151-481: A clef (from French: clef 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff . Placing a clef on a staff assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines or four spaces, which defines the pitches on the remaining lines and spaces. The three clef symbols used in modern music notation are the G-clef , F-clef , and C-clef . Placing these clefs on
302-417: A Baroque instrument called the chalumeau . This instrument was similar to a recorder , but with a single-reed mouthpiece and a cylindrical bore. Lacking a register key , it was played mainly in its fundamental register, with a limited range of about one and a half octaves. It had eight finger holes, like a recorder, and a written pitch range from F 3 to G 4 . At this time, contrary to modern practice,
453-507: A computer printer ( c. 1980 ) or other printing or modern copying technology . Although many ancient cultures used symbols to represent melodies and rhythms , none of them were particularly comprehensive, which has limited today's understanding of their music. The direct ancestor of the modern Western system of notation emerged in medieval Europe , in the context of the Christian Church 's attempts to standardize
604-428: A grand staff . If the neutral clef is used for a single percussion instrument the staff may only have one line, although other configurations are used. The neutral clef is sometimes used where non-percussion instruments play non-pitched extended techniques, such as hitting the body of a string instrument, or having a vocal choir clap, stamp, or snap. However, it is more common to write the rhythms using × noteheads on
755-555: A mnemonic device for Gregorian chant , using symbols known as neumes ; the earliest surviving musical notation of this type is in the Musica Disciplina of Aurelian of Réôme , from about 850. There are scattered survivals from the Iberian Peninsula before this time, of a type of notation known as Visigothic neumes , but its few surviving fragments have not yet been deciphered. The problem with this notation
906-430: A , g , e , Γ , B , and the round and square b . In later medieval music, the round b was often written in addition to another clef letter to indicate that B ♭ rather than B ♮ was to be used throughout a piece; this is the origin of the key signature . In the polyphonic period up to 1600, unusual clefs were occasionally used for parts with extremely high or low tessituras. For very low bass parts,
1057-495: A C-clef on the third space places the notes identically, but this notation is much less common as it is easily confused with the alto and tenor clefs . Such a modified treble clef is most often found in tenor parts in SATB settings, using a treble clef with the numeral 8 below it. This indicates that the pitches sound an octave lower. As the true tenor clef has fallen into disuse in vocal writings, this "octave-dropped" treble clef
1208-567: A G-clef on the third line yields the same note placement as a C-clef on the bottom line. Thus there are nine possible distinct clefs when limiting their placement to the lines. All have been used historically: the G-clef on the two bottom lines, the F-clef on the three top lines, and the C-clef on the four bottom lines. The C-clef on the topmost line has also been used, but is equivalent to the F-clef on
1359-608: A German mouthpiece and bore. The Albert clarinet was developed by Eugène Albert in 1848. This model was based on the Müller clarinet with some changes to keywork, and was also known as the "simple system". It included a "spectacle key" patented by Adolphe Sax and rollers to improve little-finger movement. After 1861, a "patent C sharp" key developed by Joseph Tyler was added to other clarinet models. Improved versions of Albert clarinets were built in Belgium and France for export to
1510-415: A certain melodic model given within the echos . Next to ekphonetic notation , only used in lectionaries to indicate formulas used during scriptural lessons, melodic notation developed not earlier than between the 9th and the 10th century, when a theta ( θ ), oxeia ( / ) or diple ( // ) were written under a certain syllable of the text, whenever a longer melisma was expected. This primitive form
1661-465: A clarinet follows these steps: In addition to this primary compression wave, other waves, known as harmonics , are created. Harmonics are caused by factors including the imperfect wobbling and shaking of the reed, the reed sealing the mouthpiece opening for part of the wave cycle (which creates a flattened section of the sound wave), and imperfections (bumps and holes) in the bore. A wide variety of compression waves are created, but only some (primarily
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#17327876682071812-480: A complete list of the clefs, along with a list of instruments and voice parts notated with them. A dagger (†) after the name of a clef indicates that the clef is no longer in common use. The only G-clef still in use is the treble clef, with the G-clef placed on the second line. This is the most common clef in use and is generally the first clef learned by music students. For this reason, the terms "G-clef" and "treble clef" are often seen as synonymous. The treble clef
1963-414: A cylindrical stopped pipe . Recorders use a tapered internal bore to overblow at the octave when the thumb/register hole is pinched open, while the clarinet, with its cylindrical bore, overblows at the twelfth . Most modern clarinets have "undercut" tone holes that improve intonation and sound. Undercutting means chamfering the bottom edge of tone holes inside the bore. Acoustically, this makes
2114-733: A few keys to control accidentals (notes outside their diatonic home scales). The low (chalumeau) register of the clarinet spans a twelfth (an octave plus a perfect fifth) before overblowing, so the clarinet needs keys/holes to produce all nineteen notes in this range. This involves more keywork than on instruments that "overblow" at the octave— oboes , flutes, bassoons , and saxophones need only twelve notes before overblowing. Since clarinets with few keys cannot play chromatically, they are limited to playing in closely related keys. For example, an eighteenth-century clarinet in C could play music in F, C, and G (and their relative minors) with good intonation, but with progressive difficulty and poorer intonation as
2265-408: A line fixes a reference note to that line—an F-clef fixes the F below middle C , a C-clef fixes middle C, and a G-clef fixes the G above middle C. In modern music notation, the G-clef is most frequently seen as treble clef (placing G 4 on the second line of the staff), and the F-clef as bass clef (placing F 3 on the fourth line). The C-clef is mostly encountered as alto clef (placing middle C on
2416-410: A major ninth lower, and are sometimes treated as concert-pitch instruments, using bass clef. The treble clef is also the upper staff of the grand staff used for harp and keyboard instruments . Most high parts for bass-clef instruments (e.g. cello , double bass , bassoon , and trombone ) are written in the tenor clef, but very high pitches may be notated in the treble clef. The viola also may use
2567-414: A modal signature or key (like " ΠΛ Α " for echos plagios protos or " Β " for echos devteros ). Unlike Western notation, Byzantine neumes used since the 10th century were always related to modal steps (same modal degree, one degree lower, two degrees higher, etc.) in relation to such a clef or modal key ( modal signatures ). Originally this key or the incipit of a common melody was enough to indicate
2718-480: A mood and a gradation of how this part of melody is to be sung (tempo, strength, devotion, meekness, etc.) Every sign has its own name and also features as a spiritual symbol. For example, there is a specific sign, called "little dove" (Russian: голубчик (golubchik) ), which represents two rising sounds, but which is also a symbol of the Holy Ghost . Gradually the system became more and more complicated. This system
2869-497: A musical notation. It was first identified and published by archaeologist/epigraphist D. R. Bhandarkar . Written in the Pallava-grantha script of the 7th century, it contains 38 horizontal lines of notations inscribed on a rectangular rock face (dimension of around 13 by 14 feet). Each line of the notation contains 64 characters (characters representing musical notes), written in groups of four notes. The basic characters for
