yo u...

A hummed tune is a melody. Tap your foot y to

a
regularly and you’ve got a rhythm. These ir thd
yb you...
pp thday to
are both ingredients of music. There are Ha y bir
Happ
seven main ingredients that can be put
together in different ways, either
all together or a few at a time.

SEVEN
E D I E N T S
INGR
RHYTHM
Can you feel your heart
beating? This regular
beat is a pulse. The pulse
of music is called DYNAMICS Scales
A melody can come
rhythm. Musicians from a musical scale,
The volume of music is which is a set collection
need to know the
called dynamics. Music of notes.
rhythm to play in
can have loud sections,
time with one
quiet sections, or even
another.
complete silence.
MELODY
A single musical sound is called a
note. It might be sung or played on
an instrument. Putting notes in an
order creates a melody. Often, the
QUIET melody is the memorable part of
a song, known as the hook.

Keep the beat LOUD

Rhythm is made up of beats.
When you tap or stomp your foot Amplitude
to music you are “keeping Sound travels in waves.
the beat,” or following the The louder the sound, the taller the
rhythm of the music. wave. We call this the amplitude.
8
 FORM Repetition
When writing music, musicians decide The song Happy
how to structure it, or give it form. The Birthday repeats
piece could have repeated sections, the same line,
but with slightly
Happ such as verses and choruses. Or, it different notes
y bir might have no repetition at all!
thda each time.
y de
ar r
ead
er..
.

TEXTURE Happy
bir thday to you!
Music is often made up of multiple instruments
playing at the same time. This creates texture.
TIMBRE Each instrument creates a layer, such as
a guitar melody.
The same note can be played
using a recorder or a trumpet—but Clarinet
it sounds different. Each instrument has Orchestra
a unique quality to it. This is called the The instruments in an
instrument’s timbre. orchestra create texture
through multiple melodies Flute
and harmonies.

Recorder

Trumpet

Saxophone
HARMONY
More than one note played Material difference
at the same time creates a The material an
harmony. Harmonies can instrument is made from,
such as brass or plastic,
make music sound happy, affects the timbre.
sad, or scary—and everything
in between.

Experiment
ing
In the piec
e 4:33, by
nothing for John Cage
4 minutes , musician
this uses n and 33 seco s play
o ingredien nds. It seem
dynamics o ts at all! Ho s like
f silence, a we
Choirs nd its length ver, it uses the
A choir is made up of people gives it a fo
rm.
singing different notes to build
beautiful harmonies.
9
 THE
Music has its own alphabet of letters, called
notes. They can be high or low, and we put them

A L
together to make tunes. Learn the notes by

M U S I C playing your very own multicolored paper piano!

ALPHABET
SHARPS AND FLATS
You can sharpen a note, which means
INTERVALS
make it higher in pitch, using a sharp The movement from one note to

NOTES accidental. To flatten a note, which

means to lower the pitch, use a flat
another in a scale is called an
interval. This movement can be
accidental. Accidental notes are a large jump across many
There are seven musical notes.
generally found on the black keys. notes, or a small jump to
They are named after the first
seven letters of the alphabet— the next note.
A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
This symbol This is an
means the This symbol interval of
note is sharp. means the five notes,
note is flat. or a fifth.

C D F G A C D F G A
D E G A B D E G A B

E F G A B
C D E F G A B C D 1 2 3 4 5
12
 Happy birthday
Can you “play” Happy Birthday on
the piano? Here are the notes!

l—neither fat nor sha

n atura
o n a
rp—not
es L E E E E O I
The piano a G G A G C B
re usually white. Hap-py birth-day to you

L EG GE AE GE DO C
I
WHOLE AND Hap-py birth-day to you

HALF STEPS L
_
E E O O O O E
Moving one note at a time is known G G G E C B A
as a half step, or a semitone Hap-py birth-day to...............
interval. Moving two notes
OCTAVES
O O O I 9
is known as a whole step, E E
or a tone. There are eight natural notes L
in an octave, which are repeated F F E C D C
all the way up the piano Hap-py birth-day to you!
keyboard. The octaves get
Moving from Moving higher as you move from
from D Two notes that
C to C# is a left to right. Add the
half step. to E is a share the same name here!
whole step. pitch, such as F#
and G", are called
enharmonic notes. The notes B to C and E
to F don’t have a black
note between them.

