Chord Symbols
If you look at example 13 on the following page, you will notice a line of letters and symbols above the staff(G, Em, Am etc.) These are chord symbols which indicate the harmony to be played by accompanying instruments such as keyboard or guitar. The chord symbols do not affect the notes you play on the recorder.
The Three Four Time Signature
This time signature is called the three four time signature. It tells you there are three beats in each bar. Three four time is also known as waltz time. There are three quarter notes in one bar of ^ time.
The Dotted Half Note
A dot written after a note extends its value by half.
A dot after a half note means that you hold it for three beats.
One dotted half note makes one bar of music in ^ time.
Here is a typical example of the way dotted half notes are used in ^ time. As there are no rests in this example, breath, breath marks are placed in every fourth bar after a dotted half note. Form this point on breath marks will only be placed every four bars in most examples to encourage you to develop more breath control. However, you can still breathe more often if you need to.