3020-473: A particular genre, Jeong-ak ( 정악, 正樂 ). Jeong-gan-bo specifies the pitch by writing the pitch's name down in a box called 'jeong-gan'. One jeong-gan is one beat each, and it can be split into two, three or more to hold half beats and quarter beats, and more. Also, there are many markings indicating things such as ornaments. Most of these were later created by Ki-su Kim. The Samaveda text (1200 BCE – 1000 BCE) contains notated melodies, and these are probably
3171-485: A particular octave, as in Sundanese gamelan , or lowest, as in the kepatihan notation of Javanese gamelan . Clarinets Plucked The clarinet is a single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches. The clarinet family is the largest woodwind family, ranging from
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#17327876682073322-492: A particular string. Notation plays a relatively minor role in the oral traditions of Indonesia . However, in Java and Bali , several systems were devised beginning at the end of the 19th century, initially for archival purposes. Today the most widespread are cipher notations ("not angka" in the broadest sense) in which the pitches are represented with some subset of the numbers 1 to 7, with 1 corresponding to either highest note of
3473-437: A perfect fifth higher than the first. A second key, at the top, extended the range of the first register to A 4 and, together with the register key, to B ♭ 4 . Later, Denner lengthened the bell and provided it with a third key to extend the pitch range down to E 3 . After Denner's innovations, other makers added keys to improve tuning and facilitate fingerings and the chalumeau fell into disuse. The clarinet of
3624-400: A scale from one (soft) through five (hard). This numbering system is not standardized—reeds with the same number often vary in hardness across manufacturers and models. Reed and mouthpiece characteristics work together to determine ease of playability and tonal characteristics. The reed is attached to the mouthpiece by the ligature , and the top half-inch or so of this assembly is held in
3775-505: A single reed made from the cane of Arundo donax . Reeds may also be manufactured from synthetic materials. The ligature fastens the reed to the mouthpiece. When air is blown through the opening between the reed and the mouthpiece facing, the reed vibrates and produces the clarinet's sound. Most players buy manufactured reeds, although many make adjustments to these reeds, and some make their own reeds from cane "blanks". Reeds come in varying degrees of hardness, generally indicated on
3926-421: A single staff. Another tenor clef variant, formerly used in music for male chorus , has a ladder-like shape. This C-clef places the C on the third space of the staff, and is equivalent to the sub-octave treble clef . See also History . A C-clef on the second line of the staff is called the mezzo-soprano clef, rarely used in modern Western classical music. It was used in 17th century French orchestral music for
4077-485: A temporary change into another echos. The so-called "great signs" were once related to cheironomic signs; according to modern interpretations they are understood as embellishments and microtonal attractions (pitch changes smaller than a semitone ), both essential in Byzantine chant. Since Chrysanthos of Madytos there are seven standard note names used for "solfège" ( parallagē ) pá, vú, g á, d i, ké, zō, nē , while
4228-422: A treble clef with a diagonal line through the upper half of the clef to indicate octave pitch, but this is not always used. To indicate that notes sound an octave higher than written, a treble clef with an 8 positioned above the clef may be used for penny whistle , soprano and sopranino recorder , and other high woodwind parts. A treble clef with a 15 above (sounding two octaves above the standard treble clef)
4379-453: A written E ♭ and some have additional keys to enable a written C 3 . Among the less common members of the clarinet family, contrabass clarinets may have keywork to written D 3 , C 3 , or B 2 ; the basset clarinet and basset horn generally go to low C 3 . Defining the top end of a clarinet's range is difficult, since many advanced players can produce notes well above the highest notes commonly found in method books. G 6
4530-419: Is a curved metal neck instead of a barrel. The main body of most clarinets has an upper joint, whose mechanism is mostly operated by the left hand, and a lower joint, mostly operated by the right hand. Some clarinets have a one-piece body. The modern soprano clarinet has numerous tone holes —seven are covered with the fingertips and the rest are operated using a set of 17 keys. The most common system of keys
4681-497: Is a singing tradition used in the Russian Orthodox Church which uses a "hook and banner" notation. Znamenny Chant is unison , melismatic liturgical singing that has its own specific notation, called the stolp notation. The symbols used in the stolp notation are called kryuki (Russian: крюки , 'hooks') or znamyona (Russian: знамёна , 'banners'). Often the names of the signs are used to refer to
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4832-441: Is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of a piece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition. The process of interpreting musical notation is often referred to as reading music . Distinct methods of notation have been invented throughout history by various cultures. Much information about ancient music notation
4983-403: Is fragmentary. Even in the same time frames, different styles of music and different cultures use different music notation methods. For example, classical performers most often use sheet music using staves , time signatures , key signatures , and noteheads for writing and deciphering pieces . But even so, there are far more systems just that, for instance in professional country music ,
5134-511: Is indicated by the form of the note-head or with the addition of a note-stem plus beams or flags. A stemless hollow oval is a whole note or semibreve, a hollow rectangle or stemless hollow oval with one or two vertical lines on both sides is a double whole note or breve. A stemmed hollow oval is a half note or minim. Solid ovals always use stems, and can indicate quarter notes (crotchets) or, with added beams or flags, smaller subdivisions. Additional symbols such as dots and ties can lengthen
5285-410: Is indicated in a rudimentary way only, with long and short symbols. The Seikilos epitaph has been variously dated between the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century CE. Three hymns by Mesomedes of Crete exist in manuscript . The Delphic Hymns , dated to the 2nd century BCE also use this notation, but they are not completely preserved. Ancient Greek notation appears to have fallen out of use around
5436-409: Is named Sa, and the dominant Pa. Sa is fixed in any scale, and Pa is fixed at a fifth above it (a Pythagorean fifth rather than an equal-tempered fifth). These two notes are known as achala swar ('fixed notes'). Each of the other five notes, Re, Ga, Ma, Dha and Ni, can take a 'regular' (shuddha) pitch, which is equivalent to its pitch in a standard major scale (thus, shuddha Re, the second degree of
5587-441: Is often called the tenor clef. The same clef is sometimes used for the octave mandolin . This can also be indicated with two overlapping G-clefs. Tenor banjo is commonly notated in treble clef. However, notation varies between the written pitch sounding an octave lower (as in guitar music and called octave pitch in most tenor banjo methods) and music sounding at the written pitch (called actual pitch). An attempt has been made to use
5738-628: Is rare in classical literature; however, certain performers, such as Richard Stoltzman , use vibrato in classical music. Special fingerings and lip-bending may be used to play microtonal intervals. There have also been efforts to create a quarter tone clarinet . Clarinet bodies have been made from a variety of materials including wood, plastic, hard rubber or Ebonite , metal, and ivory . The vast majority of wooden clarinets are made from African blackwood (grenadilla), or, more uncommonly, Honduran rosewood or cocobolo . Historically other woods, particularly boxwood and ebony , were used. Since
5889-479: Is rare. The only F-clef still in use is the bass clef, with the clef placed on the fourth line. Since it is the only F-clef commonly encountered, the terms "F-clef" and "bass clef" are often regarded as synonymous. Bass clef is used for the cello , double bass and bass guitar , bassoon and contrabassoon , bass recorder , trombone , tuba , and timpani . It is used for baritone horn or euphonium when their parts are written at concert pitch, and sometimes for
