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| Music theory is the collective knowledge
of musicians through the ages, in the the various genre of music such
as European traditional (i.e., renaissance, baroque, classical), twelve
tone, American jazz, gospel, etc. They are intended to perpetuate the
individual music culture and accelerate the development of aspiring
talents. Remember that theory is neither fact nor fiction. Theory is the
collective assumptions observed from studies, analysis, experiments &
discoveries. Knowledge of theory allows musicians to structure and
organize their thinking and ideas; understand the works of other
composers; benefit from the tradition of each musical genre; gain insights
to music (both one's own as well as others'). It is an indispensable
tool for most composers, arrangers, performers and educators. The variety of music theory is as diverse as the many genres/styles of music in existence. Asian music emphasizes tone and inflection (as reflected in their languages) in ways that non Asian musicians have trouble understanding. Western civilizations have preferred developments of harmony and acoustic principles while African & many Latin music are rhythmically driven. The theory explained in this book is based on the European music tradition which is predominantly the music I am most familiar with. Those interested in music of other traditions such as East Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Mediterranean, etc. will have to defer to others more competent in those areas. |
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Chapter One: Scales, the alphabet of music Just as we use the alphabet in the English language to form words allowing us to crystallize and communicate our thoughts, scales are similarly used in music. The commonly used scales are major, minor (and it's many derivatives), pentatonic (major & minor), blues (several variations in usage), whole tone (aka augmented or French), diminished (2 variations), chromatic, & jazz (extensive variety). Before you get too discouraged, you should know that they are all similar (and based on a common foundation). They exist to give us a variety of sounds akin to dialects/accents in many languages. In English, we have such accents as Boston, New York, Texas, Southern (which vary region by region), and more colloquial ones like Cajun and chat room shortcuts (used over the internet & cell phone text messaging). They're all the same language but each dialect/accent sounds quite different. (Some, such as Cajun, may be considered by some to be a foreign language altogether.) Check my music websites link page for referrals to other useful music sites. All scales are characterized by their unique arrangement of intervals. (The variety of scales and their derivatives are seemingly endless but, you only need to know the few commonly used ones within the genre of your interest. Of course, the more variety of musical style you wish to excel in, the more scales you'll need to know.) Interval is the distance from one note to another sequentially. A note is to a scale as " a, b, c, d, . . . " is to the alphabet. There are 12 notes in music and the interval from one to the next is a half-step. Thus, a whole step is the interval between every third note. We give the following names to
notes: A A# B C C# D D# E
F F# G G# A (# is symbol for sharp) Observe that there are no #(sharp) between B and C as well as between E and F. It's a quirk in music that would require a rather lengthy explanation involving the history of the evolution of the piano and the tempered scale. For our purpose here, simply accept this quirk. The following chart shows a list of scales mentioned starting from A. Study and understand each one if you'd like, but it's not necessary for now. It's only an illustration.
Every note has an enharmonic
name (another name for the same note). A# is also known as Bb
(b is the symbol for flat in music). C# = Db; F# = Gb; etc.
At times, double sharps and double flats are used in musical notation to
facilitate writing and/or reading (A = Bbb; G = F##).
Sometimes, it's easier to see the alteration of a chord by using
enharmonic names. For example, Db-F-Ab together sounds a Db major chord;
to change a major chord into a minor chord, the middle note is lowered by
a half step; thus we have Db-Fb-Ab instead of Db-E-Ab. This concept
will be made clearer in Chapter Three. Chapter Two: Modes (alternate uses of scales) When the 7 notes of the major scale are played sequentially, (each note followed by the next in order) ending at the 8th (octave) note, a pattern becomes recognizable. When the notes of the major scale are played in ways that emphasize a different member of the scale, a different sound pattern emerges. The note that each pattern is based on is known as the tonal center. Each new tonal center is referred to as a mode. Thus, a major scale has 7 modes.
