I use iGoogle mostly for the calendar feature, but I've enabled several of the other features, including a daily "How-to." Today, we learn how to read music and how to save money (the two are, in many cases, closely related skills). My favorite, from a few weeks back was How to fold a towel monkey.
So in my effort to review things about music that the general public may happen across, I offer my review of WikiHow's How to read music.
The introduction makes a compelling case for learning how to read music:
The site thus does not claim to be comprehensive, although the listing of clefs, the first item to be mastered, suggests otherwise. I certainly agree that the treble and bass are the two most common, and the author(s) explain their function clearly, but why scare the beginner away by listing eight additional clefs? It is possible to go through one's entire musical career without knowing how to read C clefs, and in all of my years of teaching, researching, and performing, I've yet to come across the "French" clef or the "Sub-bass" clef. I would say keep it simple: introduce treble and bass clef, and mention how the C-clef works.
I do like their discussion of key signature: it avoids the traditional pitfall of "Four flats = A-flat major." Rather, the author(s) simply state that the key signature tells you which notes need to be altered. The graphics suggest that each key signature can represent two possible keys. (I presume that a discussion of scale and key is beyond the intended scope of the article, and that's fine.)
Section 5 runs into problems created by a friction between the graphics and the prose. The first graphic shows the whole note with a value of 1, but the accompanying prose says that it is worth four beats. This is easy enough to figure out, but the author(s) could have saved the reader some work here. I will take issue with the assertion that "when there are 4 beats per measure (as in 4/4 time) the whole note is worth 4 beats, while in 3/4 time, which has 3 beats per measure, the whole note is worth 3 beats." Whole notes are never used in measures of 3/4; and the bit that follows about irregular time signatures is even more misleading.
By far my favorite part of this essay is the description of the eighth rest:
I will never, never forget what an eighth rest looks like.
The discussion of dotting is somewhat muddy. When they discuss dotting a quarter note, they suggest holding it for "3/4 the duration of a note," but they don't specify which note. 3/4 the length of a quarter note would obviously make it shorter than a quarter note; 3/2 the length of a quarter note is more accurate.
The section on slurs is a bit unclear, particularly in reference to the accompanying image. The authors should distinguish between slurs and ties, and within slurs, distinguish between "phrasing" slurs (such as those found in much woodwind and vocal music) and more general articulation slurs. Introducing ties is important, particularly in reading popular music that features syncopation so prominently, and it would make explaining dots much easier.
The author(s) do include some interesting tidbits that one might not expect in a basic how to read music article, like multi-measure rests, staccato, and the like. They also advocate using a metronome to practice the material, which is also a great idea.
Overall, the article is well intentioned, but confusing in some places, overly arcane in others, and in a few cases completely wrong. I would not send a student to this site without issuing a strong caution.
So in my effort to review things about music that the general public may happen across, I offer my review of WikiHow's How to read music.
The introduction makes a compelling case for learning how to read music:
It's certainly possible to play music without being able to read it, just as it's possible to be able to speak without being able to read or write. In both cases, the person who cannot read or write is missing out on an opportunity to comprehend and communicate better. Learning to read sheet music can improve your grasp of music theory, enable you to play music you've never heard before, and allow you to more easily relate your musical ideas to others. The skill can take a while to master, but the basics are laid out for you here.
The site thus does not claim to be comprehensive, although the listing of clefs, the first item to be mastered, suggests otherwise. I certainly agree that the treble and bass are the two most common, and the author(s) explain their function clearly, but why scare the beginner away by listing eight additional clefs? It is possible to go through one's entire musical career without knowing how to read C clefs, and in all of my years of teaching, researching, and performing, I've yet to come across the "French" clef or the "Sub-bass" clef. I would say keep it simple: introduce treble and bass clef, and mention how the C-clef works.
I do like their discussion of key signature: it avoids the traditional pitfall of "Four flats = A-flat major." Rather, the author(s) simply state that the key signature tells you which notes need to be altered. The graphics suggest that each key signature can represent two possible keys. (I presume that a discussion of scale and key is beyond the intended scope of the article, and that's fine.)
Section 5 runs into problems created by a friction between the graphics and the prose. The first graphic shows the whole note with a value of 1, but the accompanying prose says that it is worth four beats. This is easy enough to figure out, but the author(s) could have saved the reader some work here. I will take issue with the assertion that "when there are 4 beats per measure (as in 4/4 time) the whole note is worth 4 beats, while in 3/4 time, which has 3 beats per measure, the whole note is worth 3 beats." Whole notes are never used in measures of 3/4; and the bit that follows about irregular time signatures is even more misleading.
By far my favorite part of this essay is the description of the eighth rest:
Eighth rests look a little like a leaning stick figure person cut in half vertically and holding his head in his outstretched hand. Or like a stylized number 7 with some kind of growth--hopefully it's benign--on its top left end. They are worth the same duration as an eighth note. The one in this picture is actually a sixteenth note, therefore having two bars on the top.
I will never, never forget what an eighth rest looks like.
The discussion of dotting is somewhat muddy. When they discuss dotting a quarter note, they suggest holding it for "3/4 the duration of a note," but they don't specify which note. 3/4 the length of a quarter note would obviously make it shorter than a quarter note; 3/2 the length of a quarter note is more accurate.
The section on slurs is a bit unclear, particularly in reference to the accompanying image. The authors should distinguish between slurs and ties, and within slurs, distinguish between "phrasing" slurs (such as those found in much woodwind and vocal music) and more general articulation slurs. Introducing ties is important, particularly in reading popular music that features syncopation so prominently, and it would make explaining dots much easier.
The author(s) do include some interesting tidbits that one might not expect in a basic how to read music article, like multi-measure rests, staccato, and the like. They also advocate using a metronome to practice the material, which is also a great idea.
Overall, the article is well intentioned, but confusing in some places, overly arcane in others, and in a few cases completely wrong. I would not send a student to this site without issuing a strong caution.