3 First Reading

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Some instruments, the harmonica for example, are played mostly by ear without reading music. The recorder is different. The past, particularly the 17th and 18th century, holds incredible riches for recorder players. To unlock them we must learn to read music, starting here.

Some of you may read music already, perhaps from learning other instruments. If so, skip this lesson, likewise the music notation instruction in the lessons which follow. For everyone else, read on.

The set of lines below is a music "stave". The curly line on the left indicates a "treble clef", used here because the notes it indicates fall within the soprano recorder range. Lower instruments, the cello for example, use a "bass clef" indicated by a symbol rather like a "9", and with different notes.

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Each line on the music stave indicates a specific note (E,G, B etc). Each space indicates another note (A,C,E etc). So, by looking at the line or space that each note occupies, we can tell what the note is and hence where to put our fingers. After a while you will become adept at this.

Look at the stave below. The lines have the notes E G B D F. The spaces have the notes F A C E. We use two tricks to remember which note goes where. First, notes in the spaces spell the word FACE. Easy. For notes on the lines, remember the phrase "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" The first letters are EGBDF, like the notes on the stave lines.

Having found what the music stave notes are, we now consider how long each one is played. Look at the stave below. The line in the middle separates two "bars", each bar has four "beats". The first bar, on the left, has 4 notes. These are called quarter notes (or crotchets in the UK), each lasting one beat. The second bar, on the right, has two notes only. Notice that the head of each note in the second bar is open. These notes are called half notes (or minims in the UK). Each half note is played for two beats. So, two half notes (minims) means 4 beats for the second bar, just like the first bar
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So far so good? Let's hear what this sounds like

First, using the "FACE" rule, we see that the note is an A. Same A as the last lesson. The first bar plays the A four times, the second bar only twice. However, in the second bar each A is twice the length, because the notes are half notes (minims) instead of quarter notes (crotchets).

So. Using music notation, we can indicate longer and shorter notes, as well as their "pitch" (A in this case). If you've never read music before, and the above makes sense to you, then a big moment has arrived. You've read music for the first time. Like reading your first words, many (many) years earlier.

Now your turn. Try the piece below, "First Wind", using the player to help. Notice there is a count in, with four beats. Each note is a half note (minim), lasting two beats. The note in the second bar is a B.
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Sounds familiar? It should. We learnt it in the previous lesson. Try it with just the backing track.

This lesson covers the barest essentials of music notation. There is much more to know, the lessons which follow will uncover it.
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