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How to Write Musical Notes If You Do Not Know How to Write Music

Learning to write music requires knowledge of music rudiments.

Learning to write music notes is very simple with a little guidance and education about the musical staff. Musicians use a system of staves, referred to as the grand staff, that includes the treble and bass clef. These musicians must learn the names of the notes on each staff and the different note values in order to read and write music. This skill does not require much effort, but only learning a few basic concepts. Even a novice who does not know how to write music will learn this skill quickly.

The staff system consists of five lines and four spaces. Each line and space will have notes placed upon them to indicate the highness or lowness of pitch. The pitch is determined by the position of note placement on the staff. The higher the note is placed, the higher it will sound. The treble clef loop wraps around the G-line.

Study the treble and bass clefs to learn the difference between the two. The treble clef deals with notes in the higher range and looks like an S that curls in on itself. The bass clef looks like a backwards "C" and has two dots on each side of the F-line.

Identify the names of the notes on the bass and treble clef. The bass clef starts with a G on the bottom line and moves up by one note name at a time. For instance, the first space is A, followed by a B on the second line. The treble clef operates in the same way and begins with the first line on E.

Memorize note values. Note values allow notes to be held for different lengths of time. A whole note will be held for four beats, a half note for two beats, a quarter note for one beat and eighth notes for a half beat. The whole note looks like a clear circle, the half note is a clear circle with a stem attached, the quarter note is a filled in circle with a stem and the eighth note is a quarter note with a flag on the top of the stem. The lengths of notes can can continually be shortened by halves from this point by adding more flags.

Create rests equivalent to note values by learning how to draw them. The whole note rest looks like an upside down top hat that fits between the third and fourth line. The half note rest looks like a top hat and is positioned between the third and fourth lines. Quarter note rests begin in the middle of the top space with a diagonal line down to the right. Continue the line down to the left of the middle line, and then once again down and to the right to the second line. An eighth note rest consists of a slash down and to the left with a small filled in dot coming off the top towards the left.

Write the notes on the staff that you wish to create. Use a piano to check your pitches, remembering that the F in the treble clef is played by fingering a white key right before the set of three black keys. The black keys represent sharps and flats and are pitches that exist halfway between regular pitches. These notes are C sharp and D sharp in the two-key sets, and F sharp, G sharp and A sharp in the three-key sets. These notes can also be identified as D flat and E flat in the two-key sets, and G flat, A flat and B flat in the three-key sets respectively. Draw flats on the stave by creating a slanted lower case "b" and draw sharps by writing a slanted "#" sign before the note value.

Learn how many notes fit in a single measure. Each measure will be divided into a set number of beats determined by the time signature. A time signature is written at the beginning of a stave as one number over another. The top number indicates the number of beats per measure and the bottom number tells which note has a value of one beat. Four-four [4/4] time will have four beats per measure and the quarter note gets one beat. Three-quarter [3/4] time will have three beats per measure with the quarter note garnering one beat. Six-eight [6/8] time will have six beats per measure and the eighth note, instead of the quarter note, is worth a single beat. You can double check the number of beats that will fit in each measure by calculating all of your note values to see if they add up to the correct number of beats per measure.

Decide on a metronome marking for your piece. This will determine the tempo or pace of the piece. Determine how many beats per minute occur in your piece and write that number at the front of the score. Use a metronome and experiment with different speeds to determine the best tempo. It is also permissible to use general tempo markings such as adagio for slow, andante for a walking pace, moderato for a medium pace, allegro for a fast pace and presto for a sprint.

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