Of the modes listed above, the Ionian and Lydian modes are very similar and are often referred to as major modes, because they sound like the major scale. (Ionian is the major scale while Lydian sounds similar to the major scale.) Dorian, Phrygian & Aolian have sounds similar to the minor scale and are referred to as minor modes. Mixolydian is used extensively in "Blues" music and is often referred to as the blues mode. Because "Blues" music uses the dominant chord sound extensively, the Mixolydian mode is also called the dominant mode. (Chords and leading tone will be explained in the next chapter.) The Locrian mode is often referred to as the diminished mode (aka the leading tone mode becasue it's tonal center is the leading tone of the major scale). Mode is another musical device used to add sound colors and improvisational tool, increase harmonic and melodic options, etc. With a better understanding of chords and harmony discussed in the next chapter, you'll have a better understanding of how modes are a vital part of music.
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Chapter Three: Chords, the fundamental of harmony Harmony is the sound of 2 or more notes sounded simultaneously. The two categories of harmony are; consonant and dissonant. Consonance is a sound that is considered stable (at rest), usually when the notes are a third apart as in A and C, B and D, C and E, etc. Dissonance is a sound with tension (wanting to resolve to a consonance) usually when the notes are a second apart as in A and B, B and C, C and D, etc. These two contrasting elements create tension and resolution in an endless variety of ways to give us harmonic progression. When 3 or more notes are sounded together, the harmony they create is called a chord. Chords with 3 notes are called triads; chords with 4 or more notes are called extended chords; chords with notes that are not normally part of the scale they come from are called altered chords; and chords with notes that are not arranged an any regular combination are called tone clusters. Chord construction is easier to understand by looking at the intervallic relation of the notes as compared with looking at the specific note combinations. For example, it's easier to see 1,3,5 (where 1 is the first note of the A major scale) instead of A,C#,E. Since the major scale is made up of 7 notes, there are 7 triads possible using combinations of every other note in the scale: 1-3-5; 2-4-6; 3-5-7; 4-6-1; 5-7-2; 6-1-3; 7-2-4. Of course, we can also construct extended chords such as 1-3-5-7; 1-3-5-7-2; 1-3-5-7-2-4; etc. The possibilities for chord variety is almost endless. But the important idea, for now, is to simply understand that chords are merely combinations of notes sounded together (or in close succession), creating harmony. Consonant chords include chords that sound stable and dissonant chords include chords that want to be followed by another chord. (What is considered to be consonant or dissonant is somewhat subjective. However, in context of usage, general consensus could be more easily reached.) As a whole, the triads of 1-3-5; 2-4-6; 3-5-7; 4-6-1; 5-7-2; 6-1-3; are considered consonant while the triad 7-2-4 is considered dissonant on the basis of their sound alone, without regards to usage. In the context of usage, only the triads 1-3-5; 6-1-3 are considered consonant. The reasons will become more clear in the following chapters.
Chapter Four: Harmonic Progression, the moving force in music The principle concept explained in this chapter can be applied to any scale. But for the sake of simplicity, the illustration will be based only on the major scale.
