Musical Instruments: The Harp

The harp is an old instrument. It is used in the modern orchestra but not very often. The notes are sounded by the performer plucking the strings with the fingers. The harp has pedals so the notes can be changed to flats, naturals or sharps.

The range of the harp is from two to six octaves but this depends on the size of the instrument. The music is written on the treble and bass clefs.

The harp is famous for its glissando technique. This is where the fingers sweep rapidly across the strings and create a scale either ascending (up) or descending (down).

Below is a picture of a harp.

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The strings of the harp up close.

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The strings of the harp being plucked by the performer.

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Warburton, Annie O. Basic Music Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print, p.  148.

Musical Instruments: The Organ

The organ is from the keyboard family of instruments. It produces sound by wind blowing through a series of pipes. The sound is produced when the performer depresses the keys on the keyboard. Most organs have two keyboards, however, some of the larger organs can have three, four or even five keyboards. There are many types of organs such as the pipe organ, used in the church and theatre and electronic organs, such as the Hammond organ and digital organ which produce sound electronically. The organ is written on the treble and bass clef and the range depends on the size of the organ.

The picture below shows the pipes in a church organ. There are slits at the bottom of each pipe where the sound is produced. Each pipe is different in length where notes of different pitch are sounded. The organ will also have a pedalboard which is played with the feet where additional low-pitched bass notes can be played. The pedalboard is set out like a keyboard. There are also pedals and stops (buttons) that create different effects.

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The picture below shows the four keyboard arrangement of an organ.

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The electronic organ usually has two keyboards and also a pedalboard which creates additional low-pitched notes.

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Below is a small electronic organ with one keyboard and one pedal.

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Warburton, Annie O. Basic Music Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print, pp. 148 and 150.

Musical Instruments: Oboe, Cor Anglais and Bassoon

The oboe, cor anglais and bassoon are double reed instruments. These are reeds that are fastened together and placed onto the instrument. The performer blows down the instrument and the sound is produced when the breath passes between the reeds.

The Oboe

The oboe is written on the treble clef and it is not transposing. It has a range of over two octaves.

Below is a picture of a performer playing the oboe.

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The Cor Anglais

The cor anglais is transposing. The range is over two octaves, but the range is smaller than the oboe. It looks similar to the oboe, but it is larger with a curved neck. The music for the cor anglais is written on the treble clef.

The Bassoon

The bassoon is written on the bass clef with the higher notes on the tenor clef. Its range is over three octaves. It is not transposing.

Below is a picture of a bassoon.

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Warburton, Annie O. Basic Music Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print, p. 141.

Musical Instruments: Clarinet and Saxophone

The clarinet and the saxophone are single reed instruments. This is because the reed is inserted at the back of the mouthpiece. They are members of the woodwind family of instruments. Clarinets and saxophones are transposing instruments, this means they play a different pitch from the written notes.

The Clarinet

The clarinet has a range of over three octaves and is written mainly in the treble clef, except the bass clarinet which can be written in the treble or the bass clef.  The clarinets most used are in A and Bb. These are most common in the orchestra.

The picture below shows two clarinets.

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Below are two performers playing a clarinet duet.

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The Saxophone

The saxophone is similar to the clarinet. The most widely used saxophones are in Bb and Eb.

The picture below shows a saxophone.

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The saxophone is not usually used in the orchestra. It is more widely used in jazz groups and military bands. It has a range of about two and a half octaves and is written in the treble clef.


Taylor, E. (1991). The AB guide to music theory, part II. 1st ed. London: Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. pp. 211 and 212.

Ornaments

Ornamentation is used to add extra notes and to decorate the music. Music can be ornamented in many ways.

The Slide

In the pictures below, there are examples of an ornament called a slide. The notes are played one after the other in quick succession. They are small notes attached to a primary note. The examples are on the top stave of both pictures.

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The Acciaccatura

The acciaccatura is a small note with a stroke though it. It is also called a crushed note or a grace note. It is played on the beat. The small acciaccatura is played quickly as possible with the principal note. In the picture below, the first note in the treble clef is an example of an acciaccatura.

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The Appoggiatura

The appoggiatura looks the same as the acciaccatura but without the stroke through the small note. It is part of the melody. The small appoggiatura note takes half of the value and the principal note takes the other half. So, if the principal note is a crotchet, the appoggiatura would be performed as a quaver and the principal note would also be performed as a quaver. If the principal note is a minim, the notes would be performed as crotchets.

If the principal note is dotted, the small appoggiatura note takes two thirds of the value and the principal note takes one third. So, if the principal note is a dotted crotchet, the appoggiatura would be a crotchet and the principal note would be a quaver. If the principal note is a dotted minim, the appoggiatura would be a minim and the principal note would be a crotchet.

