SHARP -- Crossword entry | Crossword Nexus SHARP Sharp In music, sharp, diÃ¨se, or diesis means higher in pitch and the sharp symbol raises a note by a half tone. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously. More specifically, in musical notation, sharp means "higher in pitch by a semitone," and has an associated symbol, which may be found in key signatures or as an accidental, as may flats. The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Sharp (music) and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License . sharp Noun The symbol ♯, placed after the name of a note in the key signature or before a note on the staff to indicate that the note is to be played a semitone higher. The pitch pipe sounded out a perfect F♯ (F sharp). ''Transposition frequently is harder to read because of all the sharps and flats on the staff. A note that is played a semitone higher than usual; denoted by the name of the note that is followed by the symbol ♯. A note that is sharp in a particular key.

The piece was difficult to read after it had been transposed, since in the new key many notes were sharps. The scale having a particular sharp note as its tonic . Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" is written in C♯ minor (C sharp minor.) Something that is sharp. I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp. In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable. I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes. The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: sharp and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License . Need help with a clue? Try your search in the crossword dictionary! Clue: Book of the month Francis Heaney and Brendan Emmett Quigley, two of the best in the biz, have teamed up for Drunk Crosswords . Grab yourself a copy today! Store NEW! Get a whole bunch of puzzles, pay what you want, and help charity. Mobile App We've got an app, with versions for iPhone, iPod and (finally!) Android. Snap a picture of the QR code above, or simply follow this link for more info.

It's free, and the quickest way to get help for your crosswords on the go. Enjoy! What does sharp mean?

a musical notation indicating one half step higher than the note named sharp(adj) a long thin sewing needle with a sharp point crisp, sharp(adj) (of something seen or heard) clearly defined "a sharp photographic image"; "the sharp crack of a twig"; "the crisp snap of dry leaves underfoot" acuate, acute, sharp, needlelike(adj) ending in a sharp point acute, discriminating, incisive, keen, knifelike, penetrating, penetrative, piercing, sharp(adj) having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions "an acute observer of politics and politicians"; "incisive comments"; "icy knifelike reasoning"; "as sharp and incisive as the stroke of a fang"; "penetrating insight"; "frequent penetrative observations" astute, sharp, shrewd(adj) marked by practical hardheaded intelligence "a smart businessman"; "an astute tenant always reads the small print in a lease"; "he was too shrewd to go along with them on a road that could lead only to their overthrow" sharp, sharp-worded, tart(adj) "sharp criticism"; "a sharp-worded exchange"; "a tart remark" shrill, sharp(adj) having or

 emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones "a shrill whistle"; "a shrill gaiety" abrupt, precipitous, sharp(adj) extremely steep "an abrupt canyon"; "the precipitous rapids of the upper river"; "the precipitous hills of Chinese paintings"; "a sharp drop" sharp(adj) keenly and painfully felt; as if caused by a sharp edge or point "a sharp pain"; "sharp winds" sharp(adj) having or made by a thin edge or sharp point; suitable for cutting or piercing "a sharp knife"; "a pencil with a sharp point" sharp(adj) (of a musical note) raised in pitch by one chromatic semitone "C sharp" very sudden and in great amount or degree "a sharp drop in the stock market" sharp(adverb) A scalpel or other edged instrument used in surgery.

sharp(Noun) A dishonest person; a cheater. The casino kept in the break room a set of pictures of known sharps for the bouncers to see. sharp(Verb) To raise the pitch of a note half a step making a natural note a sharp. That new musician must be tone deaf: he sharped half the notes of the song! sharp(Adverb) I'll see you at twelve o'clock sharp. sharp(Adverb) In a higher pitch than is correct or desirable. I didn't enjoy the concert much because the tenor kept going sharp on the high notes. sharp(Adjective) I keep my knives sharp so that they don't slip unexpectedly while carving. sharp(Adjective) Intelligent. My nephew is a sharp lad; he can count to 100 in six languages, and he's only five years old. sharp(Adjective) Able to pierce easily; pointed. Ernest made the pencil too sharp and accidentally stabbed himself with it. sharp(Adjective) Higher than usual by one semitone (denoted by the symbol u266F after the name of the note). sharp(Adjective) Higher in pitch than required.

The orchestra's third violin several times was sharp about an eighth of a tone. sharp(Adjective) Having an intense, acrid flavour. Milly couldn't stand sharp cheeses when she was pregnant, because they made her nauseated. sharp(Adjective) A pregnant woman during labor normally experiences a number of sharp contractions. sharp(Adjective) Michael had a number of sharp ventures that he kept off the books. sharp(Adjective) You'll need sharp aim to make that shot. sharp(Adjective) Offensive, critical, or acrimonious, as sharp criticism. When the two rivals met, first there were sharp words, and then a fight broke out. sharp(Adjective) You look so sharp in that tuxedo! sharp(Adjective) high in pitch; acute; as, a sharp note or tone Sharp raised a semitone in pitch; as, C sharp (C/), which is a half step, or semitone, higher than C Sharp so high as to be out of tune, or above true pitch; as, the tone is sharp; that instrument is sharp.

Opposed in all these senses to flat Sharp very trying to the feelings; piercing; keen; severe; painful; distressing; as, sharp pain, weather; a sharp and frosty air Sharp cutting in language or import; biting; sarcastic; cruel; harsh; rigorous; severe; as, a sharp rebuke Sharp of keen perception; quick to discern or distinguish; having nice discrimination; acute; penetrating; sagacious; clever; as, a sharp eye; sharp sight, hearing, or judgment Sharp eager in pursuit; keen in quest; impatient for gratification; keen; as, a sharp appetite Sharp fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous Sharp keenly or unduly attentive to one's own interest; close and exact in dealing; shrewd; as, a sharp dealer; a sharp customer Sharp composed of hard, angular grains; gritty; as, sharp sand Sharp steep; precipitous; abrupt; as, a sharp ascent or descent; a sharp turn or curve Sharp uttered in a whisper, or with the breath alone, without voice, as certain consonants, such as p, k, t, f; surd; nonvocal; aspirated Sharp(adverb) to a point or edge; piercingly; eagerly

; sharply Sharp(adverb) precisely; exactly; as, we shall start at ten o'clock sharp Sharp(noun) a sharp tool or weapon Sharp(noun) the character [/] used to indicate that the note before which it is placed is to be raised a half step, or semitone, in pitch Sharp(noun) a sharp tone or note Sharp(noun) a portion of a stream where the water runs very rapidly Sharp(noun) a sewing needle having a very slender point; a needle of the most pointed of the three grades, blunts, betweens, and sharps Sharp(noun) Music Notation Symbols Music Notation Symbols Clefs - Notes and Rests - Accidentals - Relationships - Dynamics - Accents - Repeats Music Notation consists of a collection of music symbols that are used to better define the structure of a musical composition.

These musical symbols will tell us the pitch that a song is played in, (clefs), the key that it is played using a key signature composed of sharps and flats, a pitch change in the composition, (sharps and flats), and where the silences between the notes are to be played, (rests). Some of theses music symbols also tell us where,and when to emphasize, or de-emphasize a particular segment of the music , ( accents , dynamics), or when to play a passage more than once, (repeats). There are different types of clefs, rests, dynamics, accents, accidentals and repeat symbols used in music notation, each one having a unique characteristic, and their use depends on what the composer wishes to accomplish in his musical score. CLEFS A Clef (from the French for "key") is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff may be determined.

