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Author Topic: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?  (Read 1965 times)

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The Happy Wanderer

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While I know which dots are longer, I have trouble telling how long the note is exactly. How does one tell how exactly long a half/quarter/eight/etc. note is? This is confusing me, and I think it is making me play the bass faster than the tune. I'm confused.  :o
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Sebastian

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #1 on: May 30, 2015, 08:19:26 PM »

How does one tell how exactly long a half/quarter/eight/etc. note is?
One counts.
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deltasalmon

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2015, 08:32:56 PM »

Sheet music will show you note lengths, there's plenty online for learning that. Best exercise after you can read them is to just tap the rhythm on your leg as you read it. That's the important part. Once you get the rhythm down then you can fill in the notes
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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2015, 10:55:57 PM »

Hello Happy Wanderer
I think we mainly want to know how the notes relate to one another - i.e. minim (hollow note with a stick) is same as two crotchets (black with stick) or four quavers (black stick and little tail - or the tails can be joined with a cross bar).
I guess you count 1 2 3 4 or 12 34 or 1 2 3&4& as required?
If you want to know how fast the tune is meant to go there may be a metronome indicator written as a number near the time signature e.g. 120 = 120 beats per minute.
But the advice others have given here seems good to me - get the 'rhythm' right first and you can adjust the speed according to how you reckon the tune sounds or to how quickly other players want to go.

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The Happy Wanderer

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2015, 11:02:33 PM »

My problem is kind of like this: I know the correct speed of the song (if I have heard it before), but I cannot understand what the correct bass speed is. I think sometimes I am playing the bass too fast. Please forgive me if I am confusing you.
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malcolmbebb

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2015, 11:07:06 PM »

Are you referring to the number of bass notes that you play in each bar, i.e wondering if you are playing too many bass/chords to a bar?
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The Happy Wanderer

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #6 on: May 31, 2015, 12:28:49 AM »

Yep. I looked in a book I have, and from the way I read it, it says that there is a beat, and a chord in a single bar of 2/4. However, when I play songs, it often comes out as two beats and chords per bar. However, this seems to sound right. Trying to play otherwise seems difficult. Am I playing correctly, or is the book correct (or did I read it wrong?)
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Theo

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #7 on: May 31, 2015, 12:44:03 AM »

If it sounds right it is right.
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Theo Gibb - Gateshead UK

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TomBom

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2015, 06:06:48 AM »

Usually the bass rhythm is

2/4
1       &         2      &
Bass chord   Bass chord

4/4
1      2           3      4
Bass chord   Bass chord
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Chris Ryall

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2015, 08:46:39 AM »

Rhythm is a complex issue, also very cultural, and is "about" a lot more than counting. So "no quick answer"  It is also important to get it right … has anyone else had the pleasure of a bohdran player (or 2 ;)) improvising some sort of mangled Irish jig rhythm when you are trying to lead a mazurka in a session, worse a "heartbeat" bourrée?  I know where Theo is coming from about feeling it, sounding right, but I see/know him as an excellent dancer (the best place to start, in I think both our opinions) and dare I say, a fellow player of Continental tunes in pubs with Celtic connections ;)

Good news is that most mainland British stuff is laid out in nice binary 2/4 4/4 or arguably more sexy 3/4 6/8 and that's another very good place to start. Pignol Milleret say that metronome is critical, but I'd offer that is because they so often play "off" the beat. Melodeon wise the elephant in the room is your bellows. If you get that right it will automatically tie right and left ends together. Actually P/M's new product next month is essentially about that

To address the question, written note lengths are a matter of mugging up I am afraid, and UK rather bizarrely does it all in mediaeval Italian!m French vocab is surprisingly intuitive …

 one white'n = 2 black'n = 2 hooks = 2 double hooks

But in a particular song the framework or meter is more the issue, that's written at start and only changes "rarely". But if you count too much I'll go wrong. Music isn't about counting, and that's why another good way to learn a favourite tune's phrasing is to play along with your favourite band CD or Youtube hero

But there's a lot more in there … anyone else listen to the Great Louis Armstrong on Radio 4 this morning "ain't got that swing"? His sung beats were half way between the music beats … more or less 8)
« Last Edit: May 31, 2015, 08:48:23 AM by Chris Ryall »
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PatC

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Re: Reading Sheet Music Troubles: How to Tell How Long Notes Are?
« Reply #10 on: May 31, 2015, 01:54:28 PM »

I have only been playing a short time and had the same problem of how the left hand is supposed to work. I found Dave Mallinson's Absolute Beginners book very helpful for learning bass rythyms. A large part of the book is on counting time and playing the basses in time. He covers all of the common time signatures with good examples and clear explanations, which are well illustrated, especially if used along with the CD.
John Kirkpatrick's DVD is also good on basic bass rythyms and patterns.

I am sure other tutors also cover the subject, but those two worked for me.

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