Notice the
interval between each consecutive note: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7,= whole
step Whenever a note is only a half step form its neighbor, that note has a tendency to want to move there. This tendency is noticeable in melodic lines but becomes even more pronounced when applied to harmony. This force of harmonic movement is called the leading tone effect. In a strict sense, the leading tone is the last note of a scale that is only a half step below the octave. In a larger sense, a leading tone can describe any note that is a half step below its neighbor. In an even larger sense, any note that is only a half step from its neighbor (below or above) has a similar tendency to want to move there. Example of
leading tone occurring in a major scale in the strict sense: 7
to 1 (octave). Keeping this in mind, the triad 5-7-2 wants to move to a triad containing the 1 such as 1-3-5; 6-1-3; and the triad 4-6-1 wants to move to a triad containing the 3 or 7 such as 1-3-5; 6-1-3; or even 3-5-7 and 5-7-2. When chord movement containing multiple half steps moving in the same direction such as 3-5-7 to 4-6-1, (in which the 3 is moving up to 4 while the 7 is moving up to 1,) the effect is not as effective as when the half steps move in opposite directions such as 7-2-4 to 1-3-5 (where 7 is moving up to 1 and 4 is moving down to 3). To take further
advantage of the leading tone effect, notes can be altered to enhance
harmonic movement. For example, 4-6-1 moving to 1-3-5 can be altered
(modified) to 4-b6-1 moving to 1-3-5; Exploring the possibilities of applying this harmonic force in music can become a lifetime quest. One can re-harmonize a melody in so many ways to the point of absurdity. Many composers and songwriters create interesting harmonic (chord) progression before they form the melody. It is also common practice to alter a melody to accommodate more interesting harmony after a melody is already written. To become proficient with this concept, work with one key at a time. For the most part, key of C (major scale beginning on C) is easiest. You may wish to convert the notes of the song to numbers (scale degrees) before experimenting. In the key of C: C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7. If you are using a keyboard to facilitate the understanding of music theory, make a numeric chart covering 3-4 octaves, spaced appropriately so each number is directly above the corresponding key. You can then slide the numeric chart side to side so that the number 1 falls on the appropriate note. For example, for the key of A, line up number 1 on A; for the key of G, line up number 1 on G; etc.
Understanding this simple harmonic concept will allow you to see how other arrangers/composers create such wonderful harmony that just seem endless. Applying this same concept to the other scales and modes can be quite a challenge. However, after you've mastered a few types of scale, you'll find that it actually gets easier. Essentially, the major scale and harmonic minor scales are the most common. In jazz, it is helpful to recognize that the tonal center is frequently migrating. Thus, it's very helpful to first learn to identify what and where the tonal centers are. Many jazz musician also organize their usage of modes and chord structures in a rather vertical sense. For example, a G chord can be simply a G chord whether its the 1-3-5 or 4-6-1. The temporary tonal center is G until the chord changes (which may only last for 1 or 2 beats). Any scale or mode that's compatible with the notes in the G chord can be used. The next chapter will further explain the concept of tonal center.
(To be continued)
Chapter Five: Chord voicing The note a chord is built on is called the root of the chord. For example, in the 1-3-5 chord, the 1 is the root. The other members of the chord are identified by their distance above the root. For example, the 3 is called the third of the chord because it is the 3rd note up from the root. Likewise, the 5 is called the fifth. When notes beyond the octave (such as 9, 11, 13) are added, they should be properly identified in the same manner. In other words, the 9th is not the same as the 2nd even though they are essentially the same notes. While the 2nd and the 9th share the same name note wise, they are in different octaves and have different effects on the overall sound of the chord and have different implications. A ninth chord contains the numbers 1-3-5-7-9. When the 7th is a major (regular) 7th, the chord is called a Major 9th chord. If the 7th is flatted (1-3-5-b7-9), the chord is called a dominant ninth chord (or simply dominant chord). If the 2nd is added to a chord (add 2), the implication is that the added note should be in the same octave (1-2-3-5). If the 9th is added without adding the 7th (add 9), the added note should be above the octave (1-3-5-9). All this may sound confusing but the following chord chart will help make this easier to understand. It would be very helpful if you can play these chords on a keyboard instrument to hear the unique sound of each chord. A guitar would also work but can be difficult to include all the notes of the extended chords. A computer notation and/or midi writing program would be ideal.
Chapter Six: Tonic, Sub Dominant & Dominant chords The primary tone center is the first note of the scale. In the major scale, the primary tone center would be 1. In the minor scale, the primary tone center would be 6. Any chord that feature the tone center are considered tonic chords. However,
Chapter Six: Rhythm, the glue that holds it all together
Chapter Six: Forms, the structure that make sense of it all
Chapter Seven: Instrumentation (orchestration) the voices of music
Chapter Eight: Music, nutrient for the human soul
Chapter Nine: The universal language |