C D F G A C D F G A
D E G A B D E G A B

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B
13
 HOW TO When it comes to writing your first song it can
be hard to know where to start! Songwriting is
an art form, and like all art there are lots of

BUILD A
different styles and techniques. Luckily, there
are songwriting structures to follow, such as
the classic pop-song arrangement shown here.

SONG
INTRO VERSE ONE CHORUS
The chorus is the catchy part.
The introduction, or intro, is This is often the first section of
It’s usually about eight bars
important because it’s the first singing. Verses tell most of the
long, louder than the earlier
thing listeners hear, and you story of the song, and each one
sections, and will have more
want them to like the song right is different. A verse can be any
layers to make it stand out.
away! It’s usually four bars long, length, but usually is eight bars
Each chorus in a song tends
and instrumental. long, and gets louder as it
to be the same.
transitions into the chorus.

HOOK
This is the part that sticks in your
Paul Simon head and makes you want to
The verses in You Can Call Me Al listen again. The hook can be
begin with the same line. melodic or rhythmic. Great songs
Can you hear it? will have a hook in the intro
Dire Straits and chorus.
Money For Nothing has a
memorable intro, and
contains a guitar-riff hook.

20
 PLAYLIST
1. Money For Nothing – Dire Straits
2. You Can Call Me Al – Paul Simon
3. Life On Mars? – David Bowie
4. Yellow Submarine – The Beatles

OUTRO
Songs can end with
an outro section that
sometimes fades
to nothing.

BRIDGE
VERSE TWO This breaks up the song’s
repetitive structure. It might
FINAL CHORUS
The second verse add something new, such The final chorus is often the
often has the same
melody and length
CHORUS as a different chord
progression, rhythm, or
most impressive part of a
song. It can be louder, use
as verse one, with lyric. It builds into the final more instruments, or have
different lyrics. chorus, and tends to be more powerful vocals.
about eight bars long.

PRE-CHORUS
Some songs have a
pre-chorus, which links each
verse to the chorus. It might
be instrumental, or an
excitement-building
vocal part.

The Beatles
Yellow Submarine has
David Bowie a memorable chorus
Listen for the memorable
about a colorful
pre-chorus in Life On Mars?.
underwater home.
21
 READING
Whether you’re playing a famous tune or making up
a new one, it helps to be able to read and write

C
music. For this, we use a staff, made of five

MU S I horizontal lines. Each note sits on a line, or in

the space above or below lines.

or phrases c tes.
ds alle o
e-up wor d mnem
onics can help you remembern
Mad

L
TREBLE CLEF D
F
C
E
The treble clef, also known as B
A
the G clef, circles around the G F
E
second-from-bottom line on the
The notes begin each word in the mnemonic The notes in the spaces spell out “FACE!”
staff. This line represents the
“Every Good Boy Deserves Fun.”
note G, with the rest of the notes
in order around it.

Treble range
The treble clef is used for
playing higher notes.
Guitar music is usually
written in the treble clef. Acoustic guitar

BASS CLEF
The notes in the bass-clef range
are lower in pitch than those in
the treble-clef range. The bass
$ G
B
D
F

These notes begin the words “Grizzly

A

A
C
E

... and these begin “All Cows

G

clef is also known as the F clef. It Bears Don’t Fear Anybody”... Eat Grass.”
has two dots that sit above and
below the second-from-the-top
line on the staff. This line
represents the note F.

Bass range
The bass clef is
usually used for Cello
cello music.

30
 TYPES OF NOTES
A written note not only indicates whether a pitch is high or low, it also
tells musicians how long to play the sound. Some notes are long, while

U
others are short. Written music also tells musicians when to not play a
note, by using markings called rests.

A whole note lasts for

Whole note four beats. It is also
known as a semibreve.

Half note
] ] A half note lasts for two
beats. It is also known
as a minim.

E
E E E
A quarter note lasts for
Quarter note one beat. It is also
known as a crotchet.
Eighth and sixteenth notes
played after one another
are often joined up.

E ER R RR R R
An eighth note lasts for
Eighth note half a beat. It is also
known as a quaver.

