Taylor Fay

MUSIC THEORY NOTES

Chapter One
Accidental-a symbol that raises or lowers a pitch by a hal or whole step Augmented-an inter!al mo"i ier #se" when a per ect or ma$or inter!al is ma"e a hal step lar%er witho#t chan%in% its n#merical name& Clef-symbol that appears at the be%innin% o the sta in"icatin% which pitches are to be associate" with which lines an" spaces& Compound Intervals-Inter!als lar%er than an" incl#"in% the '!e& Consonant-a (#ality ascribe" to an inter!al that is pleasin% to the ear& Diminished-an inter!al mo"i ier #se" when a per ect or minor inter!al is ma"e a hal step smaller witho#t chan%in% its n#merical name& Dissonant-a (#ality ascribe" to an inter!al that is not pleasin% to the ear& Enharmonic-notes that ha!e the same pitch b#t are spelle" "i erently& )eys can be enharmonic as well& Grand Staff-a combination o two sta!es $oine" by a brace* with the top an" bottom sta!es typically #sin% treble an" bass cle s* respecti!ely& Half Step-the "istance rom a +ey on the piano to the !ery ne,t +ey* white or blac+& This is typically the smallest inter!al enco#ntere" in tonal m#sic& Harmonic Interval-the "istance between two pitches that are so#n"e" sim#ltaneo#sly& Harmonic Minor Scale-a minor scale type* which can be tho#%ht o as a nat#ral minor scale with raise" -th or as a ma$or scare with lowere" .r" an" /th& Interval-the meas#rement o the "istance in pitch between two notes& Interval Inversion-a proce"#re wherein the lower note o an inter!al is shi te" #p one or more octa!es to a point imme"iately abo!e the #pper note& Key-the scale #se" in a piece* i"enti ie" accor"in% to its most important pitch0the scale1s irst "e%ree& Key Signature-a pattern o sharps or lats correspon"in% to a +ey that appears at the be%innin% o a sta an" in"icates that certain notes are to be consistently raise" or lowere"& Ledger Lines-#se" to e,ten" the sta both abo!e an" below the stan"ar" i!e-line ormat& Ma or Scale-a speci ic pattern o hal steps an" whole steps 2w-w-h-w-w-w-h3 encompassin% an octa!e& Melodic Interval-the "istance between two pitches that are so#n"e" s#ccessi!ely& Melodic Minor Scale-a minor scale type with both an ascen"in% an" "escen"in% orm& The ascen"in% orm can be tho#%ht o as a nat#ral minor scale with raise" /th an" -th* or as a ma$or scale with lowere" .r"& The "escen"in% orm is the same as the nat#ral minor scale& Minor !entachord0the minor scale pattern w-h-w-w& "atural Minor Scale-a speci ic pattern o hal steps an" whole steps 2w-h-w-w-h-w-w3 encompassin% an octa!e& The nat#ral minor scale is li+e a ma$or scale with lowere" .r"* /th* -th& #ctave $egister-a collection o pitches rom one C #p to* b#t not incl#"in%* the ne,t C& Each s#ch re%ister is %i!en a n#merical label that can be shown a ter the letter name& #ctave-the inter!al between any note an" the ne,t hi%hest or lowest note o the same letter name an" acci"ental4This term is #se" instea" o 5'th*6 an" can also be written as 5'!e&6 !arallel Keys-ma$or an" minor +eys that share the same startin% note& !erfect-an inter!al mo"i ier #se" only in connection with #nisons* 7ths* 8ths* '!es* an" their compo#n"s 299ths* an" so on&3 !itch-the hi%hness or lowness o a so#n" $elative Keys-Ma$or an" minor +eys that share the same +ey si%nat#re& The relati!e ma$or o any minor +ey starts on . o the minor scale* while the relati!e minor o any ma$or +ey be%ins on /th o the ma$or scale&

