How do I Read TA Music?
Most choral music is written in four parts. These vocal parts are soprano, alto, tenor and bass, ranging from the highest part in terms of pitch to the lowest part. Since the tenor and alto parts are close to each other in terms of pitch, they sometimes are referred to as "TA" in a piece of music. If you sing tenor or alto, you may be required to read and sing either part to be a versatile singer.
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Instructions
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Follow the bottom notes in the treble clef to read the alto part. The treble clef is the upper set of staff lines. The top line of notes is the soprano part, and the alto line is written just under the soprano line.
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Follow the top notes in the bass clef to read the tenor part. The bass clef is the lower set of staff lines. The top line of notes in the bass clef is the tenor part, and the bottom line of notes is the bass line.
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Sing higher if the notes are moving upward and lower if the notes are moving downward. Repeat the same note if multiple notes in a row are in the same exact position on the staff lines.
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Read individual pitches by learning the location of notes on the treble and bass clefs. The notes are written in musical alphabetical order, which is A, B, C, D, E, F and G. As the notes move higher on the staff lines, they progress in a repeating fashion through the musical alphabet (see the Resource section).
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Sing the notes for the duration that is written in the music. A quarter note usually lasts for one beat and is a black note with a stem attached. A half note usually lasts for two beats and looks like a quarter note except that the circular part of the note is only outlined in black rather than filled in. A whole note usually lasts four beats and looks like a half note without a stem. An eighth note usually lasts for half of a beat and looks like a quarter note with a flag on the stem or with a stem that is attached to the stem of another eighth note.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Reading glasses over the music sheets image by Elnur from Fotolia.com
