Learning Music Notation

Find out how to notate pitch duration, time signature, scale, rhythm, and chord progressions and produce easy-to-read sheet music that clearly expresses your musical ideas.

Introduction

• Welcome

1. Notating Pitch

• The staff: Background and purpose
• Treble clef
• Bass clef
• Grand staff
• Percussion and the neutral clef
• C clefs
• Which clefs should I know?

2. Notating Duration and Rhythm

• Whole, half, and quarter notes
• Stems
• Time signatures and bar lines
• Whole, half, and quarter rests
• 8th and 16th notes
• 8th and 16th note rests
• Dots and ties
• Tuplets: Triplets and more
• Time signatures II

3. Modifying Pitch and Scales

• Accidentals
• Scales and intervals
• Minor scales
• Key signatures and key changes
• The circle of 5ths

4. Communicating Expression

• Dynamics
• Real-time dynamic change
• Tempo and style markings
• Tempo change
• Performance instructions
• Articulations
• Expression and articulation example

5. Notating Form

• Rehearsal marks, numbers, and barlines
• Measure repeats
• Repeat barlines
• DC and DS repeats

6. Notating Chords and Chord Progressions

• Chord basics
• Notating chord symbols
• Inversions, slash chords, and polychords
• Nashville Number System

7. Slash and Rhythmic Notation

• Slash notation
• Rhythmic notation
• Alternate noteheads

8. Vocal Music and Lyrics

• Notating vocal music
• Notating lyrics
• Vocal and lyric examples

9. Score and Part Formatting

• Score setup: Page basics
• Score setup: Spacing
• Score setup: Transposing instruments
• Part setup

10. Notation Examples

• Piano parts
• Guitar part
• Drum part
• Score
• Lead sheet

Conclusion

• Next steps