Major Scale (C Major)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0ChIHleTaVw&si=FvgR-1gll5A-RLHk

Theatre Anthem (Score sheet)

Discipline for all musicians/instrumentalists

Discipline for all musicians/instrumentalists 

In the early stages of my musical journey, specifically as a pianist, I lacked a dedicated tutor. It wasn't until I enrolled in a music school and immersed myself in church concerts and musicals that I encountered diverse styles and trends in piano artistry. This exposure encompassed Western classical, African contemporary, neo-traditional, and even African pianism style among others.

However, I've come to understand that each of the aforementioned styles possesses distinctive nuances in musicianship. Numerous instrumentalists, particularly pianists showcase impressive skill and talent, but are lacking discipline in the art itself which poses a significant issue, affecting how listeners perceive their performances—often described as noise.

Yesterday, I encountered a pianist with extensive experience and skill in handling musical elements like tetrachords, non-harmonic tones, minor chords, etc. Despite this expertise, his performance lacked the finesse and discipline expected of a professional, making me appreciate my own piano abilities more.

Therefore, instrumentalists must acquire discipline in the realm of music. When the auditory experience ceases to be pleasing for the listeners, it ceases to be music. In ensemble playing, the piano should not overpower other instruments; instead, there should be harmonious alignment and synchronisation among all musical elements, including vocals.

Rex Music Manuscript

https://drive.google.com/file/d/13zya239eQHVXtOerzdfr6cFYUn_xRdZ7/view?usp=drivesdk

Identification of notes on Piano (Part B)

Identification of notes on Piano (PART A)

Theory Of Music 1

...global music resource

Concepts of music

The followings are some concepts of music:

1. Musical Alphabet

2. Octave

3. Pitch

4. Clef

5. Staff, etc

ALPHABETS

      Musical alphabets are taken from the firsr-seven English Alphabets I.e A, B, C, D, E, F and G

 OCTAVE

      In music the word octave means 8 notes,  just like in mathematics where octagon means 8 angles. 

      Octave which means 8 notes, Is just the repetition of the first note to make the eight note. I.e A as an octave : A B C D E F G and A (when u get to the seventh note u will go back to the first note)

            B as an octave: B C D E F G A B

            C as an octave: C D E F G A B C

once it is not up to eight notes that means it is not correct.

PITCH

     Pitch is highness or lowness of a musical sound, I.e whether a musical sound is high or low.

For example; in this octave A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A  The first A which is number 1 is low in pitch, while the second A which is number 8 is high in pitch.

CLEF

      Clef is the sign written on a piece of music at the beginning of a staff in order to determine or indicate its pitch. That is, the clef will be what will make us to know how to use the staff (it tells us what to call the names of lines and spaces).

       We have different types of clef, e.g Treble clef, Bass clef, Soprano clef, Alto clef, and Tenor clef. But for this level, we will only discuss the two major ones which is the treble clef and bass clef.

Treble clef is also known as G clef

Bass clef is also known as F clef

THE STAFF

      The musical staff is also known as a stave; it consists of five parallel lines which are horizontal and four spaces. 

When counting the stave, you will start frm the bottom.

       We also have different types of stave, and they take their names after the different clefs that we have E.g Treble Stave, Bass stave, soprano stave etc

For this level, we'll only discuss Treble and bass stave.

     As the treble clef is also known as G clef, the treble stave is also known as G stave. And as Bass stave is also known as F stave.

The next thing we'll be discussing is the names of the lines and spaces of both the treble stave and bass stave.

