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Honorary advisor
Regulars
Thank you so much! It was clear what was wrong because of my tempo and fingering. Time to try it out!
http://www.mediafire.com/?ff47.....8oujo0zc0w
Here's something that I think can help

Honorary advisor
Regulars

Honorary advisor
Regulars
A Question of key.
Really sorry, but I cannot for the life of me remember how this works. In the key signature for let's say the Key of "A". There are three sharp symbols on the staff. F#, C# and G#. What does that have to do with A? How do you remember that this is A? And how do you remember that all the F's C's and G's are sharp? Well are all the F's, C's and G's sharp no matter where they occur on the finger board? The same question applies to all the keys, it just seems so complicated. I do not remember it being so difficult to read music when I started out at 9 years old. I was taught using the Suzuki Method, maybe the sheet music was much simpler, or I had a lot more fresh brain cells to work with. I would like to learn the notes on the staff, but just looking at a note, I have to go back to the signature to see if it is sharp or not. It kinda slows things down a bit. Does the sheet music also do flats for different keys? I guess I am just stressing out! Maybe I will just work on bowing, making clear notes doing scales and Mary Had A Little Lamb...lol. It is day one, I can't expect to learn everything in a day. It feels really good to nail some notes and play something I recognize! Thanks in advance for your answer.
Dave

Regular advisor
Regulars

In the key signature for let's say the Key of "A". There are three sharp symbols on the staff. F#, C# and G#
It's easy to see if you know your scales/and or the circle of fifths. F C G D A E B is the order of increasing sharps. B E A D G C F is the order of increasing flats. You can check out the circle of fifths here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C....._of_fifths
For example, the key of G-Major has one sharp (F#) and starts on G-natural. The G-Major Scale is then: G A B C D E F# G
C-Major has 0 sharps and starts on C.
(C D E F G A B C)
G-Major has 1 sharp (F#) and starts on G.
(G A B C D E F# G)
D-Major has 2 sharps (F# C#) and starts on D.
(D E F# G A B C# D)
A-Major has 3 sharps (F# C# G#) and starts on A.
(A B C# D E F# G# A)
…etc. You keep adding onto the list of sharps. (Works exactly the same for flats! Note that the order of flats is the order of sharps backwards and that the beginning note for each scale is 5 steps away from the previous one! Less or memorize!)
And how do you remember that all the F's C's and G's are sharp?
The key signature tells you what notes are sharp or flat for the music. Until the key signature changes or there is an accidental, all notes marked as sharp (or flat) stay that way. For us violin players, it's the treble cleft: The s-squiggle at the beginning of the piece. Next to the cleft, the sharps or flats for the piece are marked, as shown in Wikipedia's circle of fifths image.
If you get an accidental (basically a sharp, flat, or natural sign next to a note), it temporarily overrides the key signature for only the bar where is occurs.

Honorary advisor
Regulars
Thank you so much for your answer to my question. I always thought there were just eight notes, if you played or sang flat or sharp it was wrong somehow. I did not realize all the different scales used flats or sharps as part of the scale. Is this to give more range and versatility?
Anyway, thanks again!
Dave

Regular advisor
Regulars

There are 12 notes in an octave if you count all of the sharps/flats. That would be going up the scale a half step (1 semitone) at a time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.....atic_scale
Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N.....28hertz.29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.....ical_scale
Sound is continuous, but humans have labeled certain pitches for notation. For example, the tuning A is 440 Hz. Each note has a sound frequency, and they are spaced apart based on a math formula f=[2^(n/12)]*440 where n is the number of half steps away from Tuning A. A# is 1 half step, and thus 466.16 Hz (here's a list of note name vs. frequency in Hz http://www.phy.mtu.edu/~suits/notefreqs.html)
If someone sings or plays a note a little flat or sharp, they aren't hitting the pitch perfectly center. So if they meant to sing A at 440Hz and were singing at 447.3 Hz, they'd be singing a little above the pitch (i.e. singing a bit sharp), but it's not the same as singing the A# frequency (466.16 Hz)

