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OK having read a bit more of this thread...
I'm with @jbtsax in that these various 'quick win' methodologies they really do a disservice to the beginner. Yes, they are perhaps good at getting people started, and yes I sympathise with the majority of basic tutor books being aimed at kids (hence twinkle twinkle...), BUT you cannot get very far with them and it will pay you many times over to get to grips with the basics of reading music.
You don't have to be able to sight-read your way through pieces, but the notation helps you with what pitch to play, what rhythm to play, the articulation to apply... all the things which help to make the notes into music.
If like me you've looked into a bit of music history, you will see that how we use notation has evolved and that most of the evolution has been towards making it simpler. Don't believe me? Even 100 years ago there were 6 or 7 clefs in use - we use 4: the G2 treble clef; the F4 bass clef; plus two most people don't use (but I do) the C3 alto clef and the C4 tenor clef. We don't use the F2 baritone clef the G1 French violin clef.... The symbols we use for note lengths have become simpler (and shorter - the 'minim' (half note) was a 'minimus' the shortest note in use until C16th).
Key signatures only 'settled' when music theory settled on diatonic harmony i.e. harmony based on the major and minor scales. This happened roughly around 1600, prior to that music was modal. Because of that it made assigning what we would call a key signature 'tricky'.
The current convention for writing a key signature is to place the sharp or flat on the highest line or space when there is a choice within the staff. So for treble clef, F# on line 5 not space 1, Eb on space 4 not line 1, but G# goes on line 2, not the space above line 5, etc.
I'm with @jbtsax in that these various 'quick win' methodologies they really do a disservice to the beginner. Yes, they are perhaps good at getting people started, and yes I sympathise with the majority of basic tutor books being aimed at kids (hence twinkle twinkle...), BUT you cannot get very far with them and it will pay you many times over to get to grips with the basics of reading music.
You don't have to be able to sight-read your way through pieces, but the notation helps you with what pitch to play, what rhythm to play, the articulation to apply... all the things which help to make the notes into music.
If like me you've looked into a bit of music history, you will see that how we use notation has evolved and that most of the evolution has been towards making it simpler. Don't believe me? Even 100 years ago there were 6 or 7 clefs in use - we use 4: the G2 treble clef; the F4 bass clef; plus two most people don't use (but I do) the C3 alto clef and the C4 tenor clef. We don't use the F2 baritone clef the G1 French violin clef.... The symbols we use for note lengths have become simpler (and shorter - the 'minim' (half note) was a 'minimus' the shortest note in use until C16th).
Key signatures only 'settled' when music theory settled on diatonic harmony i.e. harmony based on the major and minor scales. This happened roughly around 1600, prior to that music was modal. Because of that it made assigning what we would call a key signature 'tricky'.
The current convention for writing a key signature is to place the sharp or flat on the highest line or space when there is a choice within the staff. So for treble clef, F# on line 5 not space 1, Eb on space 4 not line 1, but G# goes on line 2, not the space above line 5, etc.