6040-433: Is used for the garklein (sopranissimo) recorder . An F-clef can also be notated with an octave marker. While the F-clef notated to sound an octave lower can be used for contrabass instruments such as the double bass and contrabassoon , and the F-clef notated to sound an octave higher can be used for the bass recorder, these uses are extremely rare. In Italian scores up to Gioachino Rossini 's Overture to William Tell ,
6191-429: Is usually the highest note encountered in classical repertoire, but fingerings as high as A 7 exist. The range of a clarinet can be divided into three distinct registers : The three registers have characteristically different sounds—the chalumeau is rich and dark, the clarion is brighter and sweet, like a trumpet heard from afar, and the altissimo can be piercing and sometimes shrill. The production of sound by
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6342-696: Is widely used as a solo instrument. The clarinet evolved later than other orchestral woodwind instruments, leaving solo repertoire from the Classical period onward, but few works from the Baroque era. Many clarinet concertos and clarinet sonatas have been written to showcase the instrument, for example those by Mozart and Weber . Many works of chamber music have been written for the clarinet. Common combinations are: Groups of clarinets playing together have become increasingly popular among clarinet enthusiasts in recent years. Common forms are: The clarinet
6493-534: The BB♭ contrabass to the E♭ soprano . The B ♭ soprano clarinet is the most common type, and is the instrument usually indicated by the word "clarinet". German instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner is generally credited with inventing the clarinet sometime around 1700 by adding a register key to the chalumeau , an earlier single-reed instrument. Over time, additional keywork and airtight pads were added to improve
6644-465: The Classical period , as used by Mozart , typically had five keys. Mozart suggested extending the clarinet downwards by four semitones to C 3 , which resulted in the basset clarinet that was about 18 centimetres (7.1 in) longer, made first by Theodor Lotz. In 1791 Mozart composed the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A major for this instrument, with passages ranging down to C 3 . By
6795-530: The Muscovite Chant (Znamenny Chant proper) being the second branch of the same musical continuum. Znamenny Chants are not written with notes (the so-called linear notation), but with special signs, called Znamëna (Russian for "marks", "banners") or Kryuki ("hooks"), as some shapes of these signs resemble hooks. Each sign may include the following components: a large black hook or a black stroke, several smaller black 'points' and 'commas' and lines near
6946-493: The Nashville Number System is the main method, and for string instruments such as guitar , it is quite common for tablature to be used by players. The symbols used include ancient symbols and modern symbols made upon any media such as symbols cut into stone, made in clay tablets , made using a pen on papyrus or parchment or manuscript paper ; printed using a printing press ( c. 1400 ),
7097-405: The alto clef (for viola and alto trombone ) and the tenor clef (used for some cello , bassoon , tenor trombone , and double bass music). Some instruments use mainly one clef, such as violin and flute which use treble clef , and double bass and tuba which use bass clef . Some instruments, such as piano and pipe organ , regularly use both treble and bass clefs. Following the clef,
7248-431: The choirleaders of the cathedral rite. They existed once as part of an oral tradition, developed Kondakarian notation and became, during the 13th century, integrated into Byzantine round notation as a kind of universal notation system. Today the main difference between Western and Eastern neumes is that Eastern notation symbols are "differential" rather than absolute, i.e., they indicate pitch steps (rising, falling or at
7399-415: The hardcore punk subgenre mathcore , may use mixed meter ; songs or pieces change from one meter to another, for example alternating between bars of 4 and 8 . Directions to the player regarding matters such as tempo (e.g., Andante ) and dynamics (e.g., forte) appear above or below the staff. Terms indicating the musical expression or "feel" to a song or piece are indicated at
7550-421: The key signature is a group of 0 to 7 sharp ( ♯ ) or flat ( ♭ ) signs placed on the staff to indicate the key of the piece or song by specifying that certain notes are sharp or flat throughout the piece, unless otherwise indicated with accidentals added before certain notes. When a flat ( ♭ ) sign is placed before a note, the pitch of the note is lowered by one semitone. Similarly, a sharp sign ( ♯ ) raises
7701-407: The pitch . The player moves between the chalumeau and clarion registers through use of the register key . The open register key stops the fundamental frequency from being reinforced, making the reed vibrate at three times the frequency, which produces a note a twelfth above the original note. Most woodwind instruments have a second register that begins an octave above the first (with notes at twice
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#17327876682077852-489: The 1950s include Stan Hasselgård , Jimmy Giuffre , Eric Dolphy (on bass clarinet), Perry Robinson , and John Carter . In the US, the prominent players on the instrument since the 1980s have included Eddie Daniels , Don Byron , Marty Ehrlich , Ken Peplowski , and others playing in both traditional and contemporary styles. The clarinet is uncommon, but not unheard of, in rock music. Jerry Martini played clarinet on Sly and
8003-462: The 1980s, a score stored electronically can have parts automatically prepared by the program and quickly and inexpensively printed out using a computer printer. Jeongganbo is a traditional musical notation system created during the time of Sejong the Great that was the first East Asian system to represent rhythm, pitch, and time. Among various kinds of Korean traditional music, Jeong-gan-bo targets
8154-410: The 19th century, the most common arrangement for vocal music used the following clefs: In more modern publications, four-part music on parallel staffs is usually written more simply as: This may be reduced to two staffs, the soprano and alto sharing a staff with a treble clef, and the tenor and bass sharing a staff marked with the bass clef. Clef combinations played a role in the modal system toward
8305-419: The 20th century. The C-clef was formerly written in a more angular way, sometimes still used, or, more often, as a simplified K -shape when writing the clef by hand: [REDACTED] In modern Gregorian chant notation the C clef is written (on a four-line staff) in the form [REDACTED] and the F clef as [REDACTED] The flourish at the top of the G-clef probably derives from a cursive S for "sol",
8456-630: The 6th century CE and were incorporated into the Indian 'raga' system that developed later. But some of the unusual features seen in this notation have been given several non-conclusive interpretations by scholars. In the notation of Indian rāga , a solfege-like system called sargam is used. As in Western solfege, there are names for the seven basic pitches of a major scale (Shadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Madhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata and Nishada, usually shortened to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni). The tonic of any scale
8607-415: The 6th century, Greek theoretical categories ( melos , genos , harmonia , systema ) played a key role to understand and transmit Byzantine music, especially the tradition of Damascus had a strong impact on the pre-Islamic Near East comparable to the impact coming from Persian music . The earliest evidence are papyrus fragments of Greek tropologia. These fragments just present the hymn text following
8758-411: The E below middle C as their lowest written note. The concert pitch that sounds depends on the individual instrument's transposition (this low E sounds as a concert D 3 on a B ♭ soprano clarinet, a whole tone lower than the written note). Some B ♭ clarinets go to a written E ♭ 3 to match the range of the A clarinet. Bass clarinets have keywork extending the low range to