Honorary advisor
Regulars
I read something online, it was a link posted by Daniel I think. It described the W W H W W W H concept. I remember the notation for up bow down bow and I think I know how to tie or slur. I will concentrate on memorizing the notes I am playing and pick up this new language a little at a time. I cannot hear a note and identify what it is, I never could. I can probably identify an open E string, but that is just the way it sings so clear. F# and G on the same string, all I could tell you is that they are not open E! I am having so much fun playing, I just don't want bad habits to form, I do not want to be ignorant of the written part of what I am doing. I would love to be able to look at a piece of music and have the melody sing inside my skull as I look at the notes. Right now it is just static...lol. Thank you everyone for answering my questions and providing links to more information.
Dave

Honorary advisor
Regulars
Well, for key notation, I think I can help
Memorize these phrases(one at a time lol)
Go Down And Eat Breakfast 'Fore Cramming(FC#) – Sharps
Four Boys Each Ate Darn Good Chocolate(BEADGCb) – Flats
Sharps:
1. Go(G)
2. Down(D)
3. And(A)
4. Eat(E)
5. Breakfast(B)
6. 'F#ore(before)(F#)
7. C#ramming(C#)
Each number corresponds to how many sharps are in each scale, and since Pierre explained scales already, this chart will make things easier to memorize.
Now, the order of sharps are: FC-GDAE-B. As each sharp is added, they are added in that order. For example:
1. G: F
2. D: F,C
3. A: F,C,G
4. E: F,C,G,D
5. B: F,C,G,D,A
6. F#:F,C,G,D,A,E
7. C#:F,C,G,D,A,E,B
As you can see, there's a pattern XD
Now, for the flats,
1. Four
2. Boys(Bb)
3. Each(Eb)
4. Ate(Ab)
5. Darn(Db)
6. Good(Gb)
7. Chocolate(Cb)
1. F: B
2. Bb: B,E
3. Eb: B,E,A
4. Ab: B,E,A,D
5. Db: B,E,A,D,G
6. Gb: B,E,A,D,G,C,
7. Cb: B,E,A,D,G,C,F
Now, the order of flats is a mirror image of the sharps: BEAD-GCF. Please make the last chart in the same way as I did the sharps That way, I'll know that you got what I just taught you XD

Honorary advisor
Regulars
I know it has to have a mathimatical explaination for the arraingement of the notes. I can only wonder why, and right now I am not at home, so I can't print what you posted. I will when I get home. This is like an onion, layer upon layer. You learn one thing and 3 more things make you ask questions which leads to 9 more. I am not intimadated. I can do this. Really tired right now, going to check a few more posts and hit the hay.
Daniel, thank you very much for your time. I will study the charts you constructed. Maybe they should be posted somewhere in the beginner's area of the site. Check with the big guy!
Thanks again,
Dave

Honorary tenured advisor
Regulars
Wow ... things I've never learned about music ... and they just keep coming. Thanks again for the advice. Particular thanks to Daniel for the explanations.
I've sort of taught myself over the last few years on piano, how to recognise key signature, the sharp (major key) is named for the next natural note after the sharp, ie, G after the F sharp. A after the G sharp. And the flat major key is the second last note that is flat, ie, for Bb major, the flats are Bb then Eb, Ab major has Bb, Eb, Ab and Db. But the very first is F, and I've just had to remember that myself.
Then of course, Daniel has thrown a spanner in my logic, thanks mate. I would've come to grief anyway trying to work out the key with too many sharps ...
I agree that we don't study enough music theory, unfortunately I've tried to teach myself from books but end up in a daze. Reading peoples' explanations here does tend to make more sense, as long as it's relevant to what we're asking we tend to absorb the answer more easily.
Fiddlerman, you're awesome ... simple request to put in a video and it's there in the blink of an eye. Are you actually a teacher? Because it seems you're listening to what people want to learn and how they want to progress.
Fantastic ... keep it up everyone!
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.

Honorary advisor
Regulars

Honorary tenured advisor
Regulars
Well, I think you'd make an awesome teacher, communication is a skill not a lot of us possess, and listening is the first stage.
You know, if you moved to Queensland, you could still maintain the website, and people still get married here you know.
Just a thought ...
If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.
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