Learning to Play Pieces Using the Treble Clef

[Tommie Hoffman]

When you play an instrument you learn to read and play notes using the
treble clef as in the flute, violin, clarinet, trumpet or bass clef as
in the bassoon, double bass or both as in the piano. This article is
about learning to play pieces using the treble clef.
When you learn an instrument you learn:
1. musical notation
2. reading the notes and rests
3. how to play the notes on the chosen instrument
The following consists of those topics in more detail
1. Basic Notation
Treble Clef: This is the sign at the beginning of each line of the
piece of music.
Stave: This is the five horizontal lines which the music is written
on.
Barlines: These are the vertical lines seen on the stave.
Double Barline: This consists of two vertical lines to signify the end
of a piece.
Bar: This is the piece of music between two barlines.
Time Signature: This consists of the two numbers, one underneath the
other, found after the clef sign eg treble clef telling you how many
beats there are in a bar.
Key Signature: This is a 'signature' of flats or sharps or nothing,
found between the clef sign and time signature, telling you what key
the piece of music is in. There are 12 major and 12 minor keys. Each
major key has a minor key with the same key signature eg a piece with
one sharp as the key signature can be in G major or D minor. You learn
to remember what the key name is.
2. Reading The Notes On The Page
A note is the sign to tell you what sound to play and how long to play
it. They are oval shaped with or without tail(s).
The Sound:
There are line notes and space notes. Line notes are formed such that
the line falls in the middle of the note. Space notes are placed
between two lines such that they are touching the lines.
When you learn to read and play the notes there is a lot of repetition
starting with rows of one note and then two notes and then three and
more notes. The repetition helps you remember the position of the
notes on the stave, the note lengths and the quality of note on the
chosen instrument (if it is not the piano).
To help remember the notes you can use the following as a guide:
Space Notes: The four space notes from the bottom up spell the word F
A C E
Line Notes: You form a sentence and use the first letter of each word
to give you the note names from the lowest line note upwards. A common
example of a sentence is "Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit" for the notes
E G B D F
The Note Length:
Notes are held on for different lengths. When you first learn an
instrument you start off with the 1, 2, 4 count or beat note, then the
3 and 1/2 count note followed by more dotted shorter count notes.
The following is a basic list of the note names and note time lengths
in order of the time length. I am calling count and beat the same
thing.
quaver: 1/2 beat
crotchet: 1 beat
dotted crotchet: 1 1/2 beats
minim: 2 beats
dotted minim: 3 beats
semibreve: 4 beats
Reading The Rests On The Page:
In music there are times you do not play and this is indicated by rest
signs. There are rest lengths equivalent to the note lengths and they
are written on a particular place on the stave depending on what the
time length is. They each look different and you learn and remember
them from repetition.
3. How To Play The Notes On The Chosen Instrument:
You will need to follow the guidance of a tutor book yourself, a
teacher, or the internet.
You will play exercises and pieces, step by step, to help you master
basic notation, reading the notes and rests and mastering the sound
for the chosen instrument. E.G. to play B A G pieces ie pieces using
the notes B A G you will play:
~ rows of B, rows of A, rows of G
~ rows of two notes eg BA BA BA BA; AG AG AG AG ; etc
~ variations of the three notes
You can play notes without music (for sound), with music (learning
treble clef reading) and with varying time lengths without and with
music.
There is a lot to learn and it is better to play SLOWLY for accuracy
when first learning a piece. The appropriate speed will follow.
The main ingredient for playing pieces using the treble clef are the
three P's: Play, Play, Play.

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