The two clefs that we most commonly use today are the G clef or treble clef, and the F clef or bass clef. G clef (Treble Clef) - The center of the spiral defines the line or space upon which it rests as the pitch range of the composition C clef (Alto Clef) - This clef points to the line (or space, rarely) representing middle C F clef (Bass Clef) - The line or space between the dots in this clef denotes the pitch range Octave Clef - Treble and bass clefs can also be modified by octave numbers Neutral Clef - Used for pitch-less instruments, such as some of those used for percussion NOTES AND RESTS A Rest is an interval of silence in a piece of music, marked by a sign indicating the length of the pause.

Each rest symbol corresponds with a particular note value Multi-Measure Rest - Indicates the number of measures in a resting part depending upon the number over the rest Double Bar Line - Used at changes in key signature, major changes in style or tempo, or to separate 2 phrases of music Dotted Bar Line - Divides long measures into shorter segments for ease of reading Beamed Notes -Beams connect and emphasize quavers, (1/8 notes), and shorter note values Ledger Lines - Used to extend the staff to pitches that fall above or below it Breath Mark - In a score, this symbol tells the performer to make a slight pause ACCIDENTALS An accidental is a note whose pitch is not a member of a scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the symbols used to mark such notes, sharps, flats, and natural, may also be called accidentals. An accidental sign raises or lowers the following note from its normal pitch, usually by a semitone, although microtonal music may use "fractional" accidental signs, and one occasionally sees double sharps or flats, which raise or lower the indicated note by a whole tone.

Accidentals apply within the measure and octave in which they appear and modify the pitch of the notes that follow them on the same staff unless cancelled by an another accidental.

Demiflat - Lowers the pitch of a note by one quarter tone Flat - Lowers the pitch of a note by one semitone, or one half step Flat-and-a-Half - Lowers the pitch of a note by three quarter tones Double Flat - Lowers the pitch of a note by two chromatic semitones, or one whole step Natural - Cancels a previous accidental, or modifies the pitch of a sharp or flat as defined by the prevailing key signature Demisharp - Raises the pitch of a note by one quarter tone Sharp - Raises the pitch of a note by one semitone Sharp-and-a-Half - Raises the pitch of a note by three quarter tones Double Sharp - Raises the pitch of a note by two chromatic semitones Common Time - The equivalent of 4/4 time Cut Time - Indicates 2/2 time Metronome Mark - Defines the tempo of the music by assigning the durations of the note values within the score NOTE RELATIONSHIPS Triplet - Condenses three notes into the normal duration of two notes Ligature - Also known as a phrase mark. A group of notes intended to be played or sung as one phrase.

Tie - Indicates that the two notes joined together are to be played as one note. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch Legato - Notes covered by this sign are to be played with no gaps. Sometimes indistinguishable from a slur Glissando (Portamento) - A continuous, unbroken glide from one note to the next that includes the pitches in between Slur - Used in musical notation to indicate a group of notes that must be played smoothly. A slur may join any number of notes of varying pitches Chord (Triad) - Three or more notes played simultaneously. If only two notes are played, it is called an interval Arpeggio or Rolled chord - Like a chord, except the notes are played in rapid sequence DYNAMICS In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a note or the relative intensity of a note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic (staccato, legato etc.) or functional (velocity). In short they indicate the relative intensity or volume of a musical line Piano - Soft Mezzo-piano - Half as soft as piano Pianissimo - Very soft.

Usually the softest indication in a piece of music Forte - Loud Mezzo-Forte - Half as loud as forte Fortissimo - Very loud. Usually the loudest indication in a piece Sforzando - Denotes an abrupt, fierce accent on a single sound or chord Decrescendo - A gradual decrease in volume, usually extends for several notes Crescendo - A gradual increase in volume, usually extends for several notes ACCENTS or ARTICULATIONS Accents and Articulations specify how individual notes are to be performed within a passage. In music, an accent is an emphasis placed on a particular note, either as a result of its context or specifically indicated by an accent mark. A tonic accent is an emphasis on a note by virtue of being higher in pitch than surrounding notes. An agogic accent is an emphasis by virtue of being longer in duration than surrounding notes, in a way that shifts their time of onset. Dynamic accents are created when one note is louder than another.

Accent - The note is played louder or with a harder attack than any surrounding notes Staccato - This indicates that the note is to be played shorter than notated, usually half the value Staccatissimo - Indicates a longer silence after the note (as described above), making the note very short Fermata - An indefinitely-sustained note or chord Natural Harmonic or Open note - On a stringed instrument, denotes that a natural harmonic is to be played Marcato - The note is played much louder or with a much harder attack than any surrounding notes Trill - A rapid alternation between the specified note and the next higher tone or semitone within its duration Tremolo - A rapidly-repeated note. If the tremolo is between two notes, then they are played in rapid alternation Grace Note - The first half of the principal note's duration has the pitch of the grace note REPEATS Repeats give specific directions for navigating passages. In music, a repeat sign is the sign which indicates a section should be repeated. If the piece has one repeat sign alone, then that means to repeat from the beginning, and then continue on (or stop, if the sign appears at the end of the piece).

A corresponding sign facing the other way indicates where the repeat is to begin. These are similar to the instructions da capo and dal segno. Where the composer wants a different ending for the second time a repeat is played, they will place number brackets above the bars which are to be played the first time (1), and those which are to be played the second time (2). These are referred to as "first-time bar" and "second-time bar," or "first and second endings." Numbers higher than two can be given as well, which implies that the passage is repeated as many times as the highest ending number given. Da Capo - Tells the performer to repeat playing of the song from its beginning. This is followed by al fine or al coda Dal Segno - Tells the performer to repeat playing of the song starting at the nearest segno. This is followed by al fine or al coda Segno - Sign that marks the beginning or end of a musical repeat, used with dal segno Coda - Indicates a forward jump in the song to its ending passage, marked with the same sign. Only used after playing through a D.S. al coda or D.C.

al coda Volta Brackets (1st and 2nd endings) - Denote that a repeated passage is to be played in different ways on different playings Repeat Signs - Enclose a passage that is to be played more than once Simile Marks - Denote that preceding groups of beats or measures are to be repeated, more than once Dolmetsch Online - Music Theory Online - Staffs, Clefs & Pitch Notation notation, notazione (Italian f.), Notation (German f.), Notenschrift (German f.), notation (French f.), notacion (Spanish f.) note, nota (Italian f.), Note (German f.), note (French f.), nota (Spanish f.) Music is composed of discrete elements or sounds called notes. Musical notation describes these elements in terms of their pitch (related to the note's frequency), their arrangement in time (when they begin to sound), and their duration, (how long they should last). The signs we use are called note signs or notes. In English-speaking countries, in a general sense, a series of rising pitches are named using the first seven letters of the Roman alphabet: A B C D E F G.