TTTTTTTTTTT EEEE
A sixteenth note lasts
for a quarter of a beat.
Sixteenth note It is also known as a
semiquaver.

Rests
Whole rest = 4 beats For each type of note there
is a rest of the same time
length. These rests tell
musicians when they
Half rest = 2 beats shouldn’t play.

Quarter rest = 1 beat

9 9 9 9
Eighth rest = 1/2 beat
= = = = = = = =
Sixteenth rest = 1/4 beat
\ \ \\ \ \ \\ \ \\ \\ \ \ \
31
 THE
MA T H O F M U S I C
If you’re a musician, you might have secret math powers,
too. Math and music seem like very different topics, but
they’re actually linked. Musicians are expert at counting
beats, and clever composers create patterns.
COUNTING BEATS
Math is ne
e
right speed ded to keep to the

PATTERNpaStterns,
when play
a bar conta ing music.
ins four qu If
musicians arter notes
s count in fo ,
full of such a know whe urs so they
Math is sing a rule— e of n to play a

L
u nc note.
involve form a seque ere in
which
n”— t o ver y h s
w
“add te atterns are e und
rs. P and ro
numbe , too! Canons les.
music examp 1 2
are t wo 3 4
1 2 3 4

O OOO O E E E ]
Canons

L EE O E O O
Part 1
A canon is when
members of a group
J ]
sing the same melody,
beginning at different
times. If the tune repeats,

O O O OO O O E E E ]
E OE
Part 2 ]
a canon is also called a
J
round, because it goes
around and around. L E
Fugues
Classical pieces called fugues
contain a tune that is repeated.
The main tune or theme is known
as the subject. It is started by
different instruments at different
times, often at varying tempos,
pitches, and keys.

42
 PLAYLIST
1. Pyramid Song – Radiohead (uses
Music whiz, math genius od at displaced rhythms)
are more likely to be go
Children who play music d to 2. Seven Days – Sting (uses odd time signatures)
t musical students tende
math. Scientists found tha play
3. Pachelbel’s Canon in D – Johann Pachelbel
ts than those who didn’t (uses a canon structure)
score higher in math tes
4. Toccata and Fugue in D minor – Johann
instruments. Sebastian Bach
5. Unsquare Dance – Dave Brubeck (uses a
7
⁄4 time signature)

DISPLACED RHYTHMS
Some rhythms begin on a different
beat of the bar as the music progresses.
This is called displacing the beat, and
involves careful counting! It’s particularly
popular in a music style called
math rock.
1 2 3

L = P P=
EE 4 1 2

= P P=
EE 3 4

= P P=
EE 1 2 3 4

= P P=
EE

Mirroring
When a shape matches
Y E E E E E E E E E EE E 3
up on either side of a
center line, this is called

L O
"
" mirroring. One clever way
3 that the composer Bach
Y played with his subject

$"" E E E E E O O E EsE E E E
during a fugue was to
turn it upside down on
the staff, creating a
mirror image.

43
CH DH FH GH AH CH DH FH GH AH
Da Ea Ga Aa Ba Da Ea Ga Aa Ba

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B
W W H W W W H W H W W

Start here
MAJOR SCALE W = Whole note
If we start on C and follow
this pattern we create a C
One of the most commonly used
scales is the major scale. It is
If we start on D H = Half note
and follow the
major scale.
always created from the same major scale
pattern of intervals—whole step, pattern we create
a D major scale.
whole step, half step, whole
step, whole step, whole

KEY SIGNATURES step, half step.

INTERVALS
Each key has a unique set of

C A L E S , Learn about the different

types of intervals on

S
notes that can be identified from
pages 12–13.
its accidentals—its sharps and
flats. Writing the sharps or flats

S ,
at the beginning of a piece

CHO R D
tells musicians what
key it’s in.

