Now that we know how to illustrate time (or “duration”) in music, we can play anything we’d like. After all, music is really about two basic things:
- Pitch (that is, the 12 notes of the chromatic scale), and
- Duration (like whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, etc.)
All we have to do is combine these two elements of music … and we are in business. For example, check out the following melodies. And as you play each one, notice how every song is just a bunch of notes (pitches) held for different amounts of time (duration). In fact, it’s so easy that it makes me want to cry.
To keep things simple, each of these melodies comes from the same basic C major scale. And every beat follows a basic 4/4 pattern. So just like in the song “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” every melody is just a different rearrangement of the same few notes. And each pattern forms a nice little tune.
Of course, nothing is really new here. And we’re just building on what we’ve already learned. For example, we can look at any key signature to quickly know which notes will be included in a song (right now, everything is in the key of C). And we can also look at each time signature to follow the beat (right now, everything is also in 4/4 time).
Just to get a feel for things, it might help to tap or clap each beat first. Then, after you have a sense of when to hit each note, try playing the melodies with your fingers. As you begin to play, you’ll definitely recognize each melody because they’re all really well-known.
Also, don’t worry if you make a few mistakes. Everybody does when they start a new song. Just go back to the part that gives you trouble and play through the notes again. It might take a couple of tries to get things sounding right. But that’s okay … because all great musicians need practice. As they say, “the more you play, the better you’ll get.” And now that we see exactly what we’re doing, we have a huge advantage in music. Ahhh … life really is good.