The sequence continues indefinitely, restarting from A when moving beyond G, or moving from A to G when moving below A. By convention the notes rise in pitch as one moves from A to B to C, etc. We will learn later that there are additional notes where, using A as an example, the note a semitone (half note) higher bears the additional name 'sharp' (thus A sharp) while the note a semitone (half note) lower bears the additional name 'flat' (thus A flat). In the Netherlands, the letters A to G are also used, but otherwise the 'Dutch' system follows the 'German' system, so-called because it originated in Germany, which also uses H. We describe this system in section 3 below. 2 Unusual Note Naming Convention in Scottish Bagpipe Music The bagpipe chanter has a range of nine notes commonly written as the sequence G A B C D E F G A, where A is the key note. In fact the notes C and F are C# and F# (i.e. each sounding a semitone higher than written) but because in the traditional way of playing the notes are never modified the notation leads to no ambiguity.

More recently players have begun to use special cross-fingerings to flatten by a semitone the notes written C and F. Because bagpipe music has traditionally notated these two sharps as naturals, players now notate the 'flattened' notes as Cb and Fb, although they actually sounds as C and F respectively. Reference: The Notes B & H and Solfeggio solfa, solfeggio (Italian m.), Solfeggio (German n.), solfï¿½ge (French m.), solfeo (Spanish m.) In almost all European countries, except those whose main language is English or a Romance language, the 'German' system is used. This also uses the letters A to G of the Roman alphabet, but reserves B for the note called B flat in the 'English' system, and uses H for the note that is B natural (or just B) in the 'English' system. An exception is found in The Netherlands, and more recently in Sweden, where note names usually follow the 'English' system, using B, rather than H, for B natural.

In the 'German' system, the names of notes that are a semitone (or half note) higher or lower, receive the suffixes -is (in Swedish, -iss) and, unless the note name is a vowel, -es (in Swedish, -ess) respectively. When the note name is a vowel (i.e. A or E) the suffix -es (in Sweden, -ess) is reduced to -s (in Sweden, -ss). Chapter 9 includes a table detailing the various European systems. This system of suffixes is used also in The Netherlands. Younger musicians in Sweden are now often taught a system similar to that used in the Netherlands, using b, biss and bess instead of the older h, hiss and b. When musicians from different generations converse about note names they have to agree which naming convention they will use. Magnus Johansson tells us that he has students who use h when with him, and b in other circumstances. In European and other countries whose main language is a Romance language, the pitch names are based on the solfeggio syllables: do (or ut), re, mi, fa, so (or sol), la, si (or ti).

A Greek reader, Christos Kontas, informs us that the Greek pitch naming system, which follows the Italian convention, is also based on the solfeggio. References: Denise Owen who works in Japan has sent us the following note: Both Japan and Korea use "fixed do" and pronounce them according to their language: Japan: do, re, mi, fua (one syllable), so, ra, shi, do. Korea: to, re, mi, pa, so, ra, shi, to. (In Korean the initial "t" or "d" is unvoiced at the beginning of a word but voiced within the word.) The iroha Japanese system that was used during and after WW II when they didn't want to use Western names (though they were still using Western-style music) starts on our pitch A and is: i, ro, ha, ni, ho, he, to. Thus, the treble clef is to-on kigo (the sound of to clef) and bass clef is he-on kigo (the sound of he clef).

Sometimes keys are named in orchestral movements and such according to this system: (ha choucho = C major, ni tancho = d minor). Otherwise keys are generally named according to the German system. Guitar players use the English letter system in Japan. Conservatories use the German system. Elderly people and some music theory (for example, clefs naming) still sometimes use the iroha system. And "fixed do" is taught in schools. References: Additional Notes on The History of Music Notation including the origin of B and H in German notation 5 Pitch Class and Octave Equivalency The human ear tends to hear notes an octave apart as being essentially "the same". For this reason, in the Western system of music notation, such notes are given the same pitch name and are said to be members of the same pitch class ï¿½ thus, the name of a note any number of octaves above or below A is also named A and all As are members of the pitch class A. This is what we call octave equivalency, and is closely related to the concept of harmonics, a subject we will consider later in lesson 27.

References: 1 Staff or Stave staff, stave, pentagramma (Italian m.), Liniensystem (German n.), Fï¿½nfliniensystem (German n.), portï¿½e (French f.), pentagrama (Spanish m.) The note signs are placed on a grid formed of horizontal lines and spaces. This grid is called the staff or stave. The plural of either word is staves. Although, in the past, staves could have many different different numbers of lines, today the most common staff format has five lines separated by four spaces and is know as the pentagram. When numbering the lines, it is a widely used convention to number them from the bottom (1) to the top (5) of each staff. The spaces between the lines are numbered too, again from the bottom (1) to the top (4).

We illustrate two common formats - the upper is usually used for music where only one note is played or sung at any particular time (for example, solo parts for flute, trumpet, violin, voice, etc.) while the lower, two staves coupled together with a curly brace and a systemic barline, is used where many notes might be played at the same time (for example, solo parts for harp, piano, organ, etc.) Music is read from 'left' to 'right', in the same direction as you are reading this text. The higher the pitch of the note, the higher vertically the note will be placed on the staff. Such notation is called diastematic or intervallic. 2 Placing Notes on the Staff Note signs may lie on a line (where the line passes through the note-head), in the space between two lines (where the note-head lies between two adjacent lines), in the space above the top line or on the space below the bottom line.

3 Leger or Ledger Lines leger line, ledger line, linea aggiunta (Italian f.), Hilfslinie (German f.), ligne ajoutï¿½e (French f.), ligne additionnelle (French f.), ligne supplï¿½mentaire (French f.), lï¿½nea adicionale (Spanish f.), lï¿½nea suplementaria (Spanish f.) Note signs outside the range covered by the lines and spaces of the staff are placed on, above or below supplementary lines, called leger (or ledger) lines, which can be placed above or below the staff. Where two or more consecutive notes are written using leger lines, in order to make the notes easier to read, the lines for each note are always horizontally separated from those of the note following.

The Clef Sign :: 1 The Clef Sign clef, clef sign, clef signature, chiave (Italian f.), Schlï¿½ssel (German m.), clef (French f.), clï¿½ (French f.), clave (Spanish f.) To set the pitch of any note on the staff a graphical symbol called a clef (from the Latin clavis meaning key), clef sign or clef signature, is placed at the far left-hand side of the staff. The clef establishes the pitch of the note on one particular line of the staff and thereby fixes the pitch of all the other notes lying on, or related to, the same staff. It is common practice to visualise each clef as a part of a much larger grid of eleven horizontal lines and ten spaces known variously as the Great Staff, Grand Staff, Great Stave or Grand Stave. Note the relationship between the Great Staff and most commonly used clefs, treble (top left in the picture below), bass (bottom left in the picture below) and alto (right in the picture below). It should be stressed that, historically, there never was a staff of eleven lines.

It is solely a 'construct' or 'device' used by theorists to demonstrate the relationship between various staves and clefs. The note we call middle C and which lies in the middle of the alto clef (for clarity, we have shown it in red), lies one line below the five lines of the treble clef and lies one line above the five lines of the bass clef.

