A lot of times I see something is written in a certain key, such as C#m. What does this mean?

What is tempo?

How do you read a time signature?

What's clef? What's the difference between treble and bass clefs? 

____________________________________________

A lot of times I see something is written in a certain key, such as C#m.
What does this mean?

When we say a song or music is in a certain key, it refers to "tonality." Tonality means you have one central or main note around which the musical materials such as notes, chords, melody, etc. are built and related to. The main note is called the tonic and it gives a sense of rest and finality. For example, C major scale consisting of seven notes, C, D, E, F, G, A, and B is built upon the note C. C is the central or key note around which all other notes or chords are related to. So, if a melody is based on the notes from C major scale and the tonic note C, it will be heard in relation to C and it's said to be in key of C. Similarly, if something is written in key of C#m, it indicates that melody, intervals, and chords are built and based on a minor scale whose principle or tonic note is C#. . Once you know the basic theory and how a scale or chord is built on a note or tonic, understanding "key" will come easier. Refer to music theory or beginner's method books for more information

ñ TOP

What is tempo?

Tempo indicates how fast or slow music is to be played.  It is indicated either by a metronome settings or by an Italian or English descriptive term. If it's shown by a metronome, the number indicates a number of beats per minute.  For example, quarter = 80 means that a quarter note represents the beat and the music has a speed of 80 beats per minute.   Here are some of the musical terms with approximate metronome markings.

ñ TOP

How do you read a time signature?

A time signature is the two numbers placed together as a fraction you see at the beginning of every song.  It indicates both how many counts there are in each measure and what kind of note will represent one count or beat.  The upper number tells how many counts there are in a measure while the bottom number tells you what kind of note gets one count.  A number is assigned to each type of note.  1: whole note, 2: half note, 4: quarter note, 8: eighth note, 16: sixteenth note, etc.

Examples:

ñ TOP

What's clef? What's the difference between treble and bass clefs? 

Clef placed at the beginning of a piece of music gives you a reference point for the placement of the notes. Various kinds of clefs require different locations of the notes on the staff. Treble and bass clefs are the two clefs most often used among others. Different clefs are chosen depending on the range of the music being written. For instance, the treble clef is used for music for high-pitched instruments such as the flute, violin, etc. On the other hand, low-pitched instruments such as bass, cell, and bassoon call for the bass clef. In piano music, the treble clef is used for the upper staff and the bass clef for the lower staff. Below summarizes the difference between the treble and bass clefs. (adapted from Guitar Chords and Accompaniment)

ñ TOP