8909-686: The Family Stone 's 1968 hit, " Dance to the Music ". The Beatles included a trio of clarinets in " When I'm Sixty-Four " from their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album. A clarinet is prominently featured in what a Billboard reviewer termed a "Benny Goodman-flavored clarinet solo" in " Breakfast in America ", the title song from the Supertramp album of the same name . Clarinets feature prominently in klezmer music, which employs
9060-487: The G-clef is used for high parts, the C-clef for middle parts, and the F-clef for low parts. Transposing instruments can be an exception to this—the same clef is generally used for all instruments in a family, regardless of their sounding pitch. For example, even the low saxophones read in treble clef. A symmetry exists surrounding middle C regarding the F-, C- and G-clefs. C-clef defines middle C whereas G-clef and F-clef define
9211-592: The German not only in fingering but also in sound. Richard Strauss noted that "French clarinets have a flat, nasal tone, while German ones approximate the singing voice". Among modern instruments the difference is smaller, although intonation differences persist. The use of Oehler clarinets has continued in German and Austrian orchestras. Today the Boehm system is standard everywhere except in Germany and Austria, where
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#17327876682079362-502: The Latin root clarus ' clear ' . The word is related to Middle English clarion , a type of trumpet, the name of which derives from the same root. The earliest mention of the word "clarinette" being used for the instrument dates to a 1710 order placed by the Duke of Gronsfeld for two instruments made by Jacob Denner . The English form "clarinet" is found as early as 1733, and
9513-448: The Latin word Do minus , meaning Lord . Christian monks developed the first forms of modern European musical notation in order to standardize liturgy throughout the worldwide Church, and an enormous body of religious music has been composed for it through the ages. This led directly to the emergence and development of European classical music, and its many derivatives. The Baroque style, which encompassed music, art, and architecture,
9664-565: The Oehler clarinet is still used. Some contemporary Dixieland players continue to use Albert system clarinets. The Reform Boehm system is also popular in the Netherlands. The modern orchestral standard of using soprano clarinets in B ♭ and A has to do partly with the history of the instrument and partly with acoustics, aesthetics, and economics. Before about 1800, due to the lack of airtight pads, practical woodwinds could have only
9815-572: The UK and the US. Around 1860, clarinettist Carl Baermann and instrument maker Georg Ottensteiner developed the patented Baermann/Ottensteiner clarinet. This instrument had new connecting levers, allowing multiple fingering options to operate some of the pads. The Brahms clarinetist Richard Mühlfeld used this clarinet, and the American clarinet soloist Charles Neidich has used a Baermann-Ottensteiner instrument for playing compositions by Brahms. In
9966-407: The absolute pitch of each note may slightly vary each time, depending on the particular Ēkhos used. Byzantine notation is still used in many Orthodox Churches. Sometimes cantors also use transcriptions into Western or Kievan staff notation while adding non-notatable embellishment material from memory and "sliding" into the natural scales from experience, but even concerning modern neume editions since
10117-401: The actual written pitch. (see "Octave clefs" below). When the F-clef is placed on the fifth line, it is called the sub-bass clef. It was used by Johannes Ockeghem and Heinrich Schütz to write low bass parts, by Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe for low notes on the bass viol, and by J. S. Bach in his Musical Offering . It is the same as the treble clef, but two octaves lower. A C-clef on
10268-692: The axles, and the ring keys simplified some complicated fingering patterns. The inventors called this the Boehm clarinet , although Böhm was not involved in its development and the system differed from the one used on the flute. Other key systems have been developed, many built around modifications to the basic Boehm system, including the Full Boehm, Mazzeo , McIntyre, the Benade NX, and the Reform Boehm system , which combined Boehm-system keywork with
10419-458: The bass guitar, etc.), with numbers on the lines showing which fret, if any, should be used and symbols for specific techniques. Before the advent of clefs, the reference line of a staff was simply labeled with the name of the note it was intended to bear: F , C , or sometimes G . These were the most common 'clefs', or litterae clavis (key-letters), in Gregorian chant notation. Over time
10570-449: The bassoon, cello, euphonium, double bass, and tenor trombone . Treble clef may also be used for the upper extremes of these bass-clef instruments. Tenor violin parts were also written in this clef (see e.g. Giovanni Battista Vitali 's Op. 11). It was used by the tenor part in vocal music but its use has been largely supplanted either with an octave version of the treble clef or with bass clef when tenor and bass parts are written on
10721-420: The beginning of the piece and at any points where the mood changes (e.g., "Gelassen") For vocal music, lyrics are written near the pitches of the melody. For short pauses (breaths), retakes (retakes are indicated with a ' mark) are added. In music for ensembles , a " score " shows music for all players together, with the staves for the different instruments and/or voices stacked vertically. The conductor uses
10872-487: The cor anglais was written in bass clef an octave lower than sounding. The unmodified bass clef is so common that performers of instruments whose ranges lie below the staff simply learn to read ledger lines. Main Article: Percussion Notation The neutral or percussion clef is not a true clef like the F, C, and G clefs. Rather, it assigns different unpitched percussion instruments to
11023-495: The duration of a note. A staff of written music generally begins with a clef , which indicates the pitch-range of the staff. The treble clef or G clef was originally a letter G and it identifies the second line up on the five line staff as the note G above middle C. The bass clef or F clef identifies the second line down as the note F below middle C. While the treble and bass clef are the most widely used, other clefs, which identify middle C, are used for some instruments, such as
11174-400: The earliest notated melodies found anywhere in the world. Ancient Greek musical notation was in use from at least the 6th century BCE until approximately the 4th century CE; only one complete composition ( Seikilos epitaph ) and a number of fragments using this notation survive. The notation for sung music consists of letter symbols for the pitches , placed above text syllables. Rhythm
11325-408: The early Mueller system . The cluster of keys at the bottom of the upper joint (protruding slightly beyond the cork of the joint) are known as the trill keys and are operated by the right hand. The entire weight of the smaller clarinets is supported by the right thumb behind the lower joint on what is called the thumb rest . Larger clarinets are supported with a neck strap or a floor peg. Below
11476-622: The early 20th century, the German clarinetist and clarinet maker Oskar Oehler [ de ] presented a clarinet using similar fingerings to the Baermann instrument, with significantly more toneholes than the Böhm model. The new clarinet was called the Oehler system clarinet or German clarinet, while the Böhm clarinet has since been called the French clarinet. The French clarinet differs from
11627-583: The eighth notes are typically put into four groups of three eighth notes. 8 is a compound time type of time signature). Many other time signatures exist, such as 2 or 8 . Many short classical music pieces from the classical era and songs from traditional music and popular music are in one time signature for much or all of the piece. Music from the Romantic music era and later, particularly contemporary classical music and rock music genres such as progressive rock and