The Treble Clef :: E G B D F G clef 1 The Treble Clef treble clef, chiave di violino (Italian f.), chiave di Sol3 (Italian f.), Violinschlï¿½ssel (German m.), G-Schlï¿½ssel (German m.), clef de sol (French f.), clï¿½ de sol (French f.), clef de sol deuxiï¿½me ligne (French f.), clï¿½ de sol deuxiï¿½me ligne (French f.), clef de sol 2me (French f.), clï¿½ de sol 2me (French f.), clef de violon (French f.), clï¿½ de violon (French f.), clave de sol (Spanish f.), clave de sol en segunda (Spanish f.) The treble clef is also called the G clef or G2 because the centre of the clef curls around the the horizontal line (2), marked in red in the diagram below, associated with the note G above middle C. The treble clef symbol is actually a stylised letter G.

The clef was originally known also as the violin clef and is still called this in some countries. However, to avoid confusion this name is best avoided in English as it can be confused with the French violin clef which is a different clef and is described in lesson 14 . When drawing this symbol freehand it is easiest to start from the bottom of the symbol and end with the curl around the G line. 2 Naming Notes on the Treble Clef The four inner spaces of the treble clef read upwards spell the word FACE . The five lines read upwards spell EGBDF which you can remember using the phrase ' E very G ood B oy D oes F ine '.

The Bass Clef :: G B D F A A C E G 1 The Bass Clef bass clef, chiave di Fa2 (Italian f.), Bassschlï¿½ssel (German m.), F-Schlï¿½ssel (German m.), clef de fa (French f.), clï¿½ de fa (French f.), clï¿½ de fa quatriï¿½me ligne (French f.), clef de fa quatriï¿½me ligne (French f.), clï¿½ de fa 4me (French f.), clef de fa 4me (French f.), clave de fa (Spanish f.), clave de fa en cuarta (Spanish f.) The bass clef is also called the F clef or F4 because the two dots in the clef symbol lie above and below the horizontal line (4), marked in red in the diagram below, associated with the note F below middle C. The bass clef symbol is actually a stylised letter F where the two horizontal lines of the letter have been reduced to two dots.

When drawing this symbol freehand it is easiest to start from the large dot and end with the tail at the bottom of the symbol - after which one adds the two dots on either side of the F line. 2 Naming Notes on the Bass Clef The names of the bass clef lines GBDFA can be remembered by the phrase G ood B oys D o F ine A lways . The four inner spaces ACEG by the phrases A ll C ows E at G rass or A ll C ars E at G as .

The Alto Clef :: 1 The Alto Clef alto clef, viola clef, counter-tenor clef, chiave di Do3 (Italian f.), chiave di contralto (Italian f.), Altschlï¿½ssel (German m.), Bratschenschlï¿½ssel (German m.), clef alto (French f.), clef d'ut (French f.), clï¿½ d'ut (French f.), clef d'ut troisiï¿½me ligne (French f.), clï¿½ d'ut troisiï¿½me ligne (French f.), clef d'ut 3me (French f.), clï¿½ d'ut 3me (French f.), clave de do (Spanish f.), clave de do en tercera (Spanish f.), clave de contralto (Spanish f.) The alto clef also called C3 is one of a number that use the C clef symbol, so named because the the clef symbol is centered on the horizontal line (3), marked in red in the diagram below, associated with the note middle C. The alto clef is also known as the counter-tenor or viola clef.

Other Clefs :: The Hexachord esacordo (Italian m.), Hexachord (German m./n.), hexacorde (French m.), hexacordo (Spanish m.) The solmisation syllables were applied to sequences of six notes (e.g. C - D - E - F - G - A) called hexachords (Greek: hexa = six, chorde = string or note). There are three hexachords starting on the notes g, c and f. The note letter names of the upward scale from gamma ut then read gamma, A, B, c, d, e, f, g, a, b, c', d', e', f', g', a', b', c'', d'', e'' Having chosen the name of the bottom note and defined the sequence from there upwards, all the others follow. With a five line per stave arrangement, the line between the staves in C, which, in medieval times, was called c sol fa ut, is today called middle C. Notes are named from bottom to top - i.e. sol fa ut rather than ut fa sol.

The extensions sol fa ut describe the position of this particular c in the progression of hexachords, starting on gamma ut, then restarting a fourth higher (c fa ut), and finally starting a fourth above that (f fa ut) after which the sequence begins again on the g one octave above gamma. In order to maintain the correct intervallic relationship within each hexachord, the hexachord starting on f has a b flat (b rotundum) for fa while the hexachord starting on g has a b natural (b quadrum) for mi. This produces two different Bs, B fa and B mi, which are a semitone apart. The hexachords on f, g and c were termed 'soft' (molle), 'hard' (durum) and 'natural' respectively. These mediaeval terms have persisted in German with the naming of keys, namely dur (German: hard - for major) and moll (German: soft - for minor), and the convention for naming the notes b flat and b natural which are called respectively B and H.

As it happens, middle C, lies just about in the middle of the standard piano keyboard and for this reason most pianists assume that the description 'middle' is a reference to this accident of piano manufacture. The term 'middle' is applied only to the note c and not to the register within which it lies. Reference: Note: solmization systems have developed in other parts of the world. In India the syllables, called sargam, are sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni. Helmholtz Pitch Notation :: 1 Helmholz Pitch Notation If you look at the note names below the stave in the example above, you will notice that the first two note names after gamma are shown capitalised (A and B), the next seven note names (from c to b) are in lower case, that the seven note names after that (from c' to b') have a single prime ' (other writers may use superscript i), and the final three note names (from c" to e") have a double prime '' (other writers may use superscript ii, or small numbers - ii would then be 2).

Helmholtz notation describes an octave as a series of notes starting with the note name c (thus, c, d, e, f, g, a, b) with different octaves being distinguished by the use of upper and lower case and sometimes subscript or superscript prime (') or i. the key to Helmholtz Pitch notation, using i rather than prime, is that: a Helmholtz scale always starts on a c B is the note immediately below c while b is the note immediately below ci c , and so on ...

some authors write Ci as CC, Cii as CCC and Ciii as CCCC (see, however, English Octave-Naming Convention below) the note c two ledger lines below the bass clef is C the note 'middle c' is ci the note 'gamma ut' (Γ ut) in Guido d'Arezzo's system (the bottom line of the bass clef) is G in Helmholtz' notation Helmholtz developed this system in order to accurately define pitches in his classical work on acoustics Die Lehre von den Tonempfindungen als physiologische Grundlage fï¿½r die Theorie der Musik (1863), translated into English by A. J. Ellis as On the Sensations of Tone (1875). Today, Helmholtz notation is used widely by scientists and doctors when discussing the scientific and medical aspects of sound in relation to the auditory system. Helmholtz notation may be used also to distinguish octaves.

