LESSON 1 - BASICS OF MUSIC THEORY AND NOTATION

In this lesson, we will introduce you to the basics of music theory and notation. You will be able to use this knowledge in the following lessons.

Music is written on the notation system called "Staff", which consists of 5 lines and 4 spaces in between them:

Flute music is written in the "G" or "Treble" Clef. The symbol centers on the second line, which is note "G":

The tones that we play on the flute are called "notes" and they are referred to using the first seven letters of the alphabet. Please check the fingering
chart to see how these 7 notes repeat throughout the flute register.

Getting accustomed to the names of the notes and their position on the staff is very important. The following figures are good to remember:

Rhythm and time are notated by using divisions called "Measures". Measures are divided by a line called a "Bar". Ending each exercise is a double
line called "Double Bar".

To the right of the treble clef, you will see two numbers on the staff. These two numbers are called the time signature. The top number tells us the
number of beats in each measure, such as 2, 3, 4, 6, etc. The bottom number tells us the value of the beat, which is most commonly a quarter note
(notated as a 4), a half note (notated as a 2), or an eighth note (notated as an 8). Do remember that the “beat” is not always a quarter note! Its
value is assigned by the bottom number of the time signature.

The most common time signature is 4/4 (4 quarter note beats per
or
measure).

In 4/4, the whole note and the whole note rest receive four quarter note
beats.
or

Half note / half note rest. Half note receives 2 beats and a half note rest
is a silence that lasts for 2 beats.

Quarter note / quarter note rest. Quarter note receives 1 beat and a
quarter note rest is a silence that lasts for 1 beat.

NOTE: if the time signature changes to 2/2 (two half note beats per measure), the whole note will receive 2 beats, the half note one beat, and two
quarter notes will fit into one beat.