserve Fruit Always and All Cows Eat
Grass will help you remember these.
Ledger lines
?
w
w
w
w
w
G
B
D
F
A
w
∑w
A
C
2
?
w ∑w
∑
∑
∑
∑
staff a set of five
parallel lines and the
spaces in between on
which musical notes
are written
clef a symbol placed
at the left-hand end
of a staff, indicating
the pitch of the notes
written on it
treble clef a clef
placing G above
middle C on the
second-lowest line
of the staff
bass clef a clef placing
F below middle C on
the second-highest
line of the staff
ledger line a short line
added for notes above
or below the range of
a staff
G
E
2
∑
∑
3
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Cambridge University Press
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Music for New Zealand
Instrument profile
The harpsichord
The harpsichord dates back to the fifteenth century.
It is a stringed instrument that is played with a
keyboard – like a harp crossed with the keys of
a piano. The harpsichord was an ancestor of
the piano, which eventually replaced it.
History of the
harpsichord
The organ, a keyboard
instrument, had been used
in churches since Roman
times. Instruments where
strings are plucked to
produce a sound,
like harps and
psalteries, had also
been around since
the Middle Ages. The
harpsichord combined
these two types of
instrument: it had a
series of strings tuned
to different notes just
like a harp, but these
strings were plucked
mechanically instead of by hand.
Italy was one of the first places to manufacture harpsichords. Another was Flanders,
a region of France near the Netherlands, where they made more complex, powerful
harpsichords than the Italians. (One region of Flanders, Zeeland, is the area that
New Zealand was named after.)
Flemish designs (from Flanders) were the gold standard for harpsichord builders
during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. France, Germany and England all
modelled their designs on the Flemish approach, and by the eighteenth century each
of these countries had developed its own style of harpsichord, with its own unique
characteristics.
After the advent of the piano in the mid-eighteenth century, the harpsichord
gradually fell out of favour with composers. It was only during the late nineteenth
century – and the revival of interesting music from earlier periods – that the instrument
once again found an audience. It’s now possible to hear the harpsichord being used to
play medieval music by performers such as the Restoration Ensemble in Wellington.
4
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Chapter 1: More than noise
Inside of harpsichord, showing strings, jack and plectrum
How the harpsichord works
The inside of the harpsichord contains a number of tight strings, while the outside has
a keyboard. When the player presses a key, the far end key rises and lifts a strip of wood
(called a jack) that has a plectrum attached, like those used by guitarists. The plectrum
plucks the string that matches the key, creating a sound, and then comes back down
without touching the string. When the key comes to rest, the string’s vibrations are
muffled by a piece of felt on top of the jack, called the damper.
Each string in a harpsichord is wound around a tuning pin. When rotated, the pin
adjusts the tension so that the string has the correct pitch. The string also passes over
two pieces of wood, called the nut and the bridge, and it’s the length of string between
these pieces that vibrates. The nut is next to the tuning pin, while the bridge rests on
a panel called the soundboard, which amplifies the vibration and makes it into a clear
sound.
Many harpsichords have just one string for each note, but more complex
harpsichords use two strings per note. Many of these harpsichords allow the player to
choose whether to play one or both of these strings (called coupling) either through a
lever or a second keyboard. Plucking two strings will make a louder, richer sound, so
coupling allows players to switch between playing loud and soft during a piece.
5
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Music for New Zealand
Activity 1.1
String tension
To show how the strings achieve different pitches, use a guitar and pluck one of the open strings.
Adjust the tuning peg to show how the pitch can be raised or lowered. Now place your finger on
the string at the mid-point, halfway along the length of the instrument. What is the relationship
between the fundamental note of the string and this new note? Try again with different lengths
up the string – 2 ⁄ 3 length, 3 ⁄ 4 length, etc.
