The information below is some of the information required to complete the Step Three exams.
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Treble clef means to play with your right hand in the high part of the piano |
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Bass clef means to play with your left hand in the low part of the piano |
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Bracket or brace means to play with both hands on the piano |
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Bar line separates beats into a bar |
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Repeat sign means to repeate either from the start of the piece of music or to repeat the notes between two repeat signs |
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Double bar line ends the piece of music |
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A sharp raises the the note up by a semitone (little step or half step) |
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A flat lowers the note down by a semitone (little step or half step) |
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Crotchet or quarter note means you hold the note down for one beat. |
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Dotted Crotchet means you hold the note down for one and a half beats. |
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Minim or half note means you hold the note down for two beats. |
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Dotted minim means you hold the note for three beats |
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Semibreve or whole note means you hold the note down for four beats. |
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Quaver or eighth notes mean you hold the note down for half a beat. = 1/2 But when you put two halves together you get a whole beat.  = |
| Example of beats in a bar |  |
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Time signature tells you how many beats in a bar and what kind of beats |
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Top – How many beats in a bar (4)
Bottom – How the beats are measured (counted in crotchets |
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Simple Quadruple, 4 crotchet beats per bar |
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Simple triple, 3 crotchet beats per bar |
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Simple Duple, 2 crotchet beats per bar |
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Common time, another way of saying 4 beats in a bar. |
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Compound Duple, 6 quaver beats in a bar or 2 dotted crotchets. Because 6 is a higher number than 2 or 3 it can be divided by 2.
Instead of counting 1 2 3 4 5 6 it is easier to count to 2 |
| Example of counting |
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Staccato dot means to play short and sharp or detached |
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An accent means to bring out the note more (play it harder) |
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The 5 lines and 4 spaces is called a stave. |
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Fermata – Hold Note for longer |