11778-445: The end of the 16th century, and it has been suggested certain clef combinations in the polyphonic music of 16th-century vocal polyphony are reserved for authentic (odd-numbered) modes, and others for plagal (even-numbered) modes, but the precise implications have been the subject of much scholarly debate. Reading music as if it were in a different clef from the one indicated can be an aid in transposing music at sight since it will move
11929-567: The end of the 17th century. The founder of what is now considered the standard music staff was Guido d'Arezzo , an Italian Benedictine monk who lived from about 991 until after 1033. He taught the use of solmization syllables based on a hymn to Saint John the Baptist , which begins Ut Queant Laxis and was written by the Lombard historian Paul the Deacon . The first stanza is: Guido used
12080-475: The first syllable of each line, Ut, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, and Si, to read notated music in terms of hexachords ; they were not note names, and each could, depending on context, be applied to any note. In the 17th century, Ut was changed in most countries except France to the easily singable, open syllable Do, believed to have been taken either from the name of the Italian theorist Giovanni Battista Do ni , or from
12231-403: The frequency of the lower notes). With the aid of an 'octave' or 'register' key, the notes sound an octave higher as the fingering pattern repeats. These instruments are said to overblow at the octave. The clarinet differs, since it acts as a closed-pipe system. The low chalumeau register plays fundamentals, but the clarion (second) register plays the third harmonics, a perfect twelfth higher than
12382-443: The fundamentals. The clarinet is therefore said to overblow at the twelfth. The first several notes of the altissimo (third) range, aided by the register key and venting with the first left-hand hole, play the fifth harmonics, a perfect twelfth plus a major sixth above the fundamentals. The fifth and seventh harmonics are also available, sounding a further sixth and fourth (a flat, diminished fifth) higher respectively; these are
12533-555: The hook or crossing the hook. Some signs may mean only one note, some 2 to 4 notes, and some a whole melody of more than 10 notes with a complicated rhythmic structure. The stolp notation was developed in Kievan Rus' as an East Slavic refinement of the Byzantine neumatic musical notation. The most notable feature of this notation system is that it records transitions of the melody, rather than notes . The signs also represent
12684-441: The instrument with considerably more keys. In 1812 Müller presented a clarinet with seven finger holes and thirteen keys, which he called "clarinet omnitonic" since it was capable of playing in all keys. It was no longer necessary to use differently tuned clarinets for a different keys. Müller is also considered the inventor of the metal ligature and the thumb rest . During this period the typical embouchure also changed, orienting
12835-427: The instrument's normal staff, with a comment to indicate the appropriate rhythmic action. For guitars and other fretted instruments, it is possible to notate tablature in place of ordinary notes. This TAB sign is not a clef — it does not indicate the placement of notes on a staff. The lines shown are not a music staff but rather represent the strings of the instrument (six lines would be used for guitar, four lines for
12986-688: The instruments. In the 20th century, Igor Stravinsky , Richard Strauss , and Gustav Mahler employed many different clarinets, including the E ♭ or D soprano clarinets, basset horn , bass clarinet , and/or contrabass clarinet . The practice of using different clarinets to achieve tonal variety was common in 20th-century classical music . The E ♭ clarinet, B ♭ clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, and contra-alto/contrabass clarinet are commonly used in concert bands , which generally have multiple B ♭ clarinets; there are commonly three or even four B ♭ clarinet parts with two to three players per part. The clarinet
13137-574: The introduction of graphical notation by some modern composers and the use, since the 1980s, of computer-based scorewriter programs for notating music. Music notation has been adapted to many kinds of music, including classical music , popular music , and traditional music . The earliest form of musical notation can be found in a cuneiform tablet that was created at Nippur , in Babylonia (today's Iraq ), in about 1400 BCE. The tablet represents fragmentary instructions for performing music, that
13288-448: The key moved away from this range. With the advent of airtight pads and improved key technology, more keys were added to woodwinds and the need for clarinets in multiple keys was reduced. The use of instruments in C, B ♭ , and A persisted, with each used as specified by the composer. The lower-pitched clarinets sound "mellower" (less bright), and the C clarinet—the highest and brightest sounding of these three—fell out of favor as
13439-512: The key signature or an accidental, is cancelled. Sometimes a courtesy accidental is used in music where it is not technically required, to remind the musician of what pitch is required. Following the key signature is the time signature . The time signature typically consists of two numbers, with one of the most common being 4 . The top "4" indicates that there are four beats per measure (also called bar ). The bottom "4" indicates that each of those beats are quarter notes. Measures divide
13590-552: The late 1930s. Beginning in the 1940s, the clarinet faded from its prominent position in jazz. By that time, an interest in Dixieland , a revival of traditional New Orleans jazz, had begun. Pete Fountain was one of the best known performers in this genre. The clarinet's place in the jazz ensemble was usurped by the saxophone, which projects a more powerful sound and uses a less complicated fingering system. The clarinet did not entirely disappear from jazz—prominent players since
13741-549: The late 19th century, particularly for military use. Metal is still used for the bodies of some contra-alto and contrabass clarinets and the necks and bells of nearly all alto and larger clarinets. Mouthpieces are generally made of hard rubber, although some inexpensive mouthpieces may be made of plastic. Other materials such as glass, wood, ivory, and metal have also been used. Ligatures are often made of metal and tightened using one or more adjustment screws; other materials include plastic, string, or fabric. The clarinet uses
13892-419: The lines and spaces of the staff. With the exception of some common drum-kit and marching percussion layouts, the assignment of lines and spaces to instruments is not standardised, so a legend is required to show which instrument each line or space represents. Pitched percussion instruments do not use this clef — timpani are notated in bass clef and mallet percussion instruments are noted in treble clef or on
14043-469: The lowest notes of the horn . Baritone and bass voices also use bass clef, and the tenor voice is notated in bass clef if the tenor and bass are written on the same staff. Bass clef is the bottom clef in the grand staff for harp and keyboard instruments . Double bass, bass guitar, and contrabassoon sound an octave lower than the written pitch; some scores show an "8" beneath the clef for these instruments to differentiate from instruments that sound at
14194-595: The main body is a flared end known as the bell. The bell does not amplify the sound but improves the uniformity of the instrument's tone for the lowest notes in each register. For the other notes, the sound is produced almost entirely at the tone holes, and the bell is irrelevant. On basset horns and larger clarinets, the bell curves up and forward and is usually made of metal. The clarinet has its roots in early single-reed instruments used in Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt . The modern clarinet developed from
14345-508: The mid-20th century, clarinets (particularly student or band models) are also made from plastics, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). One of the first such blends of plastic was Resonite, a term originally trademarked by Selmer . The Greenline model by Buffet Crampon is made from a composite of resin and the African blackwood powder left over from the manufacture of wooden clarinets. Metal soprano clarinets were popular in