Taylor Fay Simple Intervals-inter!als smaller than '!e& Staff-an arran%ement o i!e lines an" o#r spaces #se" to in"icate the precise pitch2es3 "esire": the sta can be e,ten"e" thro#%h the #se o le"%er lines& %etrachords-a o#r-note scalar pattern spinnin% a per ect 7th& %ranspose-to write or play m#sic in a +ey other than the ori%inal& %ritone-the term #se" or the inter!al o the ;7 or the enharmonic e(#i!alent* the "iminishe" 8th& &nison-the inter!al orme" between pitches with the same note name in the same octa!e re%ister* this term is #se" instea" o 29st&3 'hole Step-the "istance between two pitches that are separate" by a sin%le +ey* white or blac+& This inter!al is e(#i!alent to the combine" "istance o two hal steps& (ar Line-= mar+in% that in"icates the en" o a meas#re> "epicte" by a !ertical line thro#%h the sta & (eat-the basic p#lse o a m#sical passa%e& Compound (eat-a beat that "i!i"es into three e(#al parts& Compound Single-a piece written in a ? time si%nat#re with a ast tempo that has the a#ral e ect o one beat per meas#re& Divisions of the (eat-"#rations representin% the metric or%ani@ation o a sin%le beat& Dot-a symbol that a""s one-hal the "#ration !al#e o the note* rest* or "ot that prece"es it& Duple Meter-two-beat meas#re> the typical metric accent pattern is stron%-wea+& Hypermeter-a re%#lar %ro#pin% o meas#res that is analo%o#s to meter& Measures-%ro#pin%s o beats* the en"in% o which is in"icate" with a bar line& Meter-the pattern o stron% an" wea+ beats that #n"erlies the rhythmic acti!ity o a m#sical passa%e& Metric Accent-the pattern o stresses #s#ally o#n" in a meter type& )uadruple Meter- o#r-beat meas#re> the typical metric accent pattern is stron%-wea+-less stron%wea+& $hythm-a %eneral term #se" to re er to the time aspect o m#sic* as contraste" with the pitch aspect& Simple (eat-a beat that "i!i"es into two e(#al parts& %empo-the rate at which beats occ#r& %ime Signature-a symbol that tells the per ormer how many beats will occ#r in each meas#re* what note !al#e will represent the beat* an" whether the beat is simple or compo#n"& %riple Meter-three-beat meas#re> the typical metric accent pattern is stron%-wea+-wea+ (ass !ositions-an arran%ement o the notes o a tria"* i"enti ie" by the chor" member that is in the lowest so#n"in% !oice& (ass*position Sym+ols-Not to be con #se" with i%#re" bass symbols these symbols are #s#ally #se" with a roman n#meral as part o a harmonic analysis to in"icate what in!ersion a chor" is in& Diminished Seventh Chord-"iminishe" tria" with a "iminishe" -th abo!e the root& Dou+led-a note that is "#plicate" in another octa!e& ,igured (ass-a metho" o abbre!iate" notation #se" in the Aaro(#e era& Consists o a bass line an" some symbols in"icatin% the chor" to be playe" abo!e each bass note& ,irst Inversion-a chor" with the .r" as the lowest tone& Half*Diminished Seventh Chord-"iminishe" tria" with a m- abo!e the root& Inversion-in tonal m#sic* the trans er o the lowest note to any hi%her octa!e& In set theory* the compo#n" operation> BC in!ersion ollowe" by transposition& Lead*sheet Sym+ols-Use" in $a@@ an" most pop#lar m#sical styles to in"icate chor"s to be playe" #n"er a %i!en melo"y&

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Chapter .

Taylor Fay Ma or Seventh Chord-ma$or tria" with a M- abo!e the root& Ma or*Minor Seventh Chord-ma$or tria" with a m- abo!e the root& Minor Seventh Chord-minor tria" with a m- abo!e the root& !itch Classes-Term #se" to %ro#p to%ether all pitches that ha!e an i"entical so#n" or that are i"entical e,cept or the octa!e or octa!es that separate them& $eali-ation-Ori%inally #se" in per ormances "#rin% the Aaro(#e perio"* this tem re ers to the practice o impro!isin% chor"s base" on a %i!en i%#re" bass part& $oot !osition-a chor" with the root as the lowest tone& Second Inversion-a chor" with the 8th as the lowest town& Seventh Chords-Tria" with another .r" a""e" abo!e the 8th o the tria"& The a""e" note is a -th abo!e the root& %ertian-= chor" str#ct#re b#ilt o thir"s& %horough+ass-Csee Fi%#re" Aass %riad-a three-note chor" consistin% o a 8th "i!i"e" into two s#perimpose" ."& The bottom note o the 8th is the root* the top note is the 8th* an" the note between them is the .r"& There are o#r possible ways to combine ma$or an" minor .r" to pro"#ce a tertian tria"& Altered-chor"s #sin% notes not o#n" in the scale on which the passa%e is base"& Chromatic-#se o pitches orei%n to the +ey o a %i!en passa%e& Diatonic-chor"s ma"e #p only o notes rom the scale on which the passa%e is base"&

Chapter 7