Activity 1.2
Tone colour
melody the tune of
a piece of music
motif a short
melodic or rhythmic
fragment
timbre the tone
quality of a sound
or a musical
instrument
intensity the
strength, depth or
brightness quality of
sound produced on
musical instruments
lead sheet a song
representation
consisting of a
melody line, lyrics
and guitar chord
symbols
theme a distinct
tune followed by
a variation of the
same tune
leitmotif a theme
that becomes
associated with a
character, place or
idea
melodic contour
the shape of a
melody or phrase
To show how different colours can be obtained from the same string, take a variety of materials
(erasers, scrunched-up paper) and place each of them underneath the string, between the soundhole and the bridge. Note how this has an impact on the quality of the sound. Try to work out
which kinds of materials produce which kinds of effects.
For the teacher
Listening to the harpsichord
Listen to an example of harpsichord music that involves different colouristic effects – ask the
students to identify when the player switches between manuals on the instrument or when they
change registration (the choice of strings used). Alternatively, play two pieces with contrasting
registrations. Good examples would be excerpts from the Goldberg variations by Bach (e.g.
Variations 16 and 17) or Scarlatti’s Sonata in E major K. 380.
Melody
A melody is a sequence of tones that sounds
musically satisfying. A melody moves through
individual notes smoothly so that we hear the
whole sequence as a single piece of music.
Melodies often consist of musical phrases or
motifs, which may be repeated throughout a
piece in various ways.
Melody is shaped by characteristics such
as pitch, tone quality (timbre) and loudness
(intensity). Different musical genres use these
characteristics in different ways. For example:
CC Jazz (see page 85) combines melody with
unique rhythms. The melody in jazz is often
called the lead, and lead sheets are used as
maps for improvising passages.
CC Rock and pop music (see page 58) are
based on two contrasting melodies: a verse
and a chorus. A good example of this song
structure is Dave Dobbyn’s song ‘Slice of
Heaven’.
CC Māori waiata songs (see page 101) repeat
a single melodic line, generally centred on
one note, falling away at the end of the
last line.
CC Classical music (see page 59) uses theme,
motifs and leitmotif to develop melodies.
6
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Cambridge University Press
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Chapter 1: More than noise
Pitch
Pitch is the frequency of a note. It might be
determined by the rate of the vibrations of
a string or the flow of air, depending on the
instrument. Pitch can be described in terms of
how high or low a tone is.
The physical shape of a series of pitches, also
known as its melodic contour, can be drawn
on paper:
4
&4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙
a ninth, can be even higher than an octave. The
interval between two notes that are identical is
called a unison.
The exact size of these intervals can change
subtly, based on which scale we are using. For
example, the interval of a third between the
first three notes of a scale will sound different
if the scale is major or minor. In order to fill
in this missing information, we also measure
the quality of a melodic interval. There are five
different types:
CC Perfect: the unison and the octave, and
The pool of notes we use when making a
melody can be arranged from lowest to highest.
5
This is called a scale. One example we use
is&
the solfège scale. The solfège scale is often
linked to a system of hand signs created by
English music teacher John Curwen.
Intervals are the distances on the scale
between adjacent notes. They can be classified
as one of three types. A melodic interval is the
distance between two notes in a melody, one
played after the other. A harmonic interval is
the distance between two notes that are played
at the same time. A composite interval is the
distance between two notes in different octaves.
The distance between two notes is described
by a number, which indicates how far up or
down the scale the two notes are from one
another. For example, D is one note higher
than a C. If we were to start on C (1) and
count up until we reached D we would
count 1-2 for C going to D. This
interval is called a second. What if
we kept counting from C all the way
up to G? That would be C-D-E-F-G
or 1-2-3-4-5, and so we call it a
fifth. If we counted all the way
from C up to the next C on the
scale, we would be counting eight
notes (C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C). This is
why we call the distance between
these two notes an octave. A
composite interval, such as
also fourths and fifths. Perfect intervals are
written with ‘P’, e.g. P1 (unison) or P8
(octave). They will sound the same in both
major and minor scales.
CC Major: seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths.
Major intervals are written with ‘M’, e.g.
M3 (major third).
