Grade Two Music Theory Lesson 2: Treble Clef & Bass Clef
What's New in Music Theory Grade Two
Hopefully you don't have too much difficulty working out where the notes are in treble and bass clef, but if you need to do some revision, check the Grade One lesson on treble and bass clefs.
In Grade Two Music Theory you need to be able to rewrite a melody in a new clef - from treble to bass or from bass to treble, without changing the pitch of the music.
Pitch
What is pitch? The pitch of a note means how high or low it is. We have many notes called "C", for example. Listen to these three Cs - they are all at different pitches:
On the other hand, these two Cs are at the same pitch although they are written in different clefs:
In the same way, the notes in each of these melodies are also at the same pitch although they are in a different clef:
Rewriting in a New Clef
Let's look at the kind of questions you might get in the Grade Two Music Theory Exam: the question could ask you to rewrite single notes with a new clef, or to rewrite a whole melody. Here's a question asking you to rewrite the whole melody:
Rewrite this melody in the treble clef, keeping the pitch the same. The first two notes are given.
You need to write the correct notes of course, but also make sure your handwritten music is neat! Copy each note into its new position right underneath the original melody - that way you'll make sure your notes are spaced correctly, and it's also easier to check that you haven't missed a note out by mistake!
Another useful tip is to write the last note first. Work this note out very carefully, and write it on your blank stave. If you make a small mistake in the middle of the melody, you will notice it more easily when you get to the end if things don't match up.
So, first, we'll put the last note in. It's the G below middle C:
Now, start from the beginning. You don't need to spend time working out every note - just look at the general pattern. For example, for each note just say to yourself "next line up" or "2 spaces down" and so on.
When you have groups of quavers (eighth notes) or semiquavers (sixteenth notes), draw all the note heads in each group first. Next draw the first and last stems in each group, and finally add the beams and any other stems - and use a ruler! Pay attention to the direction of the stems - notes below the middle line have stems pointing upwards, and notes below the middle line should have stems pointing downwards.
