Concerning reading sheet music...
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wvwhistler
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Concerning reading sheet music...
How do you determine what key a song is written in if it doesn't state it near the clef. Also, is there a site that gives fairly concise information on the note variations in written music? ie whole notes witha dot following it, phrases that are bracketed and numbered, etc. I have a real time of it remembering a tune by ear note by note but if I can read it and hear the melody and tempo I think I could boost my aging memory a bit.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
"All the world's a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." - Sean O'Casey
"All the world's a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." - Sean O'Casey
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pipersgrip
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http://datadragon.com/education/reading/ here is a start.
"In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart." John Bunyan
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wvwhistler
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Thanks, that helps a bit.The Whistle Collector wrote:http://datadragon.com/education/reading/ here is a start.
The Whistle Shop had a good education page but it's not completed. That's the first one I've seen that explained slurs and ties. More please if any one has anything to add.
I've search posts but most seem to be discussions (or turn into) about dots vs learning by ear and are not particularly helpful.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
"All the world's a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." - Sean O'Casey
"All the world's a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." - Sean O'Casey
A classical regime would entail quite a bit of sight reading, musical theory, ear training, and of course practice. If you must learn about these things online, then google to your heart's content, otherwise get a book, perhaps from a local library or music store or from amazon, etc.
Committing a tune to memory is not really difficult. Just listen to it over and over and over and over... I realized that I was able to pick up a lot of tunes relatively quickly after having listened to them for years but finally having a go at them on my instrument. T-r-u-s-t your memory.
Committing a tune to memory is not really difficult. Just listen to it over and over and over and over... I realized that I was able to pick up a lot of tunes relatively quickly after having listened to them for years but finally having a go at them on my instrument. T-r-u-s-t your memory.
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wvwhistler
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The tunes that I have committed to memory had years and thousands (hundreds?) of listenings to remember note to note but are not suitable for whistle and are definitely not ITM. I don't want to wait years now! I've been "googling" but also choose to use the forum as more whistle related information is available so that I don't also have to learn how to adapt music from one instrument to another.Guinness wrote: Committing a tune to memory is not really difficult. Just listen to it over and over and over and over... I realized that I was able to pick up a lot of tunes relatively quickly after having listened to them for years but finally having a go at them on my instrument. T-r-u-s-t your memory.
"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
"All the world's a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." - Sean O'Casey
"All the world's a stage, and most of us are desperately unrehearsed." - Sean O'Casey
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Lance_Wallen
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My first tip would be to learn the notes in your native key. If you're using a D whistle that means the key of D
Key of D = 2 "sharps" in the key signature, F# and C#
The next key I would work in is G for obvious reasons, G only has 1 sharp (F) and the C becomes "natural" which is one of the many alternate fingerings you can find scattered about. Here's a quicky tutorial on major key signatures. There's an order to things...
You can determine the "key" based on how many flats or sharps are in the key signature, in proper music you'll never see a sharp and a flat in the same key signature (the area at the very beginning of the music).
note: think about a piano, there's no "black" key between B and C, or E and F, therefore a "E#" is technically an F and vice versa, an Fb is an E.
note2: the info below refers to "standard" key signatures in reference to diatonic scales, there are other scales but generally these are notated by writing in a standard key signature and using accidentals on the notes that differ from the standard "key". Accidentals are when a note is marked mid score with a sharp, flat, or natural symbol. Accidentals stay in effect for the remainder of a measure or until they're canceled by another accidental.
No sharps or flats is the key of C Maj.
Flats:
Flats are added to the key signature in a particular order, it will always be in this order if properly notated. Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb.
A key signature (KS for the remaining) with 1 flat is in the key of F Maj.
For each additional flat you look at the second to last flat in the KS and that's your key. (ex. 3 flats would mean you have Bb, Eb, and Ab in the KS, it would be the key of Eb Maj.)
Sharps:
Sharps also have an order in which they're added. It will always be: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#.
Anytime you have a sharp in the key signature you take the last sharp and go up one semitone (half step) to get the Major key. (ex. 4 sharps means you would have F#, C#, G#, and D# in the KS, a half step up from D# is E. You would be in the key of E Maj)
For all major keys (sharp or flat KS's) the minor key is the minor third of your major key. A minor third is a tone and a half down the scale.
