California State University, Stanislaus

Department of Music

Mttll$[,oIPIEVIIEVV /s'tAltffilpilAlls

FOR ENTERINGFRESHMEN MUSIC IVIAIORS

INTRODUCTION

This material was developed to help entering music majors better prepare themselves forfreshman level music classes. While much of this material will bediscussed andreviewed in classes, it is in the student's best interest to have a working knowledge andfamiliarity with some theory, terminology and music history.

A ttreory placement examination is administered to all incoming music students.Students maywish to take MUS 1190 - Music Fundamentals, foran in-depth reviewbefore beginning the traditional theory sequence.

Please review the ma&erial on the following pages prior to your start at Stanislaus. Thefaculty would like entering students to be familiar with the following:

1. Read both treble and bass clefs.

2. Understand basic rhythmic notation for both notes and rests.

3. Know major and minor key signatures.

4. Understand whole and half steps as they relate to scales

5. Understand simple triads (three note chords).

6. Understand basic musical terminology as related to t€mpo, style and performance.

7. Understand a brief overview of musical periods and a basic knowledge of significantcomposers for each era

For additional references, please consult the following sources:

Benward, Bruce and Jackson, Barbara Practical BeginningTheory: A FundamentalsWorktert. Seventh Blition. Dubuque,lowa Wm. C. Brown Publisher, 1991ISBN O-697-t0F.3r7

D'Amante, Elvo. Music Fundanunlalr. New York Ardsley House Publishers, 1994.ISBN l-880157-t2A

Harder, Paul and Steinke, Greg. Basic Materials inMwic Theory. Seventh Blition.Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1991. ISBN O-2OU12998,4. Highly recommended.

Henry, F:rl. Fundanuntals oJMuslc. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1993.ISBN Gl3-33728&X.

Ottman, Robert and Mainous, Frank Rudiments of Music. New Jersey: hentice Hall,1995. ISBN (.J-.t3-7057402.

Whrt", G-ary. Mnsb First. Third Edition. Dubuque,Iowa Wm. C. Brown andBenchmark, 1995. Highly recommended.

THEORY

Music Fundamentals Review

The study of music theory enables the musician to become literate in the language ofmusic. Musical literacy is valuable in order to interpret and perform a wide variity ofmusic written by others, and it gives you the tools with which to compose your ownmusic, arrange music and share your musical ideas in written form. The study of musictheory involves understanding grammar (musical alphabet, note & rest values, clefs, etc.)and utilizing symbols to create musical phrases, sentences, and finally entfue musical forms.

The aural art of music consists of three basic elements:

l. RI{YTHMT An ordered, recurrent alternation of strong and wiak beats,

2. MELODY: A succession or axrangement of sounds; a succession of singletones organized as an aesthetic whole,

3. HARfuIONf: The combination of simultaneous musical notes in a chord; thescience of the structure, relation, and progression of chords.

Pitch: The relative highness (faster vibration) or lowness (slower vibration) of a sound.The actual pitch of the note on the Grand Staffbelow is determined by the TrebleClef, which identifies the second line of the top staffas G above Middte C on thepiano, and the Bass CIef, which identifies the fourth line of the bottom staffas Fbelow Middle C.

The Grand Staff and the Keyboard:

=rt+

Stcinwry

cde f Sab cdef Sab

Accidentals.' Symbols which alter pitch.

A sbary raises a pitch b,v a half-step.

A

:

.{/atlowers a pirch bv a half.srep.

A, nailtral sign cancels a sharp or tlar.

Enbannonic rones hare rhe same sound and ciiferenr spellings.

Intemal: The distance between two pitches

Half Step: The smallest difference in pitch on the keyboard is called tlnlf *ep.There are half steps &omB to C and E to F, but all other half steps involve a blackkey.

Ill r

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Half steps:

WholeStep..Two half steps may be combined to form awhole step.

Half Steps and Whole Steps in the Major Scale

Observe the pattern of half and whole steps in the major scale:

Scaledegrces:l 2 13 4l 5 6 lr--8 I

Steps:W W H W W w H

The major scale has half steps between the third and fourth and the seventh and eighth scale

degrees and whole steps between the other scale degrees'

Songs use different major scales to place them in comfortable singing ranges and to provide tonal

variety. The major ,."i. p"n.- can be formed on any pitch by observing the pattern of half and

whole steps. In the ""u*pb

below, the D major scale is formed by adding two sharps to form the half

steps between 3-4 and 7-8.

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Key Signatures.' To avgld writing the accidentals each time they occur in a scaleor composition, the accidentals are written w a key signature. The accidentals inkey signatures are always written in the same order on the staff

Placement of Accidentals in a Key Signature

Each Major scale has its own key signature. There is a total of l5 Major keys:c Major with no sharps or flats in the key signature, seven keys with strarps, andseven keys with flats in the key signature. The following is a list of all the maiorscales and their key signatures. The standard keyboard fingering are included oneach scale, assuming the right hand is playrng in the treble clef and the Ieft hand isplaying in the bass clef

FCG DA EB BEADGCF

5.t32132t

5432r32t 5432r321

C Major

32143213 5432t321

123r2345

5432r321

2t 2 3 4

3214 3 213

pbr"r, e v23 t23l 3

<E}2 312 3 4 5

5432t3213 ? l4 3 2 13

ebrra,

123412

32 | 4 3 213

t 2 3123 4 5

43 2 t 4 3 2 t

234t23.1 5

432132t4

2 3 4 I 23 4 5

4 3 213 2 t 4

12312345

4 3 2l 43 2 t

2 3t 2 34 t 2

3 2t 4 3 2 t 3

Minor Scales.'Each Major scale has a corresponding minor form, which adheresto the same key signature. A scale built on thi sixth r".1. d.gr.e of any Majorscale will yield a whole and half step formula of: t ta I I rA I l. This formulacreates the minor mode of its corresponding Major scale.

f{a*., .*-l f4 ivr a *

For tla'rma*i- h,7c- -reiSe +qt 1rA nofc- et

'lz sf.lfar tltaldichrlor-

re.ise- 761 G*t +1+hno*<-s a 11" slt.p

gr he .n. erc?../flig r

Lawer tlrcr. bace,lo-"z. 1o *ht'. ori,:1i;n*1S't'rr*e ai har de"ri"l,-r5.