14496-491: The mouthpiece with the reed facing downward. This was first recommended in 1782 and became standard by the 1830s. In the late 1830s, German flute maker Theobald Böhm invented a ring and axle key system for the flute. This key system was first used on the clarinet between 1839 and 1843 by French clarinetist Hyacinthe Klosé in collaboration with instrument maker Louis Auguste Buffet . Their design introduced needle springs for
14647-433: The music was composed in harmonies of thirds , and that it was written using a diatonic scale . A tablet from about 1250 BCE shows a more developed form of notation. Although the interpretation of the notation system is still controversial, it is clear that the notation indicates the names of strings on a lyre , the tuning of which is described in other tablets. Although they are fragmentary, these tablets represent
14798-502: The name for "G" in solfege . C clefs (along with G, F, Γ, D, and A clefs) were formerly used to notate vocal music. Nominally, the soprano voice parts were written in first- or second-line C clef ( soprano clef or mezzo-soprano clef ) or second-line G clef ( treble clef ), the alto or tenor voices in third-line C clef ( alto clef ), the tenor voice in fourth-line C clef ( tenor clef ) and the bass voice in third-, fourth- or fifth-line F clef ( baritone , bass , or sub-bass clef ). Until
14949-439: The need for two clarinets, the technical difficulty of playing in remote keys persisted, and the A has remained a standard orchestral instrument. By the late 19th century the orchestral clarinet repertoire contained so much music for clarinet in A that it has remained in use. The orchestra frequently includes two clarinetists, each usually equipped with a B ♭ and an A clarinet, and clarinet parts commonly alternate between
15100-404: The note at the interval of a fifth above middle C and below middle C, respectively. Common mnemonics for the notes on treble clef: For bass clef: Theoretically, any clef may be placed on any line. With five lines on the staff and three clefs, there are fifteen possibilities for clef placement. Six of these are redundant because they result in an identical assignment of the notes—for example,
15251-461: The notes in the same staff positions as the bass clef, but two octaves higher. When the F-clef is placed on the third line, it is called the baritone clef. Baritone clef was used for the left hand of keyboard music (particularly in France; see Bauyn manuscript ) and for baritone parts in vocal music. A C-clef on the fifth line creates a staff with identical notes to the baritone clef, but this variant
15402-408: The notes of the altissimo register. The lip position and pressure, shaping of the vocal tract, choice of reed and mouthpiece, amount of air pressure created, and evenness of the airflow account for most of the player's ability to control the tone of a clarinet. Their vocal tract will be shaped to resonate at frequencies associated with the tone being produced. Vibrato , a pulsating change of pitch,
15553-602: The now-archaic "clarionet" appears from 1784 until the early 20th century. A person who plays the clarinet is called a clarinetist (in North American English ), a clarinettist (in British English ), or simply a clarinet player. The clarinet's cylindrical bore is the main reason for its distinctive timbre , which varies between the three main registers (the chalumeau , clarion , and altissimo ). The A and B ♭ clarinets have nearly
15704-409: The odd harmonics) are reinforced. This in combination with the cut-off frequency (where a significant drop in resonance occurs) results in the characteristic tone of the clarinet. The bore is cylindrical for most of the tube with an inner bore diameter between 0.575 and 0.585 inches (14.6 and 14.9 mm), but there is a subtle hourglass shape, with the thinnest part below the junction between
15855-511: The older practice still used the four enechemata or intonation formulas of the four echoi given by the modal signatures, the authentic or kyrioi in ascending direction, and the plagal or plagioi in descending direction ( Papadic Octoechos ). With exception of vú and zō they do roughly correspond to Western solmization syllables as re, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do . Byzantine music uses the eight natural, non-tempered scales whose elements were identified by Ēkhoi , "sounds", exclusively, and therefore
16006-589: The other two could cover its range and their sound was considered better. While the clarinet in C began to fall out of general use around 1850, some composers continued to write C parts, e.g., Bizet 's Symphony in C (1855), Tchaikovsky 's Symphony No. 2 (1872), Smetana 's overture to The Bartered Bride (1866) and Má Vlast (1874), Dvořák's Slavonic Dance Op. 46, No. 1 (1878), Brahms ' Symphony No. 4 (1885), Mahler's Symphony No. 6 (1906), and Strauss ' Der Rosenkavalier (1911). While technical improvements and an equal-tempered scale reduced
16157-519: The performance of plainsong melodies so that chants could be standardized across different areas. Notation developed further during the Renaissance and Baroque music eras. In the classical period (1750–1820) and the Romantic music era (1820–1900), notation continued to develop as the technology for musical instruments developed. In the contemporary classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries, music notation has continued to develop, with
16308-571: The piece into groups of beats , and the time signatures specify those groupings. 4 is used so often that it is also called " common time ", and it may be indicated with [REDACTED] rather than numbers. Other frequently used time signatures are 4 (three beats per bar, with each beat being a quarter note); 4 (two beats per bar, with each beat being a quarter note); 8 (six beats per bar, with each beat being an eighth note) and 8 (twelve beats per bar, with each beat being an eighth note; in practice,
16459-441: The pitch by one semitone. For example, a sharp on the note D would raise it to D♯ while a flat would lower it to D♭ . Double sharps and double flats are less common, but they are used. A double sharp is placed before a note to make it two semitones higher, a double flat - two semitones lower. A natural sign placed before a note renders that note in its "natural" form, which means that any sharp or flat applied to that note from
16610-596: The pitches roughly in parallel to the written part. Key signatures and accidentals need to be accounted for when this is done. For use with computer systems, the Unicode Consortium has created code points for twelve different clef symbols as part of a repertoire called the "Musical Symbols" block . Although much of the list was established by 1999, general provision of these symbols in common computer fonts remains rather limited. The clef symbols provided are these: Musical notation Musical notation
16761-407: The pitches that their inscriptions refer to. Although no notated musical compositions were found, the inscriptions indicate that the system was sufficiently advanced to allow for musical notation. Two systems of pitch nomenclature existed, one for relative pitch and one for absolute pitch. For relative pitch, a solmization system was used. Gongche notation used Chinese characters for the names of
16912-442: The player's mouth. In the past, string was used to bind the reed to the mouthpiece. The formation of the mouth around the mouthpiece and reed is called the embouchure . The reed is on the underside of the mouthpiece, pressing against the player's lower lip, while the top teeth normally contact the top of the mouthpiece (some players roll the upper lip under the top teeth to form what is called a 'double-lip' embouchure). Adjustments in
17063-414: The reed was placed in contact with the upper lip. Around the beginning of the 18th century the German instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner (or possibly his son Jacob Denner) equipped a chalumeau in the alto register with two keys, one of which enabled access to a higher register. This second register did not begin an octave above the first, as with other woodwind instruments, but started an octave and
17214-401: The reform of Chrysanthos a lot of details are only known from an oral tradition related to traditional masters and their experience. In 1252, Safi al-Din al-Urmawi developed a form of musical notation, where rhythms were represented by geometric representation. Many subsequent scholars of rhythm have sought to develop graphical geometrical notations. For example, a similar geometric system