So, G Maj, down a tone and a half is E min. A Maj down a tone and a half is F# min, etc.
That should be a good starter for how to recognize keys, if you want to talk the tempos, various other aspects of notation and "reading music" in general I'd take the advice the other folks have given and pick up a book or google like a madman, Wikipedia can be a great source for info as well.
Hope that helped some.
Key of D = 2 "sharps" in the key signature, F# and C#
The next key I would work in is G for obvious reasons, G only has 1 sharp (F) and the C becomes "natural" which is one of the many alternate fingerings you can find scattered about. Here's a quicky tutorial on major key signatures. There's an order to things...
You can determine the "key" based on how many flats or sharps are in the key signature, in proper music you'll never see a sharp and a flat in the same key signature (the area at the very beginning of the music).
note: think about a piano, there's no "black" key between B and C, or E and F, therefore a "E#" is technically an F and vice versa, an Fb is an E.
note2: the info below refers to "standard" key signatures in reference to diatonic scales, there are other scales but generally these are notated by writing in a standard key signature and using accidentals on the notes that differ from the standard "key". Accidentals are when a note is marked mid score with a sharp, flat, or natural symbol. Accidentals stay in effect for the remainder of a measure or until they're canceled by another accidental.
No sharps or flats is the key of C Maj.
Flats:
Flats are added to the key signature in a particular order, it will always be in this order if properly notated. Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb.
A key signature (KS for the remaining) with 1 flat is in the key of F Maj.
For each additional flat you look at the second to last flat in the KS and that's your key. (ex. 3 flats would mean you have Bb, Eb, and Ab in the KS, it would be the key of Eb Maj.)
Sharps:
Sharps also have an order in which they're added. It will always be: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#.
Anytime you have a sharp in the key signature you take the last sharp and go up one semitone (half step) to get the Major key. (ex. 4 sharps means you would have F#, C#, G#, and D# in the KS, a half step up from D# is E. You would be in the key of E Maj)
For all major keys (sharp or flat KS's) the minor key is the minor third of your major key. A minor third is a tone and a half down the scale.
So, G Maj, down a tone and a half is E min. A Maj down a tone and a half is F# min, etc.
That should be a good starter for how to recognize keys, if you want to talk the tempos, various other aspects of notation and "reading music" in general I'd take the advice the other folks have given and pick up a book or google like a madman, Wikipedia can be a great source for info as well.
Hope that helped some.
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pipersgrip
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This is a question that can be answered in an easy way, but it will take study on your part. A rule of thumb for tonal, diatonic music (not always true though) is to look at the first note (chord) and the last note (chord also) of a piece. As I said, this isn't always clear or true, but it's a good start. For instance, if a song is in G, but has no F# in the key sig, look at the fist measure (not the pickup note) Chances are in a simple music form the first few notes will outline a G (tonic) chord. This is bare bones and don't follow these rules! Confused yet? lol In music school, we study Bach, Beethoven and Mozart to learn the "rules" of chord progressions of what to do and NOT to do. If you live in a box, your mind will explode because the aforementioned composers often DO NOT use "rules" for chord progressions. The bitter irony is that you have a college professor nobody telling you the "rules" you shouldn't break by showing you the rules the legendary masters break all the time in composition. My head hurts now. 
I know this post didn't help much, but I would recommend studying music theory a bit to get a grasp on the basics. The more you play and study, the more you will be able to easily recognize what's going on in the music. You will eventually hear the changes and not even think about what chord it is. You will know.
I know this post didn't help much, but I would recommend studying music theory a bit to get a grasp on the basics. The more you play and study, the more you will be able to easily recognize what's going on in the music. You will eventually hear the changes and not even think about what chord it is. You will know.
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pancelticpiper
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When I came to Irish music from another style (that emphasised learning tunes from written music) I learned to, I suppose, use a different part of my brain, and learn tunes entirely by ear. I've found that, even after 30 years of playing Irish music, if I read a tune I have difficulty remembering it (the sheet music becoming a crutch) but if I learn it by ear I have the tune forever.