Do Forehead level
Ti
La
Chin level
So
Fa
Mi
interval the difference
in pitch between two
musical sounds
Re
Do
Waist level
Solfège scale
7
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Music for New Zealand
C
D
E
G
C#
D#
F#
D
E
F
A
G#
G
B
A#
A
B
D
E
G
C#
D#
F#
C
CC Minor: a major interval that is made half a
D
E
F
A
G#
G
B
A#
A
B
C
When we notate these changes in the
quality of an interval, we often rely on the
use of ‘accidentals’, which alter a note slightly,
either up or down. To make a note higher, we
use sharps (  ). To make a note lower, we use
flats (  ). For example, C to E is a major third.
In order to make it a minor third, we have to
make the E slightly lower. We write this slightly
lowered E as E  .
step smaller, either by raising the low note
or dropping the high note. Minor intervals
are written with ‘m’, e.g. m6 (minor sixth).
CC Augmented: a major or perfect interval that’s
made half a step larger. Augmented intervals
are written with ‘A’, ‘Aug.’ or ‘+’, e.g. A7,
Aug. 7 or +7 (augmented seventh).
CC Diminished: a minor or perfect interval
that’s made half a step smaller. Diminished
intervals are written with ‘d’, ‘dim.’ or ‘°’,
e.g. d5, dim. 5 or °5 (diminished fifth).
& w
w
Major 3rd
bw
w
Minor 3rd
Activity 1.3
solmisation a singing
exercise in which
each note of a scale
is associated with a
specific syllable
conductor the leader
of an orchestra
or musical; their
responsibilities include
beating out the
tempo and directing
the sound of the
ensemble
Solmisation
Get into groups of five or six. One member of each group is the conductor of a community
choir, while the rest of the group is the choir. The conductor must teach the solfège syllables
(do, re, mi, etc.) to the rest of the group and conduct them through the following piece of
music. Everyone in the group takes turns to play the conductor.
d
d t
l
m s
d r
d
m r
d
d d
l t
œœœœ œœœœ œœœœ
& œœœœ

5
INTERVAL EXAMINATION TOOL
∑
1. When naming intervals, always use the bottom or lowest note as the first degree of the
scale you are using.
2. When determining the interval number, always include both the bottom and top notes
of the interval.
8
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
Chapter 1: More than noise
Chords
Chords are three or more notes played
together. Learning about chords helps you
to understand the harmonic structure or
the arrangement of sounds in a musical
composition. This is important for analysing
the syntax (musical arrangement) of music and
the rules of harmony.
In popular music, composers often start
with chord riffs or a chord progression to
inspire them to write songs. Later they add the
vocal melody and lyrics on top of the harmony.
The four types of chords used in music are
major, minor, augmented or diminished chords,
as shown in the examples below.
min 3rd
& w
w
w maj 3rd
& bw
w
w maj 3rd
min 3rd
Minor
Major
& #w
w
w maj 3rd
min 3rd
& bbw
w
w
min 3rd
maj 3rd
Augmented
Diminished
chord a group of
three or more notes
sounded together
to form a basis for
harmony
harmony a
combination of
different notes played
at the same time
A chord built up of the root, third and fifth
notes of a major or minor scale is called a triad.
Activity 1.4
Building chords
Write triads for each scale note.
C major ascending scale. Use a treble clef sign.
G major descending scale. Use a bass clef sign.
E minor ascending and descending scale. Use a treble clef sign.
Example 1:
Learn to play two chord notes
using
your right and
hands
The
following
fourleftexamples
G piano.
on theCkeyboard or
show how to play
F
1:
w 1: Learn
wto play twowchord
& Example
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Learn to play two chord notes
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rightand
and left
{
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& w
w
G
? w
w
w
w
F
C
notes
w
w
w
C
w
w
w
Example
3:
Example
3: Learn
to play four chord notes Learn to play four chord notes
usingusing
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right
and
lefthands
hands
right and left
9
C
G
F
3:
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& Example
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{
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w
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ISBN 978-1-107-61206-8
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Example 2:
Learn to play three chord notes
using
your rightchords
and left (C,
handsF,
the
primary
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F
Example
2:2: Learn
w
w to playwthree
Example
w to play
Learn
three
notes w
w chord
using
yourright
right
left hands
using your
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C
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w
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chordw notes
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w
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Example 4:4: Learn to play four chord notes
Example
Learn to play four chord notes with
with
two notes
chord
notes
in each hand
two chord
in each
hand
C
G
F
Example
4:
w
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w
w to play
Learn
four
wchord notes with
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two chord notes in each hand
w
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© Mario Carolus 2013
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Cambridge University Press
to∑another∑party.