The octave from lower case c to b is called the 'small octave' while that from c' to b' is called the 'one-line octave', 'one-line' referring to the single prime ' or, using what was once called 'the German method', to a horizontal line placed across the top of note name (see table below). The next octave c'' to b'' is called the 'two-line octave' (in the German method two horizontal lines are placed above the note name) and so on upwards. The octave written with capital letters, C to B is the 'great octave'. 1 English Octave-Naming Convention A source of confusion when using the multiple C octave notation is the fact that some authors, particularly English authors writing about the organ, use a different convention for CC which they associated with C two leger lines below the bass staff, CCC for C an octave lower and CCCC for the C two octaves lower. CC is generally the lowest note on the manuals of an organ and is called an 8 ft. note because that is the length of an open pipe required to produce it. As pitch drops an octave as a pipe is doubled in length so CCC is called a 16 ft.

note and CCCC is called a 32 ft. note. Another feature that distinguishes the English octave-naming convention from that of Helmholtz (see above) is that each octave runs from G to the F seven notes above. In this regard, it follows the convention adopted by Guido d'Arezzo where each octave is named from gamma ut, the G on the bottom line of the bass staff. Helmholtz's octaves, of course, run from C to the B above. Two particular octave names that follow the English system are in alt (G above the treble stave to the F above, inclusive), and in altissimo (the octave above in alt). Franco-Belgic Octave-Naming Convention :: 1 Franco-Belgic Octave-Naming Convention The Franco-Belgic note naming system sets the C two leger lines below the bass clef as Do1, Do uno or Do primera. Each C one octave higher is named by increasing the subscript number by 1. So, middle C is Do3, while C two leger lines above the treble clef is Do5.

The note a' (in the Helmholtz system), which is used to set pitch, is La3 in the Franco-Belgic system. The system that uses letters of the alphabet to name the different pitches is called, by the French, Notation allemande et anglo-saxonne (German and Anglo-Saxon notation).

Scientific Pitch Notation :: Scientific Pitch Notation/Note-Octave Notation/American Standard an alternative naming convention called 'Scientific Pitch Notation', 'Note-Octave Notation' or American Standard Pitch Notation: the lowest c on a grand piano is named C1 (alternatively C1, C(1), C[1] or C1) notes in the octave below C1 have their appropriate note name followed by the number 0 notes lying between C1 and the note one octave higher (written C2, C(2), C[2] or C2) have their appropriate note names followed by the number 1 each succeeding octave above that advances the number by one on a piano 'middle c' is C4, C(4), C[4] or C4 the note a whose pitch is set by international standard is A4, A(4), A[4] or A4 C4 is equivalent to ci in Helmholtz notation the note 'gamma ut' (Γ ut) in Guido d'Arezzo's system (the bottom line of the bass clef) is G2 in Scientific Pitch notation Note that the symbol Cb4 means "the pitch one semitone (chromatic step) below

 the pitch C4" and not "the pitch-class Cb in octave 4." Thus, Cb4 is the same pitch as B3, not B4.

The letter name is first combined with the Arabic numeral to determine a specific pitch, which is then altered by applying accidentals. For this reason, the notation C4b would be slightly more consistent, though significantly less legible. Naming the Octaves :: 1 MIDI The MIDI protocol is a music description language in binary form. Each action of musical performance is assigned a specific standardised binary code or 'instruction'. Because MIDI was designed originally for keyboards many of the actions are percussion oriented. To sound a note in MIDI language you send a "Note On" message. Assigning that note a "velocity" determines how loud it plays. Other MIDI messages include selecting which instrument to play, mixing and panning sounds, and controlling various aspects of electronic musical instruments. From the moment the MIDI 1.0 Standard was finalized in the early 1980s it was clear that certain matters had been overlooked. There was no specification for the way patch numbers were assigned to particular instruments, at least not until Roland proposed an addendum to MIDI 1.0 called General MIDI (or GM) in the late 1980s.

By creating a stand 'patch bank' the user could be certain that each of the 128 patches produced the sound specified, whether it might be a Grand Piano (patch 1) or a Nylon String Guitar (patch 25). There were also deviances in regards to Note Number mapping. For example, some manufacturers mapped middle 'C' to MIDI Note Number 60 (see the diagram below). However, others mapped it to Note Numbers 72 or 48. Another shortcoming in the specification was that the MIDI standards do not designate octaves. The standard merely designates 'middle C' as being note number 60. Two octave designations have been devised. One version of the MIDI system uses C3 to designate 'middle C' (MIDI note 60, 261.626 Hz). That means that the octave designation for MIDI note "0" would be "-2" or notated as C-2. A second version uses the lowest note available to the MIDI system (MIDI note 1, 8.176 Hz) to designate Octave "0" with the notation of C0.

In this system, 'middle C' (MIDI note 60, 261.626 Hz) is octave 5 with the notation of C5. References: This is an abridged version of the information on F. Ishmael J. M. Stefanov-Wagner's site . Solfege is a method of ear-training which uses the assignment of syllables to degrees of the scale to assist a singer's memory of pitch. In the European hexachord (six note) system of Ut - Re - Mi - Fa - Sol - La, codified by Guido d'Arezzo (990 - 1055) and used for hundreds of years, the six notes have to be overlapped when naming a full octave. For a full description go to the section on middle C . There were rules to determine from which hexachord the syllable for a given note would be sung. The continental six-note Ut - Re - Mi was simplified in England to the four-note system which you can see by following the scale from C to C as Fa - Sol - La - Fa - Sol - La - Mi - Fa.

[This system was known as Lancashire or Old English Sol-fa]. This is what the English colonists brought with them when they set sail for the New World, and upon which the early New England singing masters based their lessons and developed their aids to reading. [It was then called Fasola]. The Sternhold & Hopkins Psalter was first printed in England in 1562 with melodies for 46 tunes. The printer John Windet thought that solmization was a useful enough aid in sight-singing that the tunes in his 1594 edition of the Sternhold & Hopkins Psalter had initials for the syllables ( U R M F S L ) printed beneath the notes. In the foreword it was explained: ...I have caused a new print of note to be made with letter to be joined to every note: whereby thou mayest know how to call every note by his right name, so that with a very little diligence thou mayest more easilie by the viewing of these letters, come to the knowledge of perfect solfeying... the letters be these U for Ut, R for Re, M for My, F for Fa, S for Sol, L for La.

Thus where you see any letter joyned by the notes you may easilie call him by his right name, ... Across the ocean and a century later at Boston in 1698 the ninth edition of the Bay Psalme Book (printed since 1640 with texts only) featured the addition of 13 two-part tunes, with four-note syllables indicated by letters printed beneath the staff. This is thought to be the first music printed in the New World. Cambridge Short tune from the Bay Psalme Book, 1698, melody and bass, with mi-fa-sol-la letters printed beneath the staff. The diamond shaped notes were standard musical notation at that time. Rev. John Tufts An Introduction to the Singing of Psalm-Tunes in a Plain & Easy Method first appearing between 1714 and 1721 had the further innovation of printing the initial letters ( M-F-S-L ) on the staff in place of the note-heads. Durations are indicated by the extra dots to the right of the letter - each dot doubles the length of the note. Westminster, in three parts with new notation by John Tufts. Printed in Boston.

