The 'musical space' corresponds to the spectrum of notes, which we can divide into three registers: low, middle, and high.
Goals
In this exercise, you will learn to locate notes in the musical space, in relation to a reference note. This will allow you to start organizing the musical space into two parts: the low register and the high register.
Tips for success
To master this exercise, think of some examples of low and high sounds. A bass drum will make low sounds, whereas a whistle is high. You can also associate a weight with each note. A low note may then seem heavier, and a high note lighter. So, ask yourself: is the second note heavier or lighter?
Musical examples
The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) -
London Symphony Orchestra
Soundtrack
John Williams
This excerpt begins in a low register, giving a sense of solemnity, severity, and gravity.
Lohengrin, Act I, Prelude -
Gewandhausorchester, Andris Nelsons
Opera
Richard Wagner
The strings are playing in a high register, giving an airy, celestial and angelic feeling.
The Flight Of Bumblebee (The Tale of Tsar Saltan) -
Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Isaac Stern, Milton Katims
Classical music
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
The flight of this bumblebee is represented musically by a descending passage from the high to medium registers.
Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Wind): Idyll for Orchestra, after a Poem by Bruno Wille -
New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert
Contemporary Music
Anton Webern
In this example, the sounds emerge progressively, starting with the lowest notes played by the double basses, and reaching the extreme high register of the violins.
