Music Theory

Had a great question on th elatest blog, http://spytunes.com/music-theory/the-stave-and-the-clef

Can I have the TAB please?

Well, that’s what sight reading is all about, how are you going to fret this!

More on this later in the music theory blog series, attached is an sheet with a few ideas of how you could play this.

As you can see, there are several options, I’ve listed only a few, the question is: how many can you find?

The more the better!

To attempt this is a really, really good sight reading exercise.

The series aspiring reader do this in more keys than C major…

the-range-of-the-guitar-tab-ideas.png

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and the more i think about it i can’t explain why the last note on the bottom line is an E and the last space on top is and E,
i just know it’s so but i can’t explain why, one would think that the same note would be the same on all the same lines not switching around from spaces to lines all the while………………………………

So when you build chords, let’s do C you start below the stave on a line.

Next note is an E, still on a line, G, on a line, B, on a line.

Next up is the C, the octave, on a gap.

But if you wanna build bigger chords you just keep going on the lines, so no C instead it’s a D, on a line, this is the 9th.

next up, still on a line is an F, the 11, next finally an A, the 13.

All chords natural extensions are built like this, either all on a line or only in gaps.

More on this in the music theory book chapter 12

About the 5 lines and spaces, gu alluded to it on the blog I think.

Here’s where history comes in .

Back in the 10th and 11th centuries a monk started using his hand ( held sideways ) to represent the notes he wanted the singers to execute. Low and behold, looking at your hand, 5 fingers = 5 lines and the gaps between fingers = the spaces.

At this time in history, the music in the monastery was mostly vocal, and people used limited ranges according to the asthetics and values at the time.

It is this finger staff, which began to be written down became the basis for the staff used today.

http://www.longwood.edu/staff/swansoncl/Sightsinging/GUIDO%20AREZZO.htm

Like our numerical system being based around the number ten ( probably because we have 10 fingers ), the staff started in the same place.

Later they added lines to the staff as people started singing in greater ranges and instruments were used.

But 15 lines was hard to read so someone decided to rub the middle one out to make it ‘easier’ to read.

For this kind of context helps. I hope it helps you too!

P.s. I think this monk in the end used his hand for more than 11 notes, more like 20. Check him out on the Internet.

I heard 15 lines was the number at one point, but it is certai ly more now.

In short, the range of the instruments expanded, so the staff had to expand with it.

One way to look at the staff is like this (keeping in mind the history)

The first ledger line below the treble clef is the same note the first ledger line above the bass clef. Think of this as where the staff once met but with the middle line ‘rubbed out’ and replaced by a ledger line.

This is called middle C and is the middle note on the piano. If you write this out, you can see that the notes are just a continuation in each direction.

Although the staff came before the piano, I have a sneaking suspicion that the use of clefs particularly treb and bass came from splitting the piano down the middle.

Because some instruments are capable of lower notes than the bass clef, u use the appropriate number ledge lines below. Same for the treble clef. The top notes on the piano for example extend higher than the clef and you need to use ledger lines.

Instruments evolved and started to use different ranges, so other clefs came to be in use, only to make it easier for those Musicans to read on their instrument. Their are treble, alto, soprano, tennot and other clefs! Remember that in the beginning, we were talking about the range of the human voice, because music performed in the church was choir based.

If a wiz bang new instrument came along, exceeding previusly known ranges, the ledger lines would have to be extended, or someone might create a new clef.

But we are to an extent limited by the natural hearing range and what is common/useful for the purpose of music making.

great information, don’t rush :>) as i’ll need a lifetime to digest what you just wrote :>) “>)

i can see that this is a very extensive topic so i suggest just keeping it to the guitar and how it applies to the guitar, no need to study and learn how the stave works for other instruments when i don’t know how it works for guitar yet ! !

Yes, totally agree.

No I won’t complicate it for you any further.

But I made this graphic for you.

Ditto on nice!