The D major key has two

AND
accidentals—F# and C# Music is made from notes played
individually as a melody, or
HH
L D together as a chord. The

KEYS
melodies and chords in a song
The accidentals at the
start are called the
come from one or more keys—
piece’s key signature.
a set of notes, or pitches.
44
CH DH FH GH AH CH DH FH GH AH
Da Ea Ga Aa Ba Da Ea Ga Aa Ba

C D E F G A B C D E F G A B
H

Playing C, E, and G gives Playing C, E flat, and

you the C major chord. G gives you the C

CHORDS minor chord.

g g
Changin the key mid-son A chord is the name given

d d s excitement, and is called to multiple notes played

a at the same time. Chords
a key change. containing just three notes
are called triads. Let’s look
at the major and minor
Major chords triad chords of C. Minor chords
A major triad chord Moving the middle note
comes from a major scale. of a major triad down a half
The musician plays the first step has a big effect on the
note, called the root, the third sound. This new triad is called
note, called the major third, a minor chord, and has a
and the fifth note, called the sad quality to it.
perfect fifth.

Majorly happy, minorly sad

Usually, major chords sound happy and
minor chords sound sad. Train-station
announcements often begin with three
notes from a major chord, to give a
cheerful atmosphere!
45
 RHYTHM
A rhythm is a series of sounds, such as the TIME SIGNATURE
Music is made up of small sections,
beats of a drum. The rhythm of a piece helps called bars. The time signature tells
musicians play at the right speed. They count musicians about the beats in each bar.
It’s shown as two numbers on a stave:
the beats to follow the same rhythm. the amount of beats per bar (top), and the
type of beat, such as a crotchet (bottom).

Time There are four quarter This bar contains two quarter
signature notes in this bar. notes and one half note. This bar has two half notes.

L E E E E EE] 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
]
1 2
]
3 4

CLAPPING RHYTHMS
A great way to practice rhythms is to clap
them. If a note has more than one beat, clap
and then hold your hands together for a beat.
L E E 1 2
This is in 2/4 time, so clap two

L EE E E L E E E
quarter-note beats in each bar.

1 2 3 4 1 2 3
The 4/4 time In this time signature, clap four In 3/4 time, clap three quarter-note
signature means

EE9
quarter-note beats in each bar. beats in each bar.
that there are four

L ]
beats to a bar,
and the quarter
note gets the beat.

1 2 3 and 4
Two eighth notes make up a quarter note,
so clap twice for this note, twice as fast as a
quarter note. Don’t clap on a rest.
62
 TEMPO
Music usually has a speed, which is known as
the tempo. The tempo affects how music
makes you feel—you might want to nod
along, or dance wildly!

PRESTO C.168-200 BPM Lento and adagio are very slow

Presto is very fast, tempos. Andante is slightly
like the darting flight of a bee. It faster, like the walking pace
feels urgent to listen to, as though of a person. This music might
something important is about make you feel relaxed.
to happen.

9 BPM
6 –1 0
ANTE C.7

AND

168 BPM MUSICAL PULSE

ALLEGRO
C.120- The tempo is measured in
beats per minute (BPM),
just like
your heartbeat! Tempos
in
classical music are given
descriptive names.
MO

Moderato means
DER

“moderate,” or not too

ATO

fast or slow, like people

M

marching during a
0 BP

C.1

parade. It often
has an upbeat feel.
08
2 -1 2

Allegro means to
play very
-1

quickly, like the run

of a cheetah.
20

This can give the lis

C .1 1

tener a lively
BP

feeling, as if they’r
e part of a
M

big celebration.
RETTO
ALLEG

Allegretto means the music is to be

played fairly quickly, like the gallop
of a horse. This might make the
music feel cheerful and fun.

63
70
Have you ever wondered how your
favorite song began? It might have
S started with a bit of melody, hummed
L A Y E R by the artist. From small beginnings,
musicians build layers to make a
finished piece.
OF A
OOOOH H H H
SONG PADS
These are parts added to fill
AAA
out the song. Pads can be
AHH
“oohs” and “aahs” from
HH
e E zra backing vocalists, or warm
org
Ge synthesizer sounds.
THE TOP LINE
OVER AND OVER This is the main melody, and can be
a catchy hook. The top line is often a
In Shotgun, George Ezra lead vocal line which stands out above
repeats the vocal top line the other elements.
melody throughout the chorus.
Al
tJ

Can you hear it?