∑Photocopying
∑ is restricted
∑
∑under law∑ and this∑ material∑must not∑ be transferred
∑
9
Music for New Zealand
Artist profile
Dave Dobbyn
Dave Dobbyn was born in Auckland
in 1957. He is a guitarist, singer and
songwriter. He is regarded as one of
New Zealand’s biggest pop-rock icons.
Th’ Dudes (1975–80)
Dobbyn started his career as a member
of the band Th’ Dudes. Originally he
was just the guitarist, and his stage
fright was so bad that he would always
perform at the back of the stage with
his eyes closed. He overcame his fear to
become the band’s frontman, and sang
on their hit singles ‘Be Mine Tonight’
and ‘Bliss’.
The band broke up in April 1980,
and Dobbyn began to suffer from
depression; he avoided performing
and spent most of his time composing
music. He recorded some of the songs
he wrote, paying for the recordings by
selling his belongings. Dobbyn was
on the verge of bankruptcy when he
received an offer to tour Australia with
musician Sharon O’Neill. The tour was
a great confidence boost for Dobbyn
and he was inspired to perform in
public again. He released a single called
‘Lipstick Power’ and put together a new band.
DD Smash (1980–86)
Dobbyn’s new band, DD Smash, made their 1981
debut at North Shore’s Esplanade in Auckland. They
became a popular band, with a rockier style than
that of Th’ Dudes. DD Smash’s big breakthrough
came with the 1982 album Cool Bananas, with the
singles ‘Devil You Know’ and ‘Repetition’. The album
entered the New Zealand album charts at number
one and won awards including Best Album, Best
Group and Best Male Vocalist. In 1983 the biggest
hit for the band was ‘Outlook for Thursday’, which
spent 21 weeks on the New Zealand charts.
Dobbyn’s interest in soul-based music can be heard
on the live album Deep in the Heart of Taxes, which
won Best Single and Best Album awards. DD Smash’s
next album, The Optimist, was recorded in Australia
in 1984, and Dobbyn experimented with reggae,
funk, soul and jazz sounds.
On 7 December 1984, DD Smash played a gig
in Aotea Square in Auckland to celebrate the end
of the school year. A power failure led to the crowd
rioting, and Dobbyn was charged with inciting the
riot. He went to trial in June 1985, and all charges
10
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Cambridge University Press
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Chapter 1: More than noise
were dropped due to lack of
evidence. DD Smash broke
up during this time.
Solo career
(1986–current)
After the trial, Dave
Dobbyn began a solo career,
touring with Neil Finn and
The Mullanes. He then
started his most ambitious
project – the soundtrack for
the animated film Footrot
Flats: The Dog’s Tale (1986).
To promote the film
Dobbyn released the song
‘Slice of Heaven’, which was
number one on the New
Zealand charts for eight
weeks. After the release of
Footrot Flats, a second
soundtrack was released
with the track ‘You Oughta
Be in Love’; this song
reached number two on the
New Zealand charts. ‘Slice
of Heaven’ was also a
number one hit in Australia,
and Dobbyn went on an
Australian tour, after which
he stayed there to live for
several years.
In 1988 Dobbyn toured
New Zealand to promote
Loyal, his debut solo album.
The song ‘Loyal’ from the
album became another
New Zealand hit. He followed it up in 1993 with
the album Lament for the Numb. In 1994 he moved
back to Auckland and recorded the album Twist with
Neil Finn and Māori singer Emma Paki. Dobbyn
worked as the producer for his fourth solo album,
The Islander, which again reached number one on the
New Zealand charts.