From the edition of 1727. The first book printed with shaped noteheads, using "patent notes" was the Easy Instructor, by Wm. Smith and Wm. Little in 1801. (To see a facsimile of this book click here .) The shapes used then are still in use to this day: fa: la: mi: Andrew Law's The Musical Primer of 1803, used similar shaped notes but interchanged somewhat from the assignments of Smith & Little and without the customary five-line staff. [American notations where different note-head shapes were associated with different syllables is known as 'Patentnote' or 'Buckwheat' notation.] By 1815 in Boston the fuguing tunes, shape-notes and the fa-sol-la solmization that facilitated them had become (so the reformers thought) obsolete and interest in them was maintained primarily to the far south and west. In these parts of the country though, the hymns and music were taken to heart and survive to this day.

One such example is William Walker's Southern Harmony, first printed in New Haven in 1835, revised several times and there are those who still sing from a current printing of a facsimile editions of the version of 1854. Another is Benjamin Franklin White's Sacred Harp, first published in 1844, most recently revised in 1991. The Fasola tradition, which uses shape note notation, is one of unaccompanied singing, that is, without any assistance by instruments. Thus when singing shape-note hymns it is the practice first to "sing the notes", that is, to sing the fa-sol-la syllables corresponding to the shapes in the music before singing the text. This serves to set the tune in memory and enables persons to more easily sight-read previously unseen or unheard music. Tunes are sung in relative pitch, rather than at an absolute pitch derived from A=440Hz.; referred to as " Pitch of Convenience", a long standing tradition as can be seen from directions for setting the first Note from the Bay Psalm Book. References: 1 Tonic Sol-fa In 1840s England, J. S.

Curwen (1816-1880) introduced a system, earlier developed by Sarah Glover of Norwich (1785-1867) in her Scheme for Rendering Psalmody Congregational (1835), which was designed to help in the sight-reading of music. The system was called the Tonic Sol-fa method. Curwen's method later incorporated French time names (derived from Aime Paris's Langue de durï¿½es ) and devised pitch hand signs which, in a modified form, are familiar to contemporary music teachers as part of the popular Kodï¿½ly method. John Curwen was an English congregational minister and he had taught himself to read music using Sarah Glover's book as an introduction to the idea of Tonic Sol-fa. Religious and social ideals of equality motivated him to create and promulgate an entire method of teaching based on this idea, for he believed that music should be the inheritance of all classes and ages of people. At considerable expense to himself, he published his own writings, which included a journal entitled Tonic Sol-fa Reporter and Magazine of Vocal Music for the People.

After 1864 he resigned his ministry to devote most of his time to what had become a true movement in mass music education. He and his son John Spencer Curwen incorporated a publishing firm, J. Curwen & Sons, eventually adding Tonic Sol-Fa Agency to its name. It became an important publisher of educational music. In 1869 John Curwen established the Tonic Sol-Fa College, which just over 100 years later established the Curwen Institute in London. Though Curwen did not truly invent Tonic Sol-fa, he developed a distinct method of applying it in music education, one that included both rhythm and pitch. William McNaught, a devoted student of the Tonic Sol-fa Method, is said by his son to have thought of it as "musicianship of the mind with the voice as its instrument." You may remember that middle 'c' is named 'sol fa ut' in medieval music theory (see above) and that the 'c' one octave above 'middle c' is named 'sol fa'.

It is from these two syllables 'sol' and 'fa' that the system derives its name and explains the presence of the hyphen between 'sol' and 'fa'. The essence of the Curwen system is that the key-note (or tonic) is called 'doh'. It is followed, in an ascending major scale, by the notes 'ray', 'me', 'fah', 'soh', 'lah', 'te' before returning to 'doh', one octave higher than the first 'doh'. 'doh' is moveable - in other words, it depends on the key in which the piece of music is set, which note will be 'doh'. In fact, 'doh' is always the key-note. Curwen's system, called functional solmization, uses names to describe a note's function (tonic, dominant, etc.) rather than its pitch, and contrasts with the continental system where 'doh' is immoveable and always represents the note 'c' whatever the key in which the piece of music is written.

Curwen's note names are actually no more than an anglicised form of Guido d'Arezzo's nomenclature with 'doh' replacing 'ut' and the addition of 'te' for the seventh note of the scale which is otherwise absent because d'Arezzo names only the six notes of the hexachord. An apparent disadvantage is a lack of chromatic notes or any distinction between the same note but in different octaves. Here Curwen appears to have turned to the Galin-Paris-Chevï¿½ moveable do system named after Pierre Galin [Exposition d'une Nouvelle mï¿½thode (1818)] and ï¿½mile-Joseph Chevï¿½ (1804-1864), Chevï¿½'s wife Nanine Paris and Nanine's brother Aimï¿½ Paris (1798-1866) [E. Chevï¿½ (Mme Nanine Paris) Mï¿½thode ï¿½lï¿½mentaire de musique vocale (1864); E. Chevï¿½ (M.

& Mme) Mï¿½thode ï¿½lï¿½mentaire d'harmonie (1846); E. Chevï¿½ (M. & Mme) Exercices ï¿½lï¿½mentaires de lecture musicale ï¿½ l'usage des ï¿½coles primaires (1860)]. This system named the notes of an ascending major scale, starting on the tonic, with the numerals 1-7. 0 denotes a rest. The use of numerals harks back to a suggestion made in 1742 by Jean-Jacques Rousseau although the idea was not new. Similar proposals had been made by in France by Jean Jacques Souhaitty (1667) and in England by William Braythwaite (1638). The Galin-Paris-Chevï¿½ system used dots placed above or below a numeral to identify the octave of that particular note. Other schemes included ticks, or different cases or print styles. Today, scale syllables have become more standardised and include chromatic notes.

in 'fixed do' solfeggio, the notes of the chromatic scale are named using the solfeggio or Latin names which in French, English, Italian and German are: rising or ascending scale do ut (French) Some writers call the Aretinian or solfeggio syllables 'Italian' when they are actually derived from a verse in 'Latin' from syllables of which Guido d'Arezzo took his note names, with some additions and modifications as noted above (for example replacing si with ti for B natural). Using a 'moveable do' system, full chromaticism is not needed, because a tune is normally re-notated into each new key, by re-positioning the do (or ut in French), even if that key lasts only for a few bars. Some, however, hold to the view that using Tonic Sol-fa with full chromaticism loses the advantages of simplicity and readability. In this case no distinction is made between chromatic notes. So G flat, G natural and G sharp are all named sol under solmisation although the correct inflection is used when naming notes other than under solmisation, i.e.

sol bemolle (G flat), sol (G natural) and sol diesis (G sharp). In Italy, as in other parts of Continental Europe, when chromatic names are not being used, many teachers use si not for G sharp but, as in the modified Latin system, for B natural. References: 1 Integer Notation Answers.com's excellent article on music notation includes information about integer notation from which we have quoted below. In integer notation, or the integer model of pitch, all pitch classes and intervals between pitch classes are designated using the numbers 0 through 11. It is not used to notate music for performance, but is a common analytical and compositional tool when working with chromatic music, including twelve tone, serial, or otherwise atonal music. Pitch classes can be notated in this way by assigning the number 0 to some note - C natural by convention - and assigning consecutive integers to consecutive semitones; so if 0 is C natural, 1 is C sharp, 2 is D natural and so on up to 11 which is B natural. The C above this is not 12, but 0 again (12-12=0).

