3. From Dark Ages to Oddly Shaped Pearl

- 3. From Dark Ages to Oddly Shaped Pearl
- HISTORY
- MUSIC THEORY
  - "Solfeggio"
  - Voices & Instruments
- DANCING
- SCALE-UP ACTIVITIES

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# "Solfeggio"

## Time signature: 4/4

The bar that is used in these scores is 4/4. As we saw in the previous unit, the numerator indicates number of beats ( 4), whereas the denominator indicates the note.

In this score it is 4 (the quarter note is the note that indicates the beat).

So, the bar 4/4 means that in each bar there are 4 quarter notes.
Check in these scores!

In order to read any score, you must remember that 4/4 is done like this:

## Accidentals

Do you remember the accidentals? They are signs that modify the height of the notes.

There are 3 different types (listen to the audios to understand it better):

- Sharp (#): it raises the sound half tone.

audio/mpeg

- Flat (b): it lowers the sound half tone.
  audio/mpeg
- Natural sign ( ): it nullifies the sharp and the flat.

There are different types of accidentals:

- Key Signature: they appear at the beginning of the song, between the clef and the bar, and they affect the whole score.

- Accidentals: they appear in the middle of the score and they only affect the note they precede and all the rest that are the same and are located in the same bar.

In the Renaissance score there is one of them, do you know how it is called?

## About time signature and accidentals

Read the paragraph below and fill in the missing words.

A bar is represented by a Cloze (1): JXUwMDNlJXUwMDE0JXUwMDEzJXUwMDAyJXUwMDE3JXUwMDFkJXUwMDA2JXUwMDAx , and as such it has two elements, the Cloze (2): JXUwMDM2JXUwMDFiJXUwMDE4JXUwMDA4JXUwMDE3JXUwMDEzJXUwMDE1JXUwMDFiJXUwMDFk and the denominator.

The numerator indicates the Cloze (3): JXUwMDM2JXUwMDFiJXUwMDE4JXUwMDBmJXUwMDA3JXUwMDE3 of notes, whereas the Cloze (4): JXUwMDNjJXUwMDAxJXUwMDBiJXUwMDAxJXUwMDAyJXUwMDA0JXUwMDA3JXUwMDBmJXUwMDE1JXUw MDFiJXUwMDFk indicates the note that is used.

4/4 is made up of Cloze (5): JXUwMDNlJXUwMDA5JXUwMDFhJXUwMDA3 quarter notes or one Cloze (6): JXUwMDJmJXUwMDFmJXUwMDA3JXUwMDAzJXUwMDA5JXUwMDQ1JXUwMDRlJXUwMDAxJXUwMDFiJXUw MDEx , whereas the ¾ has three Cloze (7): JXUwMDI5JXUwMDA0JXUwMDE0JXUwMDEzJXUwMDA2JXUwMDExJXUwMDE3JXUwMDUyJXUwMDRlJXUw MDAxJXUwMDFiJXUwMDExJXUwMDE2 or a Cloze (8): JXUwMDNjJXUwMDBiJXUwMDFiJXUwMDAwJXUwMDExJXUwMDAx half note.

2/2 is made up of Cloze (9): JXUwMDJjJXUwMDAzJXUwMDE4 half notes. 2/8 has two Cloze (10): JXUwMDNkJXUwMDBjJXUwMDBlJXUwMDBmJXUwMDFjJXUwMDFjJXUwMDQ4JXUwMDRlJXUwMDAxJXUw MDFiJXUwMDExJXUwMDE2 .

If a bar is made up of two half notes it will be a Cloze (11): JXUwMDZhJXUwMDFkJXUwMDFk or 4/4.

Two quarter note rests will fill a Cloze (12): JXUwMDZhJXUwMDFkJXUwMDFi bar.

Accidentals are signs that modify the Cloze (13): JXUwMDMwJXUwMDBkJXUwMDBjJXUwMDBlJXUwMDBmJXUwMDFj of the notes. They are the Cloze (14): JXUwMDJiJXUwMDFiJXUwMDA5JXUwMDEzJXUwMDAy , Cloze (15): JXUwMDNlJXUwMDBhJXUwMDBkJXUwMDE1 and Cloze (16): JXUwMDM2JXUwMDBmJXUwMDE1JXUwMDAxJXUwMDA3JXUwMDEzJXUwMDBk sign.

The natural sign nullifies the other two.

The Cloze (17): JXUwMDMzJXUwMDBlJXUwMDFjJXUwMDU5JXUwMDUzJXUwMDFhJXUwMDBlJXUwMDA5JXUwMDBmJXUw MDE1JXUwMDAxJXUwMDA3JXUwMDE3 affect the whole score, whereas accidentals only the same notes in the same Cloze (18): JXUwMDNhJXUwMDAzJXUwMDEz .

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## The tie and the slur

As its name indicates, it is a musical sign that is used to join two or more sounds. There are two types:

- Tie: it joins two equal sounds.

- Slur: it joins two or more different sounds, and it is used to avoid the musical phrases to be cut.

The ones that appear in Middle Age and Renaissance scores are ties, and they allow a sound to be joined to another with the same name and height.

Do you know how to do it?

## True-False Question

Listen to the audios before answering:

### Question 1

1. audio/mpeg

True False

#### Feedback

False

### Question 2

2.

True False

#### Feedback

True

### Question 3

3. audio/mpeg

True False

#### Feedback

True

### Question 4

4.

True False

#### Feedback

False

It is a slur.

### Question 5

5.

True False

#### Feedback

False

### Question 6

6. audio/mpeg

True False

#### Feedback

True

### Question 7

7.

True False

#### Feedback

True

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