How To Name Notes
Naming Notes Correctly and with confidence is "the most essential skill" when it comes to understanding music theory
If our students can't name notes correctly then they will struggle with every other part of music theory
The Golden Rule Of Note Naming
"White notes on a piano keyboard can have only one name while the notes to be found under the black keys can be assigned one of two letter names depending on the circumstance in which they are being played"
If our students do not develop a solid awareness of the above then they will struggle with every element of music theory that they encounter
The music teacher's resources on this site feature a range of FREE Music Lesson Plans designed to (among other things) encourage students to become aware of the conventions surrounding the correct identification and naming of notes
Understanding Basic Music Theory is about studying a.....
"pre determined sequence of five topics in the right order""
When they can name notes confidently and correctly they will be fully prepared to move to the next stage which involves theThe Study Of Whole-Step and Half-Step Intervals After that they will be ready for Major and minor scales and then Chord Construction From there they should move to the final element that makes up the basics of music theory which is concerned with Harmonic Systems (Keys) etc
Displaying The "Explainers" on your Music Classroom Wall
This "explainer" handout is one of a series that can also be useful if printed out and stuck up on the wall of the music classroom as a ready source of reference for the student group during individual study or project/group work
Teaching materials aimed at having students develop the facility to name notes confidently and correctly make up the first two sessions of our 12 pack basic music theory course
Answer sheets for all 12 music learning packs are included in the download
They are supplied as a separate PDF so that you can choose to give them to your students or mark the worksheets yourself
Pack 1: Note Names 1
This learning pack is designed around the very first music theory lesson One "Explainer" document and three worksheets on naming notes correctly.
The explainer document deals with the following two vital comcepts that are the absolute bedrock of developing an understanding of the harmonic and melodic elements of music theory.....
"If our students do not fully take on board the following information then they will struggle with every other element of music theory"
1: The white keys are the "natural" notes and can have only one letter name
2: The black keys can be assigned one of two note names (for example "C sharp" or "D flat") depending on the circumstances in which they are being played
Using the Worksheets
The first worksheet covers the notes to be found under the white keys of a piano while the other two introduce the sharp and flat notes located under the black keys
There would normally be two classroom sessions covering the correct naming of notes Worksheets used in the second classroom session on note naming (or in the second learning pack if they are uploaded) set out to reinforce the principles established during the first session
Download and print the FREE pdf of the Note Naming "Explainer" Document shown above
You can use and distribute the "explainers" during the course of your classroom lessons You can also put them on the wall of your music class room and direct students to them during lesson/workshop sessions
Uploading the Materials to your School or College Systems
The materials on this site (worksheets "explainers" etc) can also be uploaded to school or college systems so that students can download them to their own devices for home study or revision sessions
Pack 2: Note Names 2
This pack is designed to reinforce and develop the principles covered in the first pack. It contains the "explainer" again and two more worksheets on note naming (see image above). The aim is to have our students be able to name any note on the keyboard without having to refer to the "explainers" It should be stressed that "knowledge is no good if it stays on the paper" When our students can name notes correctly then they are ready for study of whole and half step intervals
Get an answer sheet for the note naming worksheet above
All of the worksheets in the twelve learning packs have answer sheets to accompany them You can get the answers to the questions posed in the worksheet by following the link in the box below
A Complete Basic Music Theory Course
After spending some time with these resources a student should be comfortable with the idea of naming notes correctly and will be ready to move confidently to the next stage of music theory which involves The Study Of Whole-Step and Half-Step Intervals
From there they will be fully prepared to study Major and minor scales and then Chord Construction and then Harmonic Systems (Keys) etc
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There Are Another 350 + PDFs In The Download
The Basic Music Theory Course is a very important part of the download but it is only a small part of the story!
There are loads of resources that do use notation as well as a bunch of guitar themed handouts and worksheets
Material covering Blues and Pentatonic scales, 7th chords and inversions We also provide material relating to popular song form
A simple to use"Must have Toolkit" for the modern music educator for less than the price of a single textbook
The next topic is whole-step and half-step intervals