                         TREBLE STAVE

The names of lines of the treble stave

Line 1 is E

Line 2 is G

Line 3 is B

Line 4 is D

Line 5 is F

For easy recognition, u can say:

Every

Good

Boy

Deserves

Favour

The names of spaces of the treble stave

Space 1 is F

Space 2 is A

Space 3 is C

Space 4 is E

I.e FACE

Note: the names of lines and spaces are written in CAPITAL LETTER

                           BASS STAVE

The names of lines of the  Bass stave

Line 1 is G

Line 2 is B

Line 3 is D

Line 4 is F

Line 5 is A

For easy recognition, u can say:

Good

Boys

Deserve

Favour 

Always

Names of spaces of the Bass stave

Space 1 is A

Space 2 is C

Space 3 is E

Space 4 is G

For easy recognition u can say:

All

Cow

Eats

Grass

THE GREAT STAVE

      The Great stave is also known as Grand Stave or Grand Staff. The Great Stave is the combination of Treble Stave and Bass Stave with use of brace. It consists of eleven lines and ten spaces.

The Great Stave have the following features:

1. Treble Stave

2. Bass Stave

3. Brace

4. Ledger lines (middle C), and

5. Double bar

- As you can see on the above image, there is a bracket look-like symbol, holding the Treble Stave and Bass Stave together. The symbol is the brace.

- The ledger line is the short line in between the Treble Stave and Bass Stave, usually to accommodate extra notes above or below a Stave.

- The Double bar line are the double vertical lines at the end of a stave, which is use to indicate the end of a section in a piece of music. You must learn how to draw the Great Stave using the two pictures above and the explanations.

Note: The names of lines and Spaces still remain the same, except for the presence of the ledger line. The ledger line in between the Treble and Bass Stave is also called 'middle C', the space above the ledger line and below line 1 of the Treble Stave is D, While the Space below the ledger line and above line 5 of the Bass Stave is B.

Introduction to Voice Training

     How to Prevent Our Voice From Damaging

1. Avoid unnecessary shouting as a singer.

2. Abstain from ice water.

3. Avoid unripe & acidic fruits and foods.

4. Avoid smoking, alcohol and use of hard drugs.

5. Never stress or strain your vocal chord.

6. Avoid close contact with victims of colder respiratory problems.

7. Eat balance diet.

8. Adequate hydration

9. Avoid phonotraumatic behaviors e.g yelling, screaming, loud talking, singing too loudly etc.

10. Go for periodic checkup.

        Curative Method for a Damaged Voice

1. Observe enough rest.

2. Take balance diet.

3. Watch the kind of cloth that you wear. Don't expose your chest to cold.

4. Take warm water.

5. Take pure honey.

6. Seek for medical advice from professional Larinologist.

Musical Composition

 Musical Composition

      The composition of songs in both its theory and practical is all about creativity. A musicologist will have better understanding of musical composition than a mere singer and that's why the understanding of theory & rudiments of music is very important.

      Apart from the normal songs we compose and sing in churches, there are also music composed and arranged with the use of music theories e.g Art Music.

What is Musical Composition?

      Musical composition is the act or practice of writing, creating a song or other piece of music. The act of composing may include the creation of music notation, such as a sheet music (score), which is then performed by the composer or other musicians.

      Although a musical composition often uses musical notation and has a single author, but this is not always the case; a work of music can have more than one composers.

      Musical composition is more than you bringing lyrics, words together and forming a tune or melody. Musical composition is all about how creative you are, and also you knowing how to use the various compositional techniques.

             Basic Compositional Techniques

1.  Set some restrictions for yourself

      Restrictions will help to open up your creativity, and allow you not to go outside what you have in mind. E.g if you want to compose a song with slow beat, you won't end up composing the one with a fast beat.

What to set restriction on:

- Musical form: is it strophic, binary, etc

-  The tempo: i.e how fast or slow the song be.

- The time signature: I.e what kind of beat pattern do you desire. 

- The key signature: I.e will the song be on one of the major or minor keys. If  you are going to perform the song yourself choose a convenient key.

- Instrumentation: This will help you to know the kind of musical instruments to use in accompanying your song e.g Strings instruments, Woodwind instruments, Brass instruments etc.

 2. Get a theme for your composition

        Having a theme will also allow you not to go out of your aim. You  must have a theme (title of the song you want to compose), whether its a voice or instrumental composition. Some composers have their lyrics before the theme which is good, but it might not work out in all your composition.