Thus arithmatic modulo 12 is used to represent octave equivalence. One advantage of this system is that it ignores the "spelling" of notes (B sharp, C natural and D double-flat are all 0) according to their diatonic functionality. There are a few drawbacks with integer notation. First, theorists have traditionally used the same integers to indicate elements of different tuning systems. Thus, the numbers 0, 1, 2, ... 5, are used to notate pitch classes in 6-tone equal temperament. This means that the meaning of a given integer changes with the underlying tuning system: "1" can refer to C# in 12-tone equal temperament, but D in 6-tone equal temperament. Second, integer notation does not seem to allow for the notation of microtones, or notes not belonging to the underlying equal division of the octave. For these reasons, some theorists have recently advocated using rational numbers to represent pitches and pitch classes, in a way that is not dependent on any underlying division of the octave. See the articles on pitch and pitch class for more information. Another drawback with integer notation is that the same numbers are used to represent both pitches and intervals.

For example, the number 4 serves both as a label for the pitch class E (if C=0) and as a label for the distance between the pitch classes D and F#. (In much the same way, the term "10 degrees" can function as a label both for a temperature, and for the distance between two temperature.) Only one of these labelings is sensitive to the (arbitrary) choice of pitch class 0. For example, if one makes a different choice about which pitch class is labeled 0, then the pitch class E will no longer be labelled "4." However, the distance between D and F# will still be assigned the number 4. The late music theorist David Lewin was particularly sensitive to the confusions that this can cause. Music Pitch Music Pitch Music pitch means how high or how low a note is. But how exactly does a high or low pitched note sound? And how is it written with a musical staff and clef? Learn more about music pitch and how it is notated here. Music Pitch and Melody On a piano keyboard you can play high pitches to the right, and low pitches to the left.

Women’s voices are generally higher pitched than men's voices, and for example a flute has a higher pitch than a double bass. A melody is made of high and low pitches. When you listen to a melody, you can practice to follow with your hand to show how it moves, the melodic contour; up for higher pitches and down for lower. For example, “Twinkle, twinkle little star” could look something like this with hand movements showing how the melody moves with higher and lower pitch: If you have trouble "staying on pitch", it means you're singing false! (But don't worry- every singer sings off pitch occasionally.) Examples of Low and High Pitch Music It's common to mix up high or low pitch with loud or soft sounds. A high pitch does not mean a loud sound! Here is a video explaining the difference between Pitch or Frequency (high or low sounds) and Volume or Amplitude (loud or soft sounds): On The Music Staff When we write music pitch with music note symbols , we need a music staff : A musical staff has five lines and four spaces. Notes are written on the lines and in the spaces to show how the pitch moves up and down.

The same melodic contour from “Twinkle” above, could of course be written on the staff, but, as you know, we use music notes instead to show more exactly the pitches of the melody and how it moves, up and down :) : The Music Clefs Tells Us Pitch Too We also need music clefs , symbols to show if the music pitch of the melody is in a higher range, or a lower. The two most common clefs are the Treble and the Bass clefs. (Treble means high pitch, and bass means low pitch.) The Treble Staff Where are the high pitched notes written in a stave? The high pitched notes are written on a treble staff, a staff with a Treble or G clef . The higher the pitch, the higher the note on the staff. The name of the staff used for higher pitches is the treble staff. This staff is called a “Treble staff”" and the clef also show the exact location of where the note treble G is: The Bass Clef A Bass clef, or an F clef , is used for lower (bass) pitched notes. This is called a “Bass staff”.

The clef also shows where the bass F note is: Very High Or Very Low Pitch If the music pitch continues "outside" the staff, either above or below, we use ledger lines. But it becomes harder to read when there are too many ledger lines. So, then we can use the symbol 8va. (Octava) If placed above the staff, (8va) means to play an octave higher than written. If placed below the staff, (8vb) (Octava Bassa) means to play an octave lower than written. Two octaves higher or lower are marked similarly with 15ma and 15mb. Like this: Pitches are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet: A B C D E F G This pattern is repeated over and over, for a higher pitch, or backwards for a lower and lower pitch. Another way of naming the different pitches is by using syllable names: Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si (Ti) Here are the basic 7 notes on a treble staff: From lowest to highest pitch: C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C or Do, Re, Mi Fa, Sol, La Si/Ti and Do.

Sharps and Flats Musical pitches can also be altered a half step higher or lower with the help of accidentals, or sharps (#) and flats (b). On a piano keyboard you can see the raised or lowered pitches as the black keys. All in all there are 12 different "pitch classes" (on the piano you can see them as 7 white keys and 5 black) in the western music tradition. Each pitch is a semitone apart, and this pattern is repeated higher and lower. The easiest way to see this is on a piano keyboard. Here you can see how the notes are repeated again and again: High Pitched Notes Low Pitched Notes Circle Of Fifths With The 12 Pitches In this musical star you can see all the 12 different pitches (in Western music theory) organized in a circle of semitones . Clockwise the pitch gets higher by semitones, or half steps, and counter-wise it gets lower. The "star" inside are lines that connect different notes to show the special relationship they have with each other. (It shows the relationship between the first note of a scale (Tonic), the fourth (Sub-dominant) and the fifth (Dominant).

What Is Concert Pitch? When tuning an instrument, the pitch is adjusted so that it sounds “right”. The music pitch depends on how fast or slow a something vibrates. By changing the amount of vibrations (or sound wave cycles) per second, called Hertz (Hz), the pitch will change. To put it simpler; by stretching for example a string, the sound (when you pluck it) gets higher (smaller, faster vibrations), and when loosening it the sound gets lower (larger, slower vibrations). “Concert pitch” is the commonly agreed tuning of the note A as vibrating exactly 440 sound wave cycles per second (440 Hz). Some instruments are tuned this way, they have concert pitch. Other instruments do not have the same tuning, they are transposed. For example; a piano plays the note C. This is a real C. A trumpeter plays a "C". Out comes a Bb! To avoid confusion at rehearsals with transposed instruments, you have to define whether it should be the written note, or the concert pitch. Listening to Pitch: Ear Training How are your ears? Do you have great listening skills?

Practicing to hear the difference between different pitches is part of developing a good musical ear. Read more about Ear Training here. Great examples of low and high pitch music can be found here: About Music Pitch (opens in a new window) . You can listen to interesting, real music examples with different types of music pitch sounds. Intervals in Traditional Music Notation | Tutorials | The Music Notation Project The Music Notation Project Forum Intervals in Traditional Music Notation In traditional notation the representation of intervals is indirect, inconsistent, and imprecise. Alternative notation systems can portray them with much more clarity and accuracy. This tutorial is part of a series that includes Reading and Playing Music by Intervals and Intervals in 6-6 Music Notation Systems . Intervals are one of the essential elements of music, the building-blocks that make up its structures. Melodies, scales, and chords are all patterns of melodic or harmonic intervals, and the notes in any given key belong to that key because of their interval relationships. Playing by ear and improvising involve hearing and playing music by interval relationships, and intervals are indispensable for understanding music theory. Because intervals are so important, the way they are represented in music notation is particularly significant.