Since that time Dobbyn has recorded three more
solo albums – Hopetown (2000), Available Light
(2005) and Anotherland (2008) – along with a live
album and two greatest hits collections. He remains
New Zealand’s most prolific recording artist to date.
Use this biography of Dave Dobbyn, along with
your own research, to answer the questions on the
following page.
11
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Music for New Zealand
Activity 1.5
Analysis
1. Complete the following sentences:
CC Dave Dobbyn was born on _____________________________ .
CC His favourite musical instrument is the ______________________________ .
CC His song _________________________ reached number one on the New Zealand
charts in 1986.
2. Listen to ‘Slice of Heaven’ and create a graph that shows the contour of the melody.
3. Add to your graph the verse–chorus structure of the song.
4.A discography is the listings of all the music by a composer. Create a discography of the music
composed by Dobbyn, listing the album, the date released and the rank it achieved in the
New Zealand charts.
5. Dave Dobbyn’s music is often described as a blend of melodic and ‘rootsy’ rock. Find five
songs composed by Dobbyn that fit this description and explain your decision.
Instrument profile
The piano
The piano is a musical instrument played with
a keyboard. It is one of the most popular
instruments in the world, used with
almost all forms of Western music,
and comes in many different sizes
and variants.
History of the piano
There were a number of
keyboard instruments
used in the Middle Ages,
such as the harpsichord
and the clavichord. These
were very popular but
had weaknesses: the
harpsichord didn’t give
performers much control
over how loud or soft they
could play, while the clavichord lacked volume.
At some point in the late seventeenth century, Italian harpsichord maker Bartolomeo
Cristofori invented an instrument that solved both problems – the pianoforte. The name
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Inside of a piano, showing strings, hammers and dampers
came from two Italian words, piano (‘quiet’) and forte (‘loud’), because the player could
change the volume of the sound depending on how hard they pressed the keys.
The pianoforte became more popular during the eighteenth century, with organ
and harpsichord makers across Europe creating their own versions. Composers such
as Mozart began writing music for the new instrument, and it began to replace the
harpsichord in orchestras. By the nineteenth century the piano was perhaps the most
popular instrument in the world, not only for classical or chamber music but also for
folk music and other working-class styles. The design was also perfected around this
time; modern pianos are much the same as late nineteenth-century versions, with only
minor changes.
How the piano works
A modern piano is a complicated mechanical instrument with many parts, but the
principles behind its operation are fairly simple.
The body of a piano contains a set of tight strings (usually made of steel), each of
which is set to vibrate at a specific frequency. On the outside of the piano is a keyboard
with white and black keys. Pressing a key causes a felt-covered hammer to strike the
matching string and then bounce back; this makes the string vibrate. When you release
the key, a damper (a felt-covered length of wood) presses against the string and stops the
vibration. The harder you press the key, the faster the hammer moves and the louder the
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note. Most pianos have multiple sets of strings for each note, so that when you press a
key a hammer may hit two or three strings; this makes the note more powerful.
There are two basic types of piano – grand and upright. Upright pianos are the most
common sort, and like the name suggests they stand upright. The strings and hammers
in an upright piano are vertical (they run up and down). Grand pianos are larger, with
horizontal (flat) bodies; the strings run horizontally and the hammers hit the note from
below, similar to the action on a harpsichord. Because of their size, grand pianos have
longer strings than upright pianos, which give them a fuller, richer sound when played.
In addition to the keyboard mechanism, pianists can control the sound of the
instrument through the use of foot pedals. Almost all modern pianos have at least two
pedals. One is the soft pedal, which shifts the hammers slightly so that they only hit
one string; this makes for a softer, thinner tone. This is also known as the una corda
pedal, which is Italian for ‘one string’. The other is the sustain pedal, which disengages
the damper; this allows each note to vibrate freely, even after the pianist has released
the key. Some pianos have a third pedal, but its function varies. On upright pianos, the
middle pedal muffles the sound by putting felt between the strings and hammers. On
grand pianos, it acts as another type of sustain pedal that raises the damper, but only
for keys that are currently being pressed; this lets the pianist sustain those notes while
playing other notes that aren’t sustained.
