Overview
This lecture provides a crash course in the basics of music theory, covering notes, scales, keys, chords, chord progressions, melodies, and rhythm, with practical exercises to reinforce each concept.
Fundamentals of Notes and Pitch
- Sound consists of vibrations; faster vibrations mean higher pitch, slower means lower.
- Western music primarily uses 12 notes, named A through G, plus sharps (#) and flats (b).
- Notes repeat in higher or lower registers, known as octaves (distance of 12 notes).
- The smallest interval is a semitone (half-step); two semitones make a whole tone.
- Black piano keys are named as sharps (next higher) or flats (next lower) from white keys.
Scales and Keys
- A key is the group of notes that sound good together in a piece of music; most music uses major or minor keys.
- The C major scale uses all white piano keys and follows the interval pattern: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.
- A scale is the set of notes played in the context of a key.
- Each note in a scale can be numbered (scale degrees) starting with 1 at the root.
- Major scales use each letter name once; sharps or flats are used as needed for clarity.
Chords and Triads
- Chords are multiple notes played simultaneously, often in the same key.
- The most common three-note chord (triad) uses the root, third, and fifth notes of a scale.
- Major triads have intervals of four then three semitones; minor triads are three then four.
- Every major key has a relative minor, starting on its sixth degree, using the same notes.
- Triads can be built on each scale degree; in major keys, the pattern is major, minor, minor, major, major, minor, diminished.
Chord Progressions and Scale Degrees
- Chord progressions are series of chords using different scale degrees, often written as Roman numerals (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi).
- Major chords use uppercase numerals; minor use lowercase.
- Knowing scale degrees allows easy transposition of chord progressions to any key.
- Common progressions like 1-5-6-4 are used in many songs and can be constructed in any key.
Chord Inversions
- Inversions change the order of notes in a chord so the root is not always the lowest.
- Inversions help chords sound smoother and closer together in progressions.
- The bass note in an inversion can change the chord's overall feel.
Melodies and the Pentatonic Scale
- Melodies are single note sequences played over chords and are often the most memorable part of a song.
- Melodic notes can be in or out of the underlying chord, creating tension and release.
- The major pentatonic scale omits the fourth and seventh degrees for easy, consonant melodies.
Rhythm and Counting
- Music is divided into bars (measures), commonly with four beats per bar (4/4 time).
- Notes can last a whole bar, half, quarter, eighth, or sixteenth of a bar.
- Subdividing beats allows more precise rhythm notation: 1 e & a for sixteenth notes.
- Rhythms can be written using grid notation to capture beat placement.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Octave — Interval between two identical notes, 12 semitones apart.
- Semitone (Half-step) — Smallest interval in Western music, adjacent piano keys.
- Key — Group of notes that form the basis of a song.
- Scale — Ordered sequence of notes within a key.
- Triad — Three-note chord built on the root, third, and fifth.
- Scale Degree — Numbered position of a note within a scale.
- Chord Inversion — Rearrangement of chord notes so a note other than the root is lowest.
- Pentatonic Scale — Five-note scale omitting the fourth and seventh degrees.
- Bar/Measure — Segment of time containing a set number of beats.
- Subdivision — Dividing beats into smaller units for detailed rhythm.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice naming and building major scales and identifying scale degrees.
- Construct triads (chords) for scale degrees 1-6 in various keys.
- Practice writing and playing chord progressions using numbers/scale degrees.
- Experiment with chord inversions for smoother progressions.
- Compose melodies over chord progressions, including with the pentatonic scale.
- Transcribe rhythms from favorite songs using sixteenth note grid notation.