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music theory

How to Count 8th Notes and 16th Notes

Categories Classical Music Music in General Music Practice Piano Theory

Music needs different kinds of note values to have different kinds of rhythms. Combining a variety of different note values provides a wealth of options for different rhythms, and knowing how to count these different note values is an essential skill for musicians hoping to improve their rhythmic understanding.  Larger note values (such as whole notes, half notes, and quarter notes) can be quite simple to count, while smaller note values (such as 8th notes and 16th notes) can be more challenging, and require a bit more experience. In this article we’ll give you a short and clear method for … Read more

The Difference Between Dots in Music

Categories Classical Music Music in General Music Practice Theory

Musical language possesses a variety of different dots that work in a variety of different ways. Some dots are related to the specific lengths of notes values, while others have to do with how notes are articulated. Knowing the distinction between the function and appearance of different dots is a common source of confusion. In this article we’ll briefly introduce and explain the different kinds of dots you might encounter in music.  Staccato Dots and Augmentation Dots Above you see two notes with two different kinds of dots attached to them: one is a staccato dot, and the other is … Read more

What are Tuplets?

Categories Music in General Music Practice Piano

Rhythm is one of the most essential features governing how music sounds. Rhythmic variety creates depth and excitement in music, and many styles and genres of music are at least partially defined by the specific rhythms they use. To quickly review rhythms – rhythms are a combination of two things: the beat and note values. The beat is the constant pulse that underlays the majority of the world’s music, and note values are the different lengths of notes that are joined to create different rhythms against that beat. The most common note values we usually consider (whole notes, half notes, … Read more

What are Key Signatures?

Categories Music in General Music Practice Piano Theory

Key signatures are some of the most commonly encountered elements of music notation. They are frequently used in western notated music, and even music beginners will probably come across them early in the music learning process.   But what exactly are key signatures? Despite their prevalence, key signatures can be strangely difficult to understand for beginners. In this article we’ll explain what key signatures are, where they’re found, and how to most easily think about what they do. Where are Key Signatures, and What do they Mean? Key signatures are collections of accidentals that show up at the beginnings of pieces … Read more