If the appoggiatura is written with a chord, the appoggiatura would be performed with the note that it is slurred to, this would be its principal note.

The Upper Mordent and The Lower Mordent 

The sign above the first note in this piece below is an example of a lower mordent. The upper mordent is the same sign but without the line down the middle. When the lower mordent is performed, the principal note shown is played first, then the note below and back to the principal note. The upper mordent is performed with the principal note, then the next note up and back to the principal note. They would be played quickly.

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The Trill

The trill is performed as the principal note shown, then the note above and played quickly one after the other. It lasts as long as the value of the principal note and also depends on the speed of the piece how many notes can be performed. The picture below shows a note with a trill sign above it. In Mozart's music, the trill is performed starting on the note above the principal note.

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The Turn

A turn is written above the note and it will be performed; the note above the principal note, the principal note, the note below, then back to the principal note. It can also be written as an inverted turn where it is performed; the note below the principal note, the principal note, the note above, then back to the principal note. The speed the turn is performed depends on the speed of the piece. When the turn is written between notes, it is performed; the principal note, the next note up, back to the principal note, the lower note and back to the principal note. When it is inverted; the principal note, the note lower, the principal note, the upper note and back to the principal note.

The picture below shows some examples of a turn. The turns are on the top stave and the inverted turns are on the bottom stave.

Image By Louise MacPherson 11/1/2017

Baxter, Harry and Michael Baxter. The Right Way To Read Music. Tadworth: Right Way, 1993. Print, pp. 138 to 151.

Compound Intervals

A compound interval is an interval more than an octave (distance of eight notes). Working out the compound interval is the same as intervals that are less than an octave.

They have two names:

compound major 2nd          major 9th
compound major 3rd           major 10th
compound perfect 4th          perfect 11th
compound perfect 5th          perfect 12th
compound major 6th            major 13th
compound major 7th            major 14th
compound perfect octave     perfect 15th

If we look at the picture below, the highest note on the bottom stave with the bass clef is A. Then look at the second note on the top stave with the treble clef, it is E. The distance between these notes are larger than an octave, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E. This interval is a compound perfect 5th or perfect 12th. When calculating the interval from the second A, A to E is five notes, so it is a perfect interval.

If we look at the fifth note on the top stave with the treble clef. It is an F#, so the interval between the A on the bottom stave and the F# on the top stave is a compound major 6th or a major 13th, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E, F#.

If we look at the seventh note on the top stave with the treble clef. It is a G#. The interval between the A on the bottom stave and the G# on the top stave is a compound major 7th or a major 14th, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#.

As with all intervals, the interval is worked out from the lowest note. If it is A, we use the scale of A major, if it is D, we use the scale of D major. All the intervals we have worked out from the picture have an A as the lowest note, so we think in the scale of A major. It has A, B, C#, D, E F#, G#, A.

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Taylor, E. (1990). Music Theory In Practice Grade 5. London: The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, pp. 27 and 28.

Cadences

A cadence is a completed phrase or musical sentence. There are four main cadences; Perfect, Plagal, Imperfect and Interrupted.

The Perfect Cadence uses chords V (five) to I (one). This cadence sounds finished when performed.

The Plagal Cadence uses chords IV (four) to I (one). This cadence also sounds finished and it is often performed at the end of hymns, sometimes called the Amen cadence.

The Imperfect Cadence uses chords I (one) to V (five) or chords IV (four) to V (five). This cadence sounds unfinished. This cadence can also be II - V, III - V, VI - V and VII - V, but the I - V and IV - V chord sequences are more common.

The Interrupted Cadence uses chords V (five) to VI (six). This cadence also sounds unfinished.

There is another cadence called the Phrygian Cadence. It uses chords IVb (four first inversion) to V (five). This cadence is an Imperfect Cadence in a minor key.

If we performed a perfect cadence in the key of D major, chord V would consist of notes A,C#,E to chord I which would be D, F#, A. If we look at the chart below, it shows us the chords in C major and D major.


Image By Louise MacPherson 24/12/2016

To work out the chords in the scale, the first task is to work out the notes of the scale. The scale of D major is D E F# G A B C# D. The next step is to work out the notes in the chords. For chord I we take the first note of the scale which is D, miss a note, F#,miss a note, A. If we want to work out chord IV, we start with the fourth note of the scale which is G, miss a note, B, miss a note, D. The same system can be applied to working out the chords of different scales.

The keyboard in the picture below can help to work out the chords.

Image By Louise MacPherson 24/12/2016

Baxter, Harry and Michael Baxter. The Right Way To Read Music. Tadworth: Right Way, 1993. Print, pp. 86 to 88.

Warburton, Annie O. Basic Music Knowledge. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print, pp. 119 and 120.