17365-525: The right hand of keyboard music (particularly in France – see Bauyn manuscript ), in vocal music for sopranos, and sometimes for high viola da gamba parts along with the alto clef. It was used for the second violin part ('haute-contre') in 17th century French music. Starting in the 18th century, music for some instruments (such as guitar ) and for the tenor voice have used treble clef, although they sound an octave lower. To avoid ambiguity, modified clefs are sometimes used, especially in choral writing. Using
17516-493: The same bore and nearly identical tonal quality, although the A typically has a slightly warmer sound. The tone of the E ♭ clarinet is brighter and can be heard through loud orchestral textures. The bass clarinet has a characteristically deep, mellow sound, and the alto clarinet sounds similar to the bass, though not as dark. Clarinets have the largest pitch range of common woodwinds. Nearly all soprano and piccolo clarinets have keywork enabling them to play
17667-609: The same clef persisted until very recent times. The F-clef was, until as late as the 1980s in some cases (such as hymnals), or in British and French publications, written like this: [REDACTED] In printed music from the 16th and 17th centuries, the C clef often assumed a ladder-like form, in which the two horizontal rungs surround the staff line indicated as C: [REDACTED] ; this form survived in some printed editions ( see this example , written in four-part men's harmony and positioned to make it equivalent to an octave G clef) into
17818-653: The same step), and the musicians know to deduce correctly, from the score and the note they are singing presently, which correct interval is meant. These step symbols themselves, or better "phonic neumes", resemble brush strokes and are colloquially called gántzoi ('hooks') in modern Greek . Notes as pitch classes or modal keys (usually memorised by modal signatures) are represented in written form only between these neumes (in manuscripts usually written in red ink). In modern notation they simply serve as an optional reminder and modal and tempo directions have been added, if necessary. In Papadic notation medial signatures usually meant
17969-467: The scale, is a whole-step higher than Sa), or an altered pitch, either a half-step above or half-step below the shuddha pitch. Re, Ga, Dha and Ni all have altered partners that are a half-step lower (Komal-"flat") (thus, komal Re is a half-step higher than Sa). Ma has an altered partner that is a half-step higher ( teevra -"sharp") (thus, tivra Ma is an augmented fourth above Sa). Re, Ga, Ma, Dha and Ni are called vikrut swar ('movable notes'). In
18120-408: The scale. Japanese music is highly diversified, and therefore requires various systems of notation. In Japanese shakuhachi music, for example, glissandos and timbres are often more significant than distinct pitches, whereas taiko notation focuses on discrete strokes. Ryukyuan sanshin music uses kunkunshi , a notation system of kanji with each character corresponding to a finger position on
18271-431: The score while leading an orchestra , concert band , choir or other large ensemble. Individual performers in an ensemble play from "parts" which contain only the music played by an individual musician. A score can be constructed from a complete set of parts and vice versa. The process was laborious and time consuming when parts were hand-copied from the score, but since the development of scorewriter computer software in
18422-407: The second viola or first tenor part ('taille') by such composers as Lully, and for mezzo-soprano voices in operatic roles, notably by Claudio Monteverdi . Mezzo-soprano clef was also used for certain flute parts during renaissance, especially when doubling vocal lines. In Azerbaijani music , the tar uses this clef. A C-clef on the first line of the staff is called the soprano clef. It was used for
18573-439: The seven notes, 'sa ri ga ma pa dha ni', are seen to be suffixed with the vowels a, i, u, e. For example, in the place of 'sa', any one of 'sa', 'si', 'su' or 'se' is used. Similarly, in place of ri, any one of 'ra', 'ri', 'ru' or 're' is used. Horizontal lines divide the notation into 7 sections. Each section contains 4 to 7 lines of notation, with a title indicating its musical 'mode'. These modes may have been popular at least from
18724-532: The shapes of these letters became stylised, leading to their current versions. Many other clefs were used, particularly in the early period of chant notation, keyed to many different notes, from the low Γ ( gamma , the G on the bottom line of the bass clef) to the G above middle C (written with a small letter g ). These included two different lowercase b symbols for the note just below middle C: round for B ♭ , and square for B ♮ . In order of frequency of use, these clefs were: F , c , f , C , D ,
18875-839: The soloist or monophonaris) of the Constantinopolitan cathedral rite. The earliest books which have survived, are "kondakars" in Slavonic translation which already show a notation system known as Kondakarian notation . Like the Greek alphabet notational signs are ordered left to right (though the direction could be adapted like in certain Syriac manuscripts). The question of rhythm was entirely based on cheironomia (the interpretation of so-called great signs which derived from different chant books). These great signs ( μεγάλα σῃμάδια ) indicated well-known melodic phrases given by gestures of
19026-412: The staff lines, between the lines (ie in the spaces) or above and below the staff using small additional lines called ledger lines . Notation is read from left to right, which makes setting music for right-to-left scripts difficult. The pitch of a note is indicated by the vertical position of the note-head within the staff, and can be modified by accidentals . The duration (note length or note value )
19177-491: The stolp notation. Znamenny melodies are part of a system, consisting of Eight Modes (intonation structures; called glasy); the melodies are characterized by fluency and well-balancedness. There exist several types of Znamenny Chant: the so-called Stolpovoy , Malyj (Little) and Bolshoy (Great) Znamenny Chant. Ruthenian Chant ( Prostopinije ) is sometimes considered a sub-division of the Znamenny Chant tradition, with
19328-462: The strength and shape of the embouchure change the tone and intonation. Players sometimes relieve the pressure on the upper teeth and inner lower lip by attaching a pad to the top of the mouthpiece or putting temporary cushioning on the lower teeth. The mouthpiece attaches to the barrel. Tuning can be adjusted by using barrels of varying lengths or by pulling out the barrel to increase the instrument's length. On basset horns and lower clarinets, there
19479-614: The third line of the staff is called the alto or viola clef. It is currently used for viola , viola d'amore , alto trombone , viola da gamba , and mandola . It is also associated with the countertenor voice and sometimes called the countertenor clef. A vestige of this survives in Sergei Prokofiev 's use of the clef for the cor anglais in his symphonies. It occasionally appears in keyboard music (for example, in Brahms 's Organ Chorales and John Cage 's Dream for piano ). It
19630-419: The third line) or tenor clef (middle C on the fourth line). A clef may be placed on a space instead of a line, but this is rare. The use of different clefs makes it possible to write music for all instruments and voices, regardless of differences in range . Using different clefs for different instruments and voices allows each part to be written comfortably on a staff with a minimum of ledger lines. To this end,
19781-428: The third line, giving a total of ten historically attested clefs placed on the lines. In addition, the C-clef has been used on the third space , i.e. not on a line at all. The ten clefs placed on lines (two are equivalent) have different names based on the tessitura for which they are best suited. In modern music, only four clefs are used regularly: treble clef , bass clef , alto clef , and tenor clef . Of these,
19932-433: The time of Beethoven ( c. 1780–1820 ), the clarinet was a fixed member in the orchestra. The number of keys was limited because their felt pads did not seal tightly. Baltic-German clarinetist and master clarinet maker Iwan Müller remedied this by countersinking the tone holes for the keys and covering the pads with soft leather. These leather pads sealed the holes better than felt, making it possible to equip