When I want to learn a tune I only have in sheet-music I make a recording of myself sight-reading the tune. I never look at the sheet-music again, but learn the tune by ear from the tape.
About keys in Irish music, they do not necessarily follow normal Western conventions. Irish wind instruments in D (flute, whistle, uilleann pipes) play nearly everything in either one or two sharps, the keys used being:
D major and mixolydian
E dorian and minor
G major and lydian
A dorian and mixolydian
B minor
C lydian
Obviously looking at the key signature is not a lot of help.
Also in Irish traditional music you have the concept of "inflection", where certain notes have a tendency to alternate between two pitches. On D instruments these notes are usually C/C# and F/F#. Sometimes these notes alternate so frequently in a tune, that one is at a loss to assign a particular key. These nuances are often lost in the playing of people not very familiar with the idiom.
Then there are tunes, or at least portions of tunes, which could be thought of as being in a number of different keys. A number of tunes have portions which dwell on B, and you'll hear guitarists playing G, E minor, and B minor chords, sometimes three guitarists playing all three at the same time! The tunes themselves are often harmonically vague and all those chords are equally plausible.
When I want to learn a tune I only have in sheet-music I make a recording of myself sight-reading the tune. I never look at the sheet-music again, but learn the tune by ear from the tape.
About keys in Irish music, they do not necessarily follow normal Western conventions. Irish wind instruments in D (flute, whistle, uilleann pipes) play nearly everything in either one or two sharps, the keys used being:
D major and mixolydian
E dorian and minor
G major and lydian
A dorian and mixolydian
B minor
C lydian
Obviously looking at the key signature is not a lot of help.
Also in Irish traditional music you have the concept of "inflection", where certain notes have a tendency to alternate between two pitches. On D instruments these notes are usually C/C# and F/F#. Sometimes these notes alternate so frequently in a tune, that one is at a loss to assign a particular key. These nuances are often lost in the playing of people not very familiar with the idiom.
Then there are tunes, or at least portions of tunes, which could be thought of as being in a number of different keys. A number of tunes have portions which dwell on B, and you'll hear guitarists playing G, E minor, and B minor chords, sometimes three guitarists playing all three at the same time! The tunes themselves are often harmonically vague and all those chords are equally plausible.
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crookedtune
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Interesting thread! I agree both with those who recommend learning to read music, and with those who recommend relying first on your ear.
I tend to learn from sheet music (after first hearing the tune played by others). I play through the tune using the sheet music for, maybe, eight or ten times. Then, I avert my eyes as I pick up pieces of it by memory. Within a few repetitions, I have (usually) been able to break away from the sheet music completely, and I close the book. Thereafter, the written notation becomes just a reference, in case I can't remember how a tune starts.
I tend to learn from sheet music (after first hearing the tune played by others). I play through the tune using the sheet music for, maybe, eight or ten times. Then, I avert my eyes as I pick up pieces of it by memory. Within a few repetitions, I have (usually) been able to break away from the sheet music completely, and I close the book. Thereafter, the written notation becomes just a reference, in case I can't remember how a tune starts.
Charlie Gravel
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.”
― Oscar Wilde
Get "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory" by Michael Miller. You can probably find a copy at your local Barnes and Nobles or other large bookstore. If they don't have it, they can order it, or you can get it online. It is a very clear, straightforward explanation of almost everything having to do with music. Best of all, the book assumes you know absolutely NOTHING at the beginning. You don't need to read the whole thing. I keep my copy as a reference book and look up topics when I need an answer.
The Walrus
What would a wild walrus whistle if a walrus could whistle wild?
The second mouse may get the cheese but the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
What would a wild walrus whistle if a walrus could whistle wild?
The second mouse may get the cheese but the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.
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MagicSailor
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When someone makes a request, I'm usually fine if I can just remember or be reminded of the first two bars. This goes for just about any piece of popular music whether I've ever played it on the whistle or not. Since the people I meet while cruising are not necessarily heavily into ITM, I have found myself playing anything from Rolling Stones to Abba on occasion.
Regards,
Owen Morgan
Yacht Magic
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My new blog.