        Song’s theme/ title often makes up the hook or chorus of a song and it can also be (or related to) the song’s main subject. Choosing a good title is a critical part of the lyric writing process because it has to cover what the song is about in very few words, thereby attracting the listeners.

3.  Arrange and put your music into structure

      Your music must not be without structure. You need to understand the following musical structures: Verse, Chorus, Vamp, Bridge, Hook, Refrain, Pre-Chorus, Intro, Interlude etc

 THE VERSE     

        A verse is a series of lyrics that tell the main story of the song and keep the action or thoughts moving forward. Verses are an important part of a song. A song may have one verse or many. They move almost the same way (almost the same tune) even though the words are different. The lyrics in verses convey the background information needed to understand the emotional or narrative structure of the song.

THE CHORUS

       The chorus of a song is meant to be the most memorable part, containing the ultimate message of the piece. In order to do this, choruses generally rely on a series of techniques. The first has to do with the lyrics, the spoken or sung words. The lyrics in the chorus provide listeners with the real message. For this reason, chorus lyrics tend to be simpler and more direct than the lyrics of verse.

BRIDGE

       In music, a bridge is a contrasting section that prepares for the return of the original material section. The bridge is often used to contrast with and prepare for the return of the verse and the chorus. The bridge is also the  section that provides relief from the repetitive nature of many songs. Not only does it have different lyrics from the verse and chorus, but the music is a little different as well. It usually will start on a different chord from what the verse and chorus starts with.

INTRO

        This is found at the beginning and it sets up the song, establishing many of the song's important elements, such as the key, tempo, rhythmic feel and even its energy and attitude. You will find that the intro is often the same music without singing over it as the verse or even the chorus. Sometimes, a song's intro will not have any material found later in the song. In this scenario, the goal is to create interest for the listener and encourage them to keep playing it.

 INTERLUDE

     This segment is usually found in the ancient music and olden days music.  It is done with the musical instruments. This section is usually between a chorus and a verse I.e when you are moving from the chorus to another verse. In some modern music it is used to introduce a new key in the case of modulation. Sometimes, the interlude of a music is the melody of its chorus. But in other cases instrumentalists (either pianists, lead guitarists, or saxophonists)  plays any tune  that goes inline with the chorus of the music being performed.

 REFRAIN

      Refrain is the same as chorus, when singing classical songs like hymns they use refrain and also anthems (national anthem, institutions anthem, etc) but for contemporary music we call it chorus.

 PRE - CHORUS

      The pre-chorus is not a necessary component and is often shorter than a verse or chorus. For the listener, it usually creates a feeling of wanting to be thrusted towards the chorus. I.e it prepares the listeners for the chorus.

HOOK

      In music, the word "hook" refers to that part of a song that catches the ear of the listener. In other words, it's a lyrical line or musical phrase that makes the song memorable. The hook is often found in a line in the chorus or a catchy chorus can be the hook. 

VAMP

     This is part is often improvised accompaniment, under dialogue or awaiting the readiness of a soloist. This structure is not commonly used in all music.

     To  work out the structure of your composition, you can try any of the following structures:

- Intro - verse - chr - verse (if it more than one verse) - chr - bridge - chr

- Intro - chr - verse - chr - bridge - vers - chr

- Intro - verse - chr - vamp - chr - bridge - verse - chr

   

  If your music have just one verse, you  can repeat that verse like 2 to 3 times before singing the  chorus.

4. Use your source of inspiration

      Your source of inspirations is where you compose and develop your lyrics or words. You must know your source of inspiration. Write down your lyrics (your inspiritions). There are a number of ways to start writing song lyrics, one of which is to jot down several ideas and then try to fit them all together. The truth is when you set out to write a song, a number of ideas are likely to come rushing at you. A good practice is to write them all down and then examine those words that befits your theme/title. 