THE HARMONY
This is the the sound of notes BACKING VOCALS
combined as chords, or played on As well as padding out a song,
multiple instruments at the same time. additional vocals can support
Harmony gives the song depth. the top line. They can also
Harmonious instruments such as add vocal harmony, as in
the piano and guitar are commonly Alt J’s Breezeblocks.
used to play chords.
 Joe
Da
rt

o fV
THE BASS LINE

u lfp
eck
This part adds low-pitched bass
notes. The bass line works closely with
the groove, often matching the beats. It
also adds to the harmony.

BASS GENIUS
Some bands use bass in an
SOUND EFFECTS interesting way. In Vulfpeck’s
Deantown, the bass line
Sound effects can add lots of introduces the melody, while
interest and help capture the other instruments add
listener’s imagination. They harmony. Listen!
could be anything, even an
animal sound!

THE GROOVE
The foundation of a song is the rhythm, which is also
called the groove. It is usually played on the drums,
or another percussion instrument. This element will
have you nodding or dancing to the music.

INSPIRATION PLAYLIST
Anything can inspire a song. You
1. Breezeblocks – Alt J
might improvise a cool drum 2. Shotgun – George Ezra
groove, a lovely chord progression, 3. Deantown – Vulfpeck
or a melody—or spot something 4. Everybody Needs Somebody to Love –
that gives you a lyric idea. Keep a The Rolling Stones (uses a tambourine
notebook handy for ideas! to play the groove)
5. Bury a Friend – Billie Eilish (uses a scream
sound effect)

71
80
Most of the music you listen to isn’t
just made by the artist. A whole team
BEHIND of musicians help to make it happen.
Let’s take a look at some of the
E N E S important roles in the music industry.
TH E S C
THE ARTIST MANAGER
The manager has lots of connections and
The artist writes songs and knows the music business very well. They
makes basic recordings, can help an artist plan their journey
called demos—short for from demos to released songs.
demonstrations.

RECORD LABEL
The record label pays for the music to
be recorded. This includes hiring the
recording studios and promoting
the music, which means making
lots of people aware of it.

SONGWRITER
Some artists write
alone, but working with
a songwriter can help
to perfect an early
demo, or to write
completely new songs!
 RECORD PRODUCER
The producer knows how to make a song
sound great and might have creative
musical ideas that really make
your song stand out.

SESSION MUSICIAN
Artists hire session musicians to
record the instrumental parts of their
music and for live performances.

S Tour promoter
The promoter organizes
E C O M E
venues, ticket prices, and
U S I C B
more, to get the show on
TH E M
R D the road!
A R E C O
Lighting rig

Lighting engineer
PROMOTION AND TOUR Dazzling light shows are put on
by lighting engineers to make the
The artist does interviews online, in tour as awesome as possible.
magazines, and on television, and uses
social media, such as Instagram, to get
the music out there. Next up is a
showstopping tour to perform
the record!

Tour manager
Artists are looked after by
Sound engineer a tour manager, who also
The music sounds clear and loud gets them to where they
enough when it’s performed on need to be on time.
stage thanks to sound engineers.

81
 IN THE
TU D I O 2
S
Musicians often sound different when they play
live than they do on recorded tracks. This is
because they record their music in a studio,
which is full of knobs and dials that control
how the music sounds. Most studios are run
by a producer, who records the music and
puts the tracks together.

g
Home recordin uality
make great q
Many people , using mpute
co rs with
gs a t h o m e are,
recordin ation (DAW) softw
io w o rkst
digital aud sic, and a
n b e u se d to make mu
wh ich ca into the
ca rd . The ca rd is plugged
sound igital
r, to co n ve rt sounds into d
compute .
n be adjusted
signals that ca

84
 KNOW YOUR STUDIO
Monitor speaker volume

3 1 allows the producer to

change the loudness of
the sounds coming from
the live room.

Monitor screens with

4 2 digital audio workstation

(DAW) controls, which show
picture versions of the
sounds coming from each
instrument. The images
help the producer adjust
the music.

Live room in which

5 3 the musicians record,
with soundproof walls to
block outside noise.

Monitor speaker allows

4 the producer to hear the

instruments, so they can
let the musicians know
if something doesn’t
sound right.

Level meters allow the

5 producer to make sure

each instrument is loud
enough on the recording.

