Róisín Dermody – Braillecast

Braille Music: Let’s Tackle the Basics, Session 2 (Extra 25)

In this session, we covered:

Rests: quaver, crotchet, minim, semibreve and dotted versions of the above
Clef signs: treble (G) and bass (F)
Octave signs and their use
Interval signs and their use

A mid-month clinic will take place on Monday 14 June at 8:00 PM in the UK and Ireland. The next teaching session will take place at the same time on Monday 28 June and cover hand signs, in accord, ties, slurs, articulation, fingering and maybe tongueing.

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Braille Music: Let’s Tackle the Basics! (Extra 22)

Topics covered in this session:

Debunking some myths
Notes and note values – quavers, crotchets, minims, semibreves and dotted notes
Sharp, flat and natural signs
Time signatures and their placement – 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, common time, 6/8, 9/8
Key signatures and their placement – D major (2 sharps), A major (3 sharps), B major (5 sharps) and F sharp major (6 sharps)

Resources of interest:

RNIB Music Advisory Service
Braille Music for Beginners for the Piano by Joan Partridge: available from RNIB, product code 25282902 (braille) or 25282903 (print)
A Course in Braille Music by Maeve Smith
Focus on Braille Music by Lisette Wesseling, published by Musicians in Focus Ltd and available from Techno-Vision Systems Ltd
Who’s Afraid of Braille Music? by Richard Taesch and William R. McCann, available from Dancing Dots
Braille Music in a Digital Age, by Roger Firman and Clare Gailans, published by the International Council on English Braille at its Seventh General Assembly (2020):
Hadley School for the Blind braille music course (no longer available)
ICEB Braille Music page
New International Manual of Braille Music Notation
BrailleOrch (in English)
Braille Music Editor

Follow @stuartlawler and @roisindermody on Twitter

Join the next event on Monday 10 May 2021 at 8:00 PM in the UK and Ireland

Join the Braillists Foundation on Clubhouse

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