Pop is music specifically designed for mass appeal and commercial success. It can have almost any kind of instrumentation and musical characteristics. The main thing is that it be catchy, upbeat, and – well – popular. Because it’s explicitly designed for commercial success rather than artistic inventiveness, pop music is controversial in the world of professional musicians. Some musicians look dow... »
What is a Staff? In musical notation, the “staff” is a set of five lines and four spaces. Each line and space corresponds to one of the white keys on the piano, so staffs are usually easiest to read on pianos and other keyboard-based instruments. But this kind of musical notation is used for many other instruments as well. Here’s an example of one kind of musical staff with the names of each note.... »
Once you’re familiar with the basics of reading a score, the best way to learn is to practice. You can start with this simple line from a nursery rhyme. Imagine that you were looking at the score for a full orchestral arrangement of ‘Baa Baa Black Sheep.’ You look down the different parts, find your instrument, and see this staff written out for you: Using all the tools from this lesson on score, ... »
What is a Score? The word ‘score’ is used in a lot of different ways in music. In the broadest sense, it can mean any kind of sheet music – these terms are sometimes used interchangeably. More narrowly, it can describe the ‘full score,’ or a single musical document that contains all the different parts for an orchestral performance. A score is usually used for a more formal, coordinated piece, lik... »