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I've been seriously considering printing a "cheat sheet" with just the first two bars of each of the tunes I regularly play so I can bring that along rather than a big load of sheet music when I go visiting another yacht for an evening of music and good craic, or just keep it in my backpack with a whistle or two.crookedtune wrote:Thereafter, the written notation becomes just a reference, in case I can't remember how a tune starts.
When someone makes a request, I'm usually fine if I can just remember or be reminded of the first two bars. This goes for just about any piece of popular music whether I've ever played it on the whistle or not. Since the people I meet while cruising are not necessarily heavily into ITM, I have found myself playing anything from Rolling Stones to Abba on occasion.
Regards,
Owen Morgan
Yacht Magic
Anchored in the lagoon, St Maarten
My new blog.
Click here for my latest reported position. (Use the satellite view.)
Hear me playing at
http://www.wildvoice.com/MagicSailor/Posts
http://www.wildvoice.com/MagicSailor/Posts
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KatieBell
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I'm just a beginner (day 2!), so I might be really off base. However, fellow forum members recommended the below resources which I have found quite useful.
ABCNavigator 2 is freeware that will convert ABC notation to sheet music and vice-versa. You can print the sheet music generated from there.
Karaoke Tablature converts Midi files into graphic representations of which holes to cover. It has a little dot that moves with the notes playing and has a number of customizable features. You can speed up or slow down the playing, change the pitch and key, and turn up or down the volume on both the solo instrument and the background music. Each feature is independent of the others.
For someone starting like me without a relative base to build from, I'm finding this to be a fantastic tool. I've already memorized the notes and have turned that feature off, now only using the speed bar to play along faster. Once I get up to 100% I will turn off the solo instrument and just play with the background music.
ABCNavigator 2 is freeware that will convert ABC notation to sheet music and vice-versa. You can print the sheet music generated from there.
Karaoke Tablature converts Midi files into graphic representations of which holes to cover. It has a little dot that moves with the notes playing and has a number of customizable features. You can speed up or slow down the playing, change the pitch and key, and turn up or down the volume on both the solo instrument and the background music. Each feature is independent of the others.
For someone starting like me without a relative base to build from, I'm finding this to be a fantastic tool. I've already memorized the notes and have turned that feature off, now only using the speed bar to play along faster. Once I get up to 100% I will turn off the solo instrument and just play with the background music.
To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions. -Keen
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MagicSailor
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Hi
Regards,
Owen Morgan
Yacht Magic
Anchored in the lagoon, St Maarten
My new blog.
Click here for my latest reported position. (Use the satellite view.)
Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I've been able to read sheet music since I was seven, but hadn't even heard of ABC until very recently.KatieBell wrote:ABCNavigator 2 is freeware that will convert ABC notation to sheet music and vice-versa. You can print the sheet music generated from there.
I downloaded this last week hoping it would help me learn to play the Puny Tunes whistle. However, for my application it has a serious disadvantage. I was hoping it would show the sheet music and the graphic representation of the keyholes together. The Puny Tunes whistle is a four holed ocharina, and what I need is simply to get the fingering for this instrument programmed into my mind. Well, it came to naught anyway as it turned out the four holed ocharina represented in Karaoke Tablature has different fingering from the Puny Tunes whistle.Karaoke Tablature converts Midi files into graphic representations of which holes to cover.
Regards,
Owen Morgan
Yacht Magic
Anchored in the lagoon, St Maarten
My new blog.
Click here for my latest reported position. (Use the satellite view.)
Hear me playing at
http://www.wildvoice.com/MagicSailor/Posts
http://www.wildvoice.com/MagicSailor/Posts
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KatieBell
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Owen,
I don't remember the page I found it on, but I'm sure a google search will bring it up. There was an entire list of ABC notation softwares, each customized for various features and options. You can choose what's most important to you and choose the program that fits it.
I don't remember the page I found it on, but I'm sure a google search will bring it up. There was an entire list of ABC notation softwares, each customized for various features and options. You can choose what's most important to you and choose the program that fits it.
To be on a quest is nothing more or less than to become an asker of questions. -Keen