You can have your tilte before  having the lyrics and yiu can as well have your lyric before the theme/title.

       Build your lyrics using music alternatively, for some musicians, it’s easier to produce lyrics if they can come up with a catchy guitar chord progression or memorable piano chord. If you play the guitar, piano, or any other instrument, you can try playing something and see where it will take you to. Many times, the music will speak to you and you’ll be able to come up with some lyrics to go with what you’re playing. If you don’t play an instrument, you can use instrumentalists and other music samples as the basis to come up with your song lyrics. Either way, be sure to record what you create. 

     Always have your recorder or ur phone with u. You will have some inspiration u need to record, especially when you are not wit your music notebook.

      Remember to edit when the whole lyric is ready, and make sure your lyrics is meaningful to you. You must be able to tell the reason behind every of your lyrics.

5. Work on the harmonization

     The understanding of  voice and instruments range is essential here. If your music is not all in unison, you can harmonize in two parts, three parts, even in four parts  depending on how creative you are.

     Always have a unique composition. Don't have the mindset that you can't come up with something new. No two people can have exactly the same composition (the same beat, key, lyric, melody, harmony, arrangement, structure) except if one of them copied another.

Introduction to Music

                       Definition of Music 

        In reality, music does not have a specific meaning. Music has meanings for different people, it is unique in each person’s life. To a musician it’s their life, they eat, breathe and live music.

         Music is said to be a universal language, because it is generally understood all over the world. Music is everywhere you go, there is no career that you want to go for that you won't need music. Even music is use for advertising, entertainment.

         Music is all about sound, sound can either be regular or irregular. The way you combine the regular and irregular sound together is what we call music. 

        Therefore,  music may be define as an art of creating, making, combining of sounds or arranging of tones in a way that is pleasant and exciting to listen to. It can also be define as an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. Music is also a form of art; an expression of emotions through harmonic frequencies.

        Music is the combination of regular and irregular sounds in a manner that is pleasant or agreeable to hearing. While noise is the opposite of music, noise is the combination of sound in a manner that is unpleasant to the ear.

                       Types of Music

Church/Sacred Music: This is the music used mainly for religious worship. Examples are hymns, organ music, anthems, chants etc.

Popular Music: This is the present day or contemporary music purposely for entertainment and pleasure. It is also called secular music. Examples are Fuji, juju, reggae, apala, afro – beat, high-life, hip pop etc.

Folk Music: This is the local or traditional music of people which is based on their culture and values e.g. Folktale, moonlight etc.

Military Music: It is the music played during government official functions and during war by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Police e.g. Parade song, Brigade and marching songs.

 Art Music: It is a musical arrangement or composition of trained composers or musicologists with artistic perfection. 

Instrumental Music: This is a music for instruments only which does not take the forms of singing and dancing e.g instrumental ensembles.

Dance Music: This is the type of music for body expression and movement in steps e.g. Masquerade dancing.

   Significance and Function of Music to the                                         Society

- Music is used to give signal or alarm the community when there is danger e.g. the town crier and the gong.

- Music document the way of life of a society or people e.g. Folk, worship of deities

- Music teaches survival and occupation e.g. hunting, farming etc. 

- Music serves the function of teaching and sustaining our cultural heritage e.g. National Anthem festival songs.

          Relevance and Advantages of Music

Improves memory: Research has shown that the repetitive elements of rhythm and melody help our brains form patterns that enhance memory.

Provides comfort: Music therapy has also been used to help enhance communication, coping, and expression of feelings such as fear, loneliness, and anger in patients who have a serious illness, and who are in end-of-life care.

Soothes babies: Live music and lullabies may impact vital signs, improve feeding behaviors and sucking patterns in premature infants, and may increase prolonged periods of quiet.

Reduces stress: Listening to ‘relaxing’ music (generally considered to have slow tempo, low pitch, and no lyrics) has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.

Music makes us creative: There is a proven fact that music has the ability to improve your listening as well as your understanding ability.