Unit 1: Music Fundamentals I: Pitch, Major Scales and Key Signatures, Rhythm, Meter, and Expressive Elements

Pitch

The perceived “highness” or “lowness” of a sound; physically related to frequency and notated by staff position plus clef (and register).

Musical alphabet

The repeating sequence of letter names used in Western music: A B C D E F G, then back to A.

Staff

Five horizontal lines and four spaces on which notes are written; higher placement indicates higher pitch.

Clef

A symbol at the beginning of a staff that assigns specific pitch meanings to the lines and spaces.

Treble clef (G clef)

Clef that places G on the second line of the staff; used for higher registers.

Bass clef (F clef)

Clef that places F on the fourth line of the staff; used for lower registers.

Grand staff

Two staves used together—treble clef on top and bass clef on bottom (common in piano/theory examples).

Ledger lines

Short extra lines above or below the staff used to notate pitches beyond the five-line staff.

Accidental

A symbol that temporarily alters a pitch by semitone (half-step) increments.

Sharp (♯)

An accidental that raises a pitch by one half step.

Flat (♭)

An accidental that lowers a pitch by one half step.

Natural (♮)

An accidental that cancels a sharp or flat, returning the pitch to its natural letter-name form.

Double sharp (𝄪)

An accidental that raises a pitch by two half steps.

Double flat (𝄫)

An accidental that lowers a pitch by two half steps.

Accidental scope (standard practice)

An accidental applies for the rest of the measure to notes of the same letter name in the same octave; it does not automatically carry to other octaves or into the next measure.

Enharmonic equivalents

Notes that sound the same in equal temperament but are spelled differently (spelling matters because it shows musical function).

Interval

The distance between two pitches.

Melodic interval

An interval in which the two pitches are heard one after the other.

Harmonic interval

An interval in which the two pitches are heard at the same time.

Interval quantity

The numeric size of an interval, found by counting letter names from the lower note to the higher note (inclusive).

Interval quality

The type of interval (perfect, major, minor, augmented, diminished) that specifies the exact semitone size for a given quantity.

Perfect interval family

The interval quantities that are classified as perfect in their basic form: 1 (unison), 4, 5, and 8 (octave).

Major interval family

The interval quantities that can be major or minor: 2, 3, 6, and 7.

Minor interval

An interval that is one half step smaller than the corresponding major interval of the same quantity.

Augmented interval

An interval that is one half step larger than a major or perfect interval without changing the letter names.

Diminished interval

An interval that is one half step smaller than a perfect interval or one half step smaller than a minor interval (same letter names).

Major scale

A seven-note scale defined by a specific pattern of whole steps and half steps; foundational for keys, key signatures, and harmony.

Major scale step pattern

The whole-step/half-step pattern that defines a major scale: W–W–H–W–W–W–H.

Scale degree

A numbered position (1–7) of a note within a scale, used to describe function.

Tonic

Scale degree 1; the “home” pitch and tonal center of a key.

Dominant

Scale degree 5; a function that strongly pulls toward the tonic.

Leading tone

Scale degree 7 in major; a half step below tonic with a strong tendency to resolve upward to tonic.

Movable-do solfège

A solfège system where Do is the tonic of the current key (Do–Re–Mi–Fa–Sol–La–Ti–Do in major).

Key

A tonal “home base” organized around a tonic pitch.

Key signature

Sharps or flats written between the clef and time signature that indicate which letter names are altered by default throughout the piece (until changed).

Order of sharps

The fixed sequence in which sharps are added in key signatures: F C G D A E B.

Order of flats

The fixed sequence in which flats are added in key signatures: B E A D G C F.

Sharp-key identification (last sharp rule)

For a key signature with sharps, the major tonic is one half step above the last sharp.

Flat-key identification (second-to-last flat rule)

For a key signature with flats, the major tonic is usually the second-to-last flat; the exception is one flat (B♭), which indicates F major.

Circle of fifths

A map of keys arranged by perfect fifths: clockwise adds sharps; counterclockwise adds flats; nearby keys are closely related.

Beat

The steady underlying pulse in music (the pulse you might tap your foot to).

Tempo

The speed of the beat (how fast the pulse moves).

Note values

Symbols for proportional durations (whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, etc.), where each smaller value typically halves the previous one.

Dot (dotted note)

A dot after a note adds half of the note’s original value to its duration (e.g., dotted quarter = quarter + eighth).

Tie

A curved line connecting two or more notes of the same pitch to combine their durations into one sustained sound (unlike a slur, which connects different pitches).

Time signature

Two numbers indicating how music is grouped: the top shows how many units are in each measure, and the bottom shows what note value is the basic unit counted.

Simple meter

Meter in which each beat divides naturally into two equal parts (e.g., 2/4, 3/4, 4/4).

Compound meter

Meter in which each beat divides naturally into three equal parts; the written time signature often shows subdivisions (e.g., 6/8 typically feels like 2 beats, each subdivided into three eighths).

Dynamics

Markings that indicate relative loudness/intensity (e.g., p, mf, f, ff), understood contextually rather than as fixed volumes.

Articulation

Markings that describe how notes are attacked and released and how they connect (e.g., staccato, legato, accent, marcato, tenuto).