It is surprising how limited, indirect, and inconsistent the representation of intervals is in traditional notation. In the next tutorial we explore how alternative notation systems can portray interval relationships with much greater clarity and accuracy. How might a better notation system improve awareness of interval relationships and the ability to understand and play music? Note that while most of the illustrations below show harmonic intervals, this discussion applies equally to melodic and harmonic intervals. Intervals on the Traditional Diatonic Staff At first glance traditional notation seems to represent interval relationships consistently. Some intervals are always one line-note and one space-note. Others are always two line-notes or two space-notes. This consistent pattern makes it easy to distinguish different intervals at a glance. Each interval always has its own particular appearance or “look” regardless of the key signature, clef, or accidental signs. Despite this consistency, things are not as simple as they may appear. While it is easy to identify an interval’s name (2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc.), it is impossible to tell from the vertical distance between the notes on the staff what an interval’s quality is (major, minor, perfect, augmented, diminished), or exactly how many semitones it spans.

Many intervals that appear to be the same actually sound different and are played differently. For example, two thirds may look the same, but one may be a major third and the other a minor third. Take a moment to look at the diagram below and try to fully identify the intervals. Which 2nds, 3rds, 6ths, 7ths, and Triads are major and which are minor? Are the 4ths and 5ths all perfect, or are some augmented or diminished? How would a different clef sign or key signature change things? Diatonic Intervals in Traditional Notation Intervals that appear the same may be different, depending on staff position, key signature, and clef. Click the buttons below to see how different clefs and key signatures change the identity of the intervals, while their appearance on the staff remains the same. Ab Major, F Minor Numbers = semitones spanned by the interval. Maj = major. Min = minor. Perf = perfect. Aug = augmented. Dim = diminished. By itself an interval’s appearance is ambiguous and does not provide enough information to identify the interval.

To play an interval one must first take into account: its position on the staff the clef sign the key signature any accidental signs With all these factors in mind, one must go through the mental procedure of calculating the identity of the individual notes (ie: “C sharp and G natural”) which finally reveals their interval relationship. In other words, to play an interval requires already knowing the pitches of its notes. This affects the way in which music is read and played. This fundamental ambiguity and inconsistency in the appearance of intervals makes it much more difficult to play by reading the interval relationships between the notes. Because reading by intervals depends upon knowing the pitches of the notes, it is simpler to just play the notes by their pitches. This has implications for learning to improvise or play by ear — skills that largely entail playing by interval relationships rather than playing by the individual pitches of notes. Even in the simplest case of C major with no accidental signs, intervals are not clearly or directly represented in traditional notation. What one sees does not fully correspond with what one plays or hears. This frustrates and undermines a musician’s understanding and proficiency with the patterns of intervals found in diatonic music or any given style or genre of music.

Consider how important basic intervals are obscured: whole steps and half steps which are the basic elements of diatonic scales and modes, and major and minor thirds which are the fundamental building blocks of diatonic chord structures. How might the aspiring musician’s understanding of music and proficiency with common interval patterns improve if interval relationships were represented clearly and were not obscured and hidden from view? How might the basic understanding of harmony and music theory improve if the appearance of interval relationships was clear and consistent? Intervals and Accidental Signs We have mostly been considering how the inconsistent pitch axis of the traditional diatonic staff has a distorting effect on the accurate representation of interval relationships. Now we will consider how accidental signs (and by extension key signatures) also distort this pitch axis and add another layer of complexity to reading the interval relationships between notes. The following illustration shows how an interval containing the same two staff degrees (C and D, a second) can actually have many different meanings in traditional notation, depending on the key signature and accidental signs. Accidental signs allow for twenty-five possible variations of any given interval Numbers = size of the interval in semitones. Roll your cursor over the image to see the more likely variations.

[1] Although some of these twenty-five examples are largely theoretical and would be very improbable in actual music, there are still quite a few realistic cases. [1] There is a complex one-to-many mapping between (1) the vertical distance between two notes on the staff and (2) the many possible sizes of the interval that is played and heard. In other words, the visual representation is not proportional to the sound it is representing. What one sees does not correspond to what one plays or hears. In technical terms, the pitch axis in traditional notation is highly nonlinear. By contrast, on a chromatic staff, intervals are always unambiguous, being shown directly by the vertical distance between two notes, which is exactly proportional to the actual size of the interval as it is played and heard. In technical terms, the pitch axis on a chromatic staff is linear. [2] (Recall that on a chromatic staff key signatures and accidental signs are not required.) On a chromatic staff there is just one possible meaning for any given interval Each interval has one distinct appearance that always spans the same number of semitones. In this case, one semitone.

In the tutorial on Intervals in 6-6 Music Notation Systems we will explore how alternative notation systems with a chromatic staff improve upon traditional notation when it comes to representing interval relationships. But before moving on, one last illustration further demonstrates how the appearance of intervals, the vertical distance between the notes, may not correspond with how they sound, the number of semitones they span. (Intervals that have the same number of semitones are known as enharmonic equivalents .) In traditional notation intervals that sound the same may look different and vice-versa Numbers = Semitones spanned by each interval, Maj = major, Min = minor, Perf = perfect, Aug = augmented, Dim = diminished, 2xA = doubly augmented, 2xD = doubly diminished. Click on the buttons above to change the way the intervals are grouped. How can alternative notations that use a chromatic staff and a 6-6 pitch pattern improve upon these ambiguities and inconsistencies in the representation of interval relationships in traditional notation? Check out Intervals in 6-6 Music Notation Systems to find out.

[1] Rolling your cursor over the illustration shows eight “more likely variations.” These eight intervals occur in major or minor scales in keys having up to seven sharps or flats. More extreme intervals show up in the traditional repertoire — for example, Cx-Dx is found in the C# major prelude from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier book 1. [2] The resolution of the pitch axis is generally one semitone on a chromatic staff. (A forthcoming tutorial will discuss microtones.) Comparing music notation with acoustical graphs, a linear pitch axis is equivalent to a logarithmic frequency axis. Frequency doubles for each octave higher in pitch. Tutorial navigation ← Previous: Noteheads and Pitch The Music Notation Project sharp / # - musical accidental symbol indicating a semitone rise in pitch [Joe Monzo] 1. specific meaning A symbol, placed before a notehead on staff-notation, or placed after a nominal in text, which indicates a change in pitch of one chromatic semitone higher than that of the plain nominal. The sharp is a specific type of accidental.

A note with a sharp is also one diatonic semitone lower than the plain nominal just above it, i.e., A#:B is a diatonic semitone. The sharp sign (and the natural sign as well) evolved out of the "square-b" notation which was used to indicate the higher version of the note "B" which appears in the diezeugmenon tetrachord of the greater perfect system. . . . . . . . . . 2. general meaning In a general sense, "sharp" simply means higher in pitch by some amount (which may be defined or undefined); often used in this (undefined) sense when one instrument is out-of-tune with another. . . . . . . . . . The tonalsoft.com website is almost entirely the work of one person: me, Joe Monzo . Please reward me for my knowledge and effort by choosing your preferred level of financial support. Thank you. support level

Question: In musical notation, what word means "higher in pitch by a semitone"?
Answer: Sharp