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Chapter 1: More than noise
Activity 1.6
Activity 1.7
Piano strings
Piano styles
If you have access to an upright piano,
remove the front and demonstrate how
depressing the key causes the hammer to hit
the string. Note how the hammer springs
back immediately so it doesn’t stop the
note from vibrating, and that the damper
is removed while the key is being held.
Demonstrate how releasing the key causes
the damper to fall again. Try the same thing
with the sustain pedal held down, showing
how the damper is held off even after the
key is released, allowing the sound to die
away slowly. Perhaps show how different
sounds can be built up through the use of
the sustain pedal, playing a low C with the
pedal down and then playing several higher
C major chords over the top. Also show that
the majority of the notes on the keyboard
use three strings instead of one, and how the
sound changes when the soft pedal is used
and only one string is hit per note.
Listen to some different styles of piano music
– for example, jazz stride piano by Thelonious
Monk alongside some virtuosic classical piano
like the Horowitz Carmen Variations (on
YouTube). Perhaps even find piano recordings
of the harpsichord pieces you listened to earlier.
Compare the differences between the sound of
the piano and the harpsichord.
!! Extension: Piano accompaniment
Discuss the piano’s importance as an
accompanying instrument in musical groups.
Then try improvising a melody over the
basic chords that you’ve learned earlier in
this chapter, and get the class to sing it while
someone plays the chords on the piano.
Alternatively, use a lead sheet for a song that
the class is already familiar with.
More musical concepts
We’ve talked about musical notes and how to
write them as circles on the lines and spaces
of the staff. But if you look at a piece of sheet
music, you can see that few notes are just
drawn as circles; many have lines and bars
coming from them, and some have other
symbols like lines or hash marks near them.
Some of these will tell us the time duration or
rhythm of each of the notes. We will look at
rhythm in the following chapter. For now, we’ll
explore a few of the other details of notation,
and the concepts they describe.
by using accidentals. Sometimes the scale of a
piece of music will require us to alter the same
note each time we play it. Rather than write a
sharp or a flat next to the note every time we
see it, musicians often use a shorthand called a
key signature at the start of a piece. This tells
us which accidentals affect which notes. For
example, a song might have a key signature
with a  on the middle line of the treble clef.
Key signatures
Normally, a note on this line would be a ‘B’,
so the key signature tells us that every time we
see a B in the piece (in any octave, not just that
particular B) we need to make it a B  .
We said earlier that the seven notes – A-B-CD-E-F-G – could be raised or lowered in pitch
&b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œœœ ˙ ˙
rhythm the systematic
pattern arrangement
of musical sounds
key signature a
combination of
sharps or flats at the
beginning of a piece of
music to show what
key it is in
5
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Dynamics
dynamics the volume
of sound produced
on an instrument
or sound recording
equipment
legato play smoothly
or connected
As well as the pitch, length and speed of
notes, we can vary how loudly or softly a note
or melody should be played. This is called
dynamics, and we write it down with letters
underneath the staff.
The two basic dynamic indications in music
are:
p or piano, meaning ‘soft’
f or forte, meaning ‘loud’
staccato play slightly
short or detached
We can use additional letters to be more
precise:
slur play two or more
notes in a connected
or smooth and
graceful way
mp, ‘moderately soft’
mf, ‘moderately loud’
pp, ‘very soft’
ff, ‘very loud’
minstrel a street
musician or busker
Dynamics are relative, rather than exact; they
tell you to play the note louder or softer than the
rest, but not exactly what volume that means.
Two Italian words are used to show gradual
changes: crescendo (gradually becoming louder)
and diminuendo (gradually becoming softer).
We show these with pairs of lines next to the
dynamic letters; the lines separate as the music
gets louder and come together as it gets quieter.
