The national leader., 1889-03-09
HOW TO LEARN MUSIC.
Simple Rules for Reading Vocal
Music in Any Key.

Music I'm Any Key.
The desire to learn music comes to
almost every one at some time in life.
There are thousands of busy people
who have not the opportunity to take
up this study under competent in
structor. Many such have cultivated
their voices to some extent, but have
never learned the simplest rudiments of
the science of musical notation. Must
they pass through life deprived of this
requirement and the enjoyment its pos
sessions would bring?
There are many ways of preventing
such deprivation. 1t only requires a
few hours of study to enable any one of
ordinary intelligence to read music in
any key. 1t is not claimed that one
can become good singer in such
short time. Neither is it claimed that
such self taught musician can sing or
even re ad difficult music with sufficient
rapidity; but it is claimed that such
student can learn in a few hours to
| read ordinary church or Sunday-school
music. Even this requirement would
be source of great pleasure to tens of
| thousands of busy, everyday people
| who have not the time nor means to
enable them to take up the systematic
study of music.
1t may seem preSumptuouS for one
who is not professional music teacher
| to attempt to write on the subject of
music when there are so many compe-
| tent teachers of the science in almost
every community.
The apology fot the attempt is the
conclusion that the information to be
| impaired herein would have been of
great value to the writer when he was
trying, unaided, to master the rudi-
ments of musical notation.
| BY way Of further apology it is nee
essary to say that there are many new
methods OF learning music that are
greatly superior to the old ones, and
many that may be equal to or superior
to the one herein given, but few sug-
| gestions are offered with the hope that
| they may be of use to some one in ac-
quiring a knowledge of the most civil
izing branch of human learning-music.
The first step is to learn the lettering
of the staff. You need only learn at
first the lettering of the staff from
which you sing. If you sing soprano
or alto, learn the lettering of the Il
clet. If you sing bass or tenor, learn
the lettering from the F clef.
The second step is TO learn the musl-
cal scale. Almost every one who reads
this already knows that succession OF
musical sounds from do to ra, ra to mi,
mi to ia. etc.. constitute scale. In
learning the scale, remember that "a
comes next above do, mi above IA. ia
above mi, and so on up to do. These
two steps can be learned from any book
on elementary music.
The third step is the application of
the scole to the clef A musical scale
founded on any letter of the clef is in
the key of that letter. For instance,
scale founded on A is in the key of A.
A scale founded on G is in the key of
G, etc. By founding scale on let
ter, it is meant that do. or one in the
scale, comes on that letter.
Now, it is agreed that the key that
has no sharps nor flats for its signature
near the clef sign at the beginning of
the musical composition-shan be call
ed the key of G. When you see piece
of music, then, that has no sharps nor
fats, you may know that is written in
the key of @.
Look up the definition and uses of
flats and sharps in your music book.
In case there are no flats nor sharps
call Q do or one, d ra or two, E mi or
three, etc. AS an aid to rapid reading,
remember that it does not come on
line in going up to scale, mi, sol, 81 and
IA, and also ia, will be on the lines.
BY the above is meant above high do
the eighth note above the foundation
note. When do is on space all The
last mentioned notes will be on spaces.
When do is on line, the spaces going
up will be ra, ia, la, do, mi, sol, etc.
| The fourth step is the change of keys.
If the other steps have been well learn
ed this is the easiest of all.
The key Of G has already been dis
| cusSed.
In changing keys remember that no
matter what the name of the note is its
sound or degree of pitch is always the
same. For instance, in the key OF 9
ia comes on F, while in the key of A la
| comes on F, Now the tone on f re-
mains the same in pitch in both and all
other keys whether its syllable name is
ia, la or something else.
In learning the definition and uses of
fats and sharps you have learned some
thing of whole steps and half steps,
probably enough to answer present pur-
poses.
In changing keys, flats and sharps
are used to make the half step occur at
the right places for them.
Open your book now for the last
the fourtR-step. Find piece of
music whose signature is one sharp.
This sharp is on F. This leads to the
rule for the position of sharps. The
right hand sharp is always on SIX or
seven of the scale. Then, of course,
do is the next note above the right hand
sharp. In this case of one sharp the