20083-586: The time of the Decline of the Western Roman Empire . Byzantine music once included music for court ceremonies, but has only survived as vocal church music within various Orthodox traditions of monodic ( monophonic ) chant written down in Byzantine round notation (see Macarie's anastasimatarion with the Greek text translated into Romanian and transliterated into Cyrillic script ). Since
20234-456: The tone and playability. Today the clarinet is a standard fixture of the orchestra and concert band and is used in classical music, military bands , klezmer , jazz , and other styles. The word "clarinet" may have entered the English language via the French clarinette (the feminine diminutive of Old French clarin ), or from Provençal clarin ' oboe ' , originating from
20385-399: The tone hole function as if it were larger, but its main function is to allow the air column to follow the curve up through the tone hole (surface tension) instead of "blowing past" it under the increasingly directional frequencies of the upper registers. Covering or uncovering the tone holes varies the length of the pipe, changing the resonant frequencies of the enclosed air column and hence
20536-455: The treble and bass clefs are by far the most common. The tenor clef is used for the upper register of several instruments that usually use bass clef (including cello , bassoon , and trombone ), while the alto is most prominently used by the viola . Music for instruments and voices that transpose at the octave is generally written at the transposed pitch, but is sometimes seen written at concert pitch using an octave clef . This section shows
20687-452: The treble clef for very high notes. The treble clef is used for the soprano , mezzo-soprano , alto , contralto and tenor voices. Tenor voice parts sound an octave lower and are often written using an octave clef (see below) or a double-treble clef. A G-clef placed on the first line is called the French clef, or French violin clef. It was used in France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for violin music and flute music. It places
20838-446: The upper and lower joint. This hourglass shape, although invisible to the naked eye, helps to correct the pitch and responsiveness of the instrument. The diameter of the bore affects the instrument's sound characteristics. The bell at the bottom of the clarinet flares out to improve the tone and tuning of the lowest notes. The fixed reed and fairly uniform diameter of the clarinet result in an acoustical performance approximating that of
20989-630: The world's oldest surviving ones. The musical notation is written usually immediately above, sometimes within, the line of Samaveda text, either in syllabic or a numerical form depending on the Samavedic Sakha (school). The Indian scholar and musical theorist Pingala (c. 200 BCE), in his Chanda Sutra , used marks indicating long and short syllables to indicate meters in Sanskrit poetry. A rock inscription from circa 7th–8th century CE at Kudumiyanmalai , Tamil Nadu contains an early example of
21140-479: The written system of Indian notation devised by Ravi Shankar, the pitches are represented by Western letters. Capital letters are used for the achala swar, and for the higher variety of all the vikrut swar. Lowercase letters are used for the lower variety of the vikrut swar. Other systems exist for non-twelve-tone equal temperament and non-Western music, such as the Indian Swaralipi . Znamenny Chant
21291-604: The Γ clef is found on the middle, fourth, or fifth lines of the staff (e.g., in Pierre de La Rue ’s Requiem and in a mid-16th-century dance book published by the Hessen brothers); for very high parts, the high-D clef ( d ), and the even higher ff clef (e.g., in the Mulliner Book ) were used to represent the notes written on the fourth and top lines of the treble clef, respectively. The practice of using different shapes for
21442-413: Was a central instrument in jazz, beginning with early jazz players in the 1910s. It remained a signature instrument of the genre through much of the big band era into the 1940s. American players Alphonse Picou , Larry Shields , Jimmie Noone , Johnny Dodds , and Sidney Bechet were all prominent early jazz clarinet players. Swing performers such as Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw rose to prominence in
21593-432: Was a flaw seen by German music theorist Franco of Cologne and summarised as part of his treatise Ars Cantus Mensurabilis (the art of measured chant, or mensural notation ). He suggested that individual notes could have their own rhythms represented by the shape of the note. Not until the 14th century did something like the present system of fixed note lengths arise. The use of regular measures (bars) became commonplace by
21744-633: Was also ambiguous, so that almost no one, except the most trained and educated singers, could sing an unknown melody at sight. The signs only helped to reproduce the melody, not coding it in an unambiguous way. (See Byzantine Empire ) The earliest known examples of text referring to music in China are inscriptions on musical instruments found in the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (d. 433 B.C.). Sets of 41 chimestones and 65 bells bore lengthy inscriptions concerning pitches, scales, and transposition. The bells still sound
21895-437: Was called "theta" or "diple notation". Today, one can study the evolution of this notation in Greek monastic chant books like those of the sticherarion and the heirmologion (Chartres notation was rather used on Mount Athos and Constantinople, Coislin notation within the patriarchates of Jerusalem and Alexandria), while there was another gestic notation originally used for the asmatikon (choir book) and kontakarion (book of
22046-414: Was historically used to mark a treble, or pre-pubescent, voice part. Instruments that use the treble clef include violin , flute , oboe , cor anglais , all clarinets , all saxophones , horn , trumpet , cornet , vibraphone , xylophone , mandolin , recorder , bagpipe and guitar . Euphonium and baritone horn are sometimes treated as transposing instruments, using the treble clef and sounding
22197-408: Was named the Boehm system by its designer Hyacinthe Klosé after flute designer Theobald Boehm , but it is not the same as the Boehm system used on flutes. The other main key system is the Oehler system , which is used mostly in Germany and Austria. The related Albert system is used by some jazz , klezmer , and eastern European folk musicians. The Albert and Oehler systems are both based on
22348-447: Was originally used for alto parts in choral music to reduce the number of ledger lines needed, since much of the alto range is between treble and bass clef. Alto parts are now commonly written in treble clef instead. A C-clef on the fourth line of the staff is called tenor clef. It is used for the viola da gamba (rarely, and mostly in German scores; otherwise the alto clef is used) and for upper ranges of bass-clef instruments such as
22499-536: Was particularly encouraged by the post-Reformation Catholic Church as such forms offered a means of religious expression that was stirring and emotional, intended to stimulate religious fervor. Modern music notation is used by musicians of many different genres throughout the world. The staff (or stave, in British English) consists of 5 parallel horizontal lines which acts as a framework upon which pitches are indicated by placing oval note-heads on (ie crossing)
22650-481: Was published in 1987 by Kjell Gustafson, whose method represents a rhythm as a two-dimensional graph. The scholar and music theorist Isidore of Seville , while writing in the early 7th century, considered that "unless sounds are held by the memory of man, they perish, because they cannot be written down." By the middle of the 9th century, however, a form of neumatic notation began to develop in monasteries in Europe as
22801-532: Was that it only showed melodic contours and consequently the music could not be read by someone who did not know the music already. Notation had developed far enough to notate melody, but there was still no system for notating rhythm. A mid-13th-century treatise, De Mensurabili Musica , explains a set of six rhythmic modes that were in use at the time, although it is not clear how they were formed. These rhythmic modes were all in triple time and rather limited rhythm in chant to six different repeating patterns. This
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