4
& 4 Ϫ
œ œ œ™
mf
œ œ
J
3
&
Other expressive marks
In addition to dynamics, there are a few other
common markings that can tell us about how
to play the notes in a melody. These are called
‘articulation’ markings, and they give us a hint
about the kind of character of the melody.
The two most common markings are legato
and staccato. Legato (meaning ‘tied together’)
tells us that all the notes of the melody will
be joined to one another smoothly, without
any silences in between. Staccato (meaning
‘detached’) tells us the opposite: that the notes
should be detached from one another.
Legato is shown by writing a long slur
over the notes of the melody, while staccato is
indicated by placing a dot underneath the head
of each note.
Activity 1.8
Definitons and symbols
Match the following definitions with their symbols.
quarter note
rest
quaver or an
eighth note
fermata or
pause
minim or
half note
quaver rest
bass clef or
F-clef sign
neutral or
percussion
clef
1st and 2nd
time bars or
endings
gradually
softer
(descresc.)
gradually
louder
(cresc.)
end repeat
sign
sharp sign
or raise a
semitone
higher
harmonics
technique
start repeat
sign
forte or play
loudly
whole note
or a
semibreve
Harm.
     

     
1.
2.
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Chapter 1: More than noise
Artist profile
J.S. Bach
Use your imagination to travel back though time
to the year 1685 – before factories and electricity,
before trains and cars, before New Zealand was a
nation. In England, the composer Henry Purcell
was 26; in Italy, Vivaldi had just turned seven
years old.
On 31 March 1685, in the German town of
Eisenach, Johann Sebastian Bach was born. He
was the first Bach in five generations to be given
the name Sebastian, and he became the most
famous of all the Bachs.
Johann grew up in a family with eight
children. His father was a violinist and director
of the orchestra in Eisenach, a town similar in
size to Kerikeri. By the time Johann was 10, his
mother and father had both died and he went to
live with an older brother. By the time Johann
was your age he had been an organist at several
churches and had worked as a repairer of pipe
organs, the most complicated piece of machinery
of his time. At age 22 he married Maria Barbara
Bach, and they had seven children together.
When Bach was 35 he returned from a trip to find
his beloved Maria Barbara had died. In December
1721 he married Anna Magdalena Wilcke, the
daughter of a trumpeter. She was a singer herself and
helped Bach a great deal by writing out copies of his
music. During their 19-year marriage they had 13
children.
J.S. Bach died in 1750, aged 65. He left behind his
music, his second wife and 10 surviving children.
Organist and harpsichordist
Bach was famous as an organist and harpsichordist,
but he was far from the only musician in his family.
His great-great-grandfather would play the fiddle
while working at the mill, his great-grandfather was a
travelling minstrel (busker) and his grandfather and
father were town musicians.
In the area where Bach lived, the name Bach
became a common term for ‘musician’. The Bach
family provided organists at one church for over 132
years, and when the Court at Arnstadt required a
musician, they simply advertised for a ‘Bach’.
Bach picnics
Because the Bach family was so extended, regular
picnics were an essential way for family members to
get to know each other. Children played while the
adults made music and caught up on family news.
They may have learnt about their Bach whakapapa.
J.S. Bach was reputed to have a bad temper and
was prone to arguments. When he was 20 he told
a bassoonist that he sounded like a ‘bleating nanny
goat’. The two got into such a fight that Bach pulled
out a dagger and put stab holes in the man’s jacket.
Bach was lucky not to be put in jail. However, he was
put in jail for three weeks when he was an organist
in Weimar for ‘too stubbornly forcing the issue of his
dismissal’ – that is, he wanted to go to a new job!
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Bach’s personality
J.S. Bach’s bosses found him difficult to work with at
times. He once got into trouble for playing church
music that was too complicated and too long – so
he got his own revenge back by playing pieces that
were too short and simple. Church records note: ‘The
organist Bach had previously played rather too long,
but after his attention had been called to it by the
Superintendent, he had at once fallen into the other
extreme and made it too short.’