Mute and solo buttons for

6 the channels that carry

sound from each instrument.
The buttons allow the sounds
to be muted (silenced) or
made solo (the only sound).

Scribble strip to name

8 6 7 each channel, so the

producer knows which
instrument or voice is on
each channel.

Transport controls allow

8 the producer to begin

recording, or to play back
the music, including
stopping, rewinding,

7 or forwarding it.

85
 GLOS S A R Y
It’s helpful to know these words when learning
or talking about music.

amplification hook record label stress

When a sound is made Catchy part of a song which Business that helps musicians Emphasis placed on a beat
louder, typically by using the listener often remembers create and sell music
an electronic amplifier tempo
improvisation riff Speed at which music is
call and response Creating music on the spot, Musical phrase which tends played, measured in BPM
Vocal music in which a either alone or accompanied to be a memorable part of a (beats per minute)
singer’s call is answered by other musicians song, and is often repeated
by a chorus’s response throughout the piece track
interval Another name for a
canon Distance between two notes sample recorded song
When the same melody is Section of music taken from
layered during a piece, with key an existing song or another upbeat
different starting points Set of notes, shown with sound used in a new piece Music played with a joyful feel,
a key signature when of music often (but not always) with a
chord progression written down quicker tempo
Sequence of chords played scale
one after the other
lyricist Set sequence of notes virtuoso
Somebody who writes Somebody who has achieved
composer song lyrics or poetry score a very high level of technical
Somebody who writes music All the parts of a song musical ability, for example
major or composition written as an instrumentalist
digital audio workstation Type of harmony with a major as sheet music
(DAW) third interval, often defined vocal
Electronic device for as having a happy sound sheet music Something spoken or sung
recording, putting together, Music written down for
and editing music minor musicians to play whole step
Type of harmony with a An interval, also known as a
fugue minor third interval, often singer-songwriter tone—on a piano this is two
Piece based around a main defined as having a Somebody who can sing, notes or two half steps
melody (the subject) that is sad sound play, and write music
repeated and changed
throughout, for example social media
motif
by speeding it up or slowing Online platforms where
Short musical phrase, which is
it down people can communicate
often added to or otherwise
changed during a piece and share ideas
groove
Rhythmic feel to a piece of music solo
octave
Distance from one note Section of music in which
half step to the same note in an instrument is performed
Small interval, also known as the next highest or on its own, or a singer
a semitone—on a piano, this lowest register performs vocally on their
is one note to the next note. own, sometimes with
pitch accompanying instruments
harmony Highness or lowness
Two or more notes played
of a note
at the same time

92
 MARK I N G S
Music has its own language of markings. Learn
about some of the most common ones here!

rall. = 120
fermata
Symbol above a note meaning rallentando tempo
accent to pause for longer than the Writing above stave, Note and number
Small pointer above a note, value of the note, or until a which means to gradually showing the tempo in
which means to accent a conductor indicates slow down BPM (beats per minute)
note (play it louder)

bass clef repeat dots ties

Symbol at the beginning flat accidental These dots can be placed at Curved line between notes
of a staff, showing the Symbol next to a note, which the beginning and end of a of the same pitch, indicating
order of notes on the staff means to flatten it (makes it section which repeats; it saves that the note should last for
for instruments with a lower lower in pitch) by a half step writing the passage of music
pitch (also called the F clef) the length of both note values
multiple times

A7 rhythm clef
treble clef
chords glissando This clef is used to indicate
Symbol at the beginning
A letter or a letter and a number are Symbol above notes, showing nonpitched percussive sounds,
such as those on a drum kit; it is of a staff, showing the
often used to show a specific chord that players should slide or glide
also known as the neutral clef order of notes on the staff
between notes

A
for instruments with a higher
pitch (also called the G clef)

crescendo ledger lines

Symbol below a staff Lines added to notes written sharp accidental
showing that the music above and below the staff, to Symbol next to a note, which
gets louder show which notes they are means to sharpen it (makes it
higher in pitch) by a half step

diminuendo natural accidental staccato

Symbol below a staff showing Symbol next to a sharpened Dot under or above a note to
that the music gets quieter or flattened note that brings it show that it should be played
back to its normal pitch shortly and sharply

93