Lesson 11 Musical Notes

An orchestra would face difficulty in making music together if each player did not know how long to hold each note. Each instrument^① would start its own beat^② or melody^③, and nothing would come together properly. This is why it is so important for a musician to know what each note looks like and how long it is supposed to be held.

Below is a chart of the most common types of musical notes. The chart tells how many beats per measure each note should be held. The length of a measure is determined^④ by the time signature^⑤ at the beginning of a piece of music.

（142 words）

Notes

① instrument ['ɪnstrʊmənt] n. 仪器；工具；乐器；手段；器械

② beat [biːt] n. 拍子；敲击；有规律的一连串敲打

vt. 打；打败

vi. 打；打败；拍打；有节奏地舒张与收缩

adj. 筋疲力尽的；疲惫不堪的

③ melody [ 'melədɪ] n. 旋律；歌曲；美妙的音乐

④ determine [dɪ'tɜːmɪn] vt. 决定，确定；判定，判决；限定

vi. 确定；决定；判决，终止；[主要用于法律] 了结，终止，结束

⑤ signature ['sɪɡnətʃə] n. 信号；署名；签名

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Evaluate the information] Which notes lasts for 1/2 beat per measure?

2. [Check the details] For how many beats does a half note last?

A. 1/4 beat per measure.

B. 4 beats per measure.

C. 2 beats per measure.

3. [Evaluate the information] Which note has two flags?

A. Eighth note. 　B. Quarter note. 　C. Sixteenth note.

Ⅱ. Read for words.

1. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined words.

（1） An orchestra would face difficulty in making music together if each player did not know how long to hold each note. （Para. 1, line 2）

A. 笔记 　B. 音符 　C. 钞票

（2） Each instrument would start its own beat or melody, and nothing would come together properly. （Para. 1, line 3）

A. in fact 　B. correctly 　C. really

（3） Below is a chart of the most common types of musical notes. （Para 2, line 1）

A. form 　B. map 　C. sign

2. Choose one best paraphrase or Chinese meaning for the underlined expressions.

（1） This is why it is so important for a musician to know what each note looks like and how long it is supposed to be held. （Para. 1, line 5）

A. to last 　B. to be caught 　C. to be stopped

（2） The chart tells how many beats per measure each note should be held.（Para. 2, line 2）

A. 每小节 　B. 每种办法 　C. 每个单位

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