How did I just learn what the significance of a clef was!? I learned piano when I was probably 6 or 7, and all I knew was that the treble clef goes on top, and the bass clef goes on the bottom. I didn’t realize that the treble clef is basically a “G” clef, centered around the second-from-the-bottom staff line, and that a bass clef is basically an “F” clef, centered around the second-from-the-top staff line. THAT is why the “C” notes are located where they are. And to think, all this time I just thought they were squiggly lines that told me which staff was the top, and which staff was the bottom. Seriously… it’s crazy how many things I take for granted in my life.
Of course, when I told Yuki this, he knew. And he made sure I realized I was a total nub for not knowing haha.
P.S. Oh yeah, I just remembered. I also learned why, in music theory, certain notes are called “major” or “minor” (like thirds), and why others are called “perfect” (like fifths). In music, a semi-tone is the smallest interval of music. Basically, when you play a diatonic scale (imagine playing every key on the piano in order from left to right), the steps you take are single semitones. So a C and a C# are one semitone away, as are a E and an F.
So when you play a third (with relation to some root note, which is the base note of a particular set of notes), what it really means is that you are playing a note that’s 3 staff positions away from the root. That is, when you read the music, and you start with your root note, you move either up or down 3 spots. However, on a diatonic scale, spanning 3 spots on the staff equates to spanning either 3 or 4 semi-tones. That’s due to the fact that E/F and B/C are both separated by one spot, yet are also separated by one semitone, while all the other notes are separated by 2 semitones. Visually, on a keyboard, most white keys are separated by a black key, except two pairs.
Thus, a major third is the “larger” of the two distances, meaning a note that is 3 spots away on the staff, but separated by 4 semi-tones. Meanwhile, the minor third is the smaller one, with a note that is 3 staff positions away, but separated by only 3 semi-tones.
Now we get to the fifth. Due to the way a single octave is laid out, a note that is 5 staff positions away is ALWAYS separated by 7 semi-tones; hence, a “perfect” fifth.