As discussed previously, he was reputed to be
bad-tempered, but today it’s his collection ‘The WellTempered Clavier’ that has made him famous. This
title was given to Bach’s 48 Preludes and Fugues (two
sets of 24 each) that pass through all the major and
minor keys.
f )He believed a composition was an unending
process and he would constantly make changes to
his works.
Anna Magdalena’s notebook
Bach’s second wife, Anna, copied out her husband’s
Minuet and bound it as a notebook between covers
she made herself. Bach wrote the first two pieces in
his own hand as a gift to Anna. The first piece is in
A minor and it has B flats in the middle – so it was
based on Anna’s initials, A. M. B (Anna Magdalena
Bach). He was always doing musical tricks like this.
Composing technique
J.S. Bach loved to combine different melodic lines
in a musical composition. This process is called
counterpoint. He was also a brilliant improviser. He
once improvised a piece for King Frederick of Prussia
using six different melodic lines at once.
Bach had an in-depth knowledge of the works of
his contemporaries and a sound knowledge of the
music of the past. He often experimented with the
music of other composers to stir his imagination. He
used the following principles for his compositions:
a) He started off with a unifying motif, phrase or
theme that was guided by the prosody (patterns of
rhythm and pitch) of text.
b)He then added contrapuntal ‘voices’ (independent
melodic lines).
c) He planned by using ‘thematic sketches’, outlining
the thematic entries, and then added the other
parts later.
d)In developing his movements he used established
and proven models of harmonic-tonal plans,
modulation patterns and aria schemes.
e) Bach composed systematically for one type of
instrument or style in a relatively short period
of time.
A page from Bach’s 1722 notebook
Bach at the keyboard
At the time of Bach the piano was an incredible
new instrument. It could play loudly (forte) or
softly (piano), which could not be done on the
harpsichord. To make up for this disadvantage on
the harpsichord, Bach experimented with ‘terraced
dynamics’ – switching between the different manuals
and stops of a harpsichord to produce a rapid change
in dynamics and colour. Bach’s Italian Concerto for
harpsichord shows how the composer used these
terraced dynamics to show the contrasts between
‘solo’ and ‘orchestra’ parts in a concerto, all on the
one instrument. A version of this piece played on
the modern piano – for example, Sviatoslav Richter’s
1948 performance (found on YouTube) – highlights
these terraced effects even more strongly.
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Chapter 1: More than noise
Activity 1.9
Analysis
1. Listen to the first movement (Spring) of Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’. Create a melodic contour
of the opening theme or melody.
2. Listen to the first movement (Theme) of ‘The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’ by
Benjamin Britten. Describe what emotions you experience as you listen.
3. By conducting research on the internet and in your school library, create a poster describing
the mechanism of the baroque organ J.S. Bach composed for and performed on.
4. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, many people died at what we’d consider a
young age. Why do you think Bach’s parents, first wife and children died so early in their
lives?
5. German minstrels often played two medieval instruments – flageolets and citterns. Research
these instruments and comment on the sound and sound production of each instrument.
6. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Johann Christian Bach were both sons of J.S. Bach who also
became composers and musicians. Research their major compositions and write a short essay
to describe the differences between their work and that of their father.
7. Listen to J.S. Bach’s ‘The Peasant Cantata’ and answer the following questions.
a) How would you describe the mood of the piece?
b)Name some of the instruments used in this piece.
8. Copy and complete the following sentence by selecting words from the knowledge list below:
To improvise means to _________ or ___________ melodies and to perform these
_________.
extemporise, make up, create, speed up, jazz up, impromptu
harmonic-tonal plans
harmony chords
and keys used in a
sequence that sounds
good and effective
modulation a
change from one key
signature to another
aria an operatic song
composed for voice
and with orchestral
accompaniment
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Johann Christian Bach
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Summary
In this chapter you have learned:
”” how to read notes on the musical staff
”” to recognise and distinguish between the treble and bass clef
”” about the history and use of two important keyboard instruments – the harpsichord
and the piano
”” about the development, use and function of melody
”” how to distinguish between notes of a different pitch
”” how to recognise and play chords and dynamics
”” about Dave Dobbyn and J.S. Bach.
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