Musical Terms
Songs can be written in the form of a chord progression, which makes use of various musical terms that you will need to know:
Staff — consists of 5 parallel lines, between which there are 4 spaces.
Treble Clef — (sometimes called "G" clef) a sign placed at the beginning of each staff of music.
Time Signature — consists of two numbers; the top one indicating the number of beats per bar, and the bottom one indicating the type of beat. (Its use will become clearer to you as chord progressions are introduced. For now, you can think of the time signature as being the deciding factor in whether a song has a rock, waltz of march beat.)
Bar line — a vertical line drawn across the staff which divides the music into sections called bars or measures.
Double Bar Line — marks either the end of the progression, or the end of an important section of it.
Rhythm Patterns
This is a wedge mark, which indicates one down strum. The following rhythm pattern shows 4 down strums per bar. To help keep the beat, tap your foot as you count and strum. Remember to count in groups of 4.