Circle of Fifths: The chart below illustrates the order of Major key signatures onthe outside of the circle and the corresponding minor keys on the inner wheel ofthe circle. It also illustrates the order of sharps and flats from one accidental toseven accidentals in the signature. The three pairs of keys at the bottom of thecircle (Dflat and C slurp for example) are enhomonic keys: the scales derivedfrom these key signatures sound the sarne, but are spelled differently.

Circle of Fifibs

3. All flat keys have tonics with flats (e.g., B-flal E-flat, etc.j. exceprrhekey of F.only one fla in ir key signanre, therc is no "0exr-to-lasr flar." so.vou will need

exception (however, B-flat ir ttc rountr scaie degrce of F major.)

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Determining the Key from Key SignaturesAn eesy wav ro deternine the major scCe imgiieC b1r a given key sig:aarure is the following:

l. in key sig:nanues with sharps, the tonic of .he scsle is lcceced a haif step above the last sharp to che

righr (The last sharp is the seventh scaie deg:.)

Z In key signarr:res wirh flau, the tonic is the next to last flat in the key signature. (i'ne last flat is the

founh scale degree.)

Sincs Fmajorhasto remerirber this

/&'al#ln

=i #+\ /

-

\-\- I a

\#\'\&\i'-

Rhythm-MeterRh1rtho: The lengh of a sound.

Types of Notes (represenring sounC)

o Wholc

Rests (represendng silencs)

- Whoic

IIat)

a,t

Quarar

Egrth

Quena

Eghth

Summary of Relarive Note and Rest Vaiues

NOTES RESTS

-O)T

l/ \-\l

,/-\Od4r

,/\ ,/\ / \ / \r I (-t ,/ \. ./ \...a1)))/ \ ,/\ / \ /\ r r cl- - -1 r-r /\ /\ /\ /\. . . . . . . . .l,l,l I 7 .l 1,1Doacd Whole

l-l-\-iDoacd Half ). ).

DonedQuaner r ). Ja )./t\ ,/t\ /t\ /t\Eirh,h ,[j,-|l[)Tfr

SDtPt.E DMSIONS

COIVIPOLT{D DTVTSIONS

,/\,a' '^'

/\ /\r. l. I. ll\ l\ l\ /t\1177'.|'l'17'1177

DotA dot placed afiera note increases the rzlue of rhar nore bv half.

I

t ? =2bcrs.rhea P' =3bcas.rta I =lbcar,thcn ?' =lltrzbcau.lr

TiesNotes mav be tied together ( ^ ) to form one sound that cannot be espresed by'a single nore or roconnec nores from one measure to another.

tf ? =?r/4Begs t"lf =6Bcars

Feroatazr A fermaa srmbol is used io stop rhe bear thar is measuring rhe lengrh of sound.B€at A consrant pulseMeter: The grouping of the bear

Duple A grouping of rz,o bears

Triple A grouping of tbreebetsQna&uple A grouping of fourbeas

Pufs€.\ote The note chosen to represenr rhe bearSimple and Compound MetersSimple meters xre meters in which the pulse note is divisible inro &a'o el'en nores.Compound meters'rre meters in which the pulse note is divisible inro tbree el€n nores. Compoundmerers have doned notes lts puise notes.Tisre SignaturesTime signarures ere expressed as r$'o numbers. one above rhe other.

frgIn simple nerers, the rop number is 2. 3, or +. Ir represens rhe merer (grouping).In compound mereru, the top number is 6. 9. or 12. These numbers are tlzree times largerrhtrt

their respecdve metec.In simple meters, the bonom number is 1. 2. -i. 8, or 16. It represens rhe pulse noce. Tbe quarter

note kepresenred bv the number +) is tbe mostlrequently used pulse note.In cornpounci metes, the bonom number is f. +, 8, or 16. Ir represenrs the clit'ision of rhe pulse

note. Tbe clotted quarter note is tbe mosttrequentl)' used pube notein compound merers. Thebonorn number used in the meter sign when rhe pulse nore is a dosted quafier nore is 8. (Threeeighrh notes mLte a domed quxner nore.)Other Time SignanresC Usuallv refe-ned to rs "common dme"; equai ro f; merer

S Usuallv refened to as "cur dme"; equal to t *.t t

Anacnrsis: One or several notes that occur before the 6rst (strong) beat. The anacrusis can be usedin eirher simple or compound meters.

tr'lTriplet A compound division in a simple meter.

ft rn).13

( [J)

IUAnacrusis

44

Three : rwo of the same rrpe of note

HarmonyChor& Three or more notes sounding together.

Four Types of Triads

Major Minor

1, 3, i of the maior scale Loq'er rhe third of a

maior rriad

Diminished

Loq-er the third and fitrhof a major triad

Augmented

Raise the fifth of a

maior triad

Int eruallic Relationsbip of Triads

Maior Minor Diminished Augmented