Music F193:Introduction to Music TheoryClass 4

1Wednesday, June 12, 13

Agenda

• Quiz 2

• Questions

• Test 1

• Review of Units 9-12

• Questions / Homework

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Essentials of Music Theory: Units 9-12

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Unit 9: Intervals, Solfege, Transposition

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Unit 9: Perfect / Major Intervals

• intervals are closely related to scales...

• ...their names come from scale degrees (2nd, 6th, 7th, etc.)

• based on scale degrees, certain intervals – unison (1), 4th, 5th, octave (8) – are called perfect intervals

• these intervals are the same in both major and minor scales; thus, there are no “major 5ths” or “minor 4ths”; they’re just perfect

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Unit 9: Perfect / Major Intervals

• a major interval, meanwhile – 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th – takes its interval from the scale degrees of a major scale

• so for example, in the key of C major, a major 6th exists between C and A – the first and sixth scale degrees of the C major scale

• book also mentions diatonic intervals – what happens when the keynote and top note of an interval are from the same major scale – these are major and perfect intervals

6Wednesday, June 12, 13

Unit 9: Perfect / Major Intervals

• intervals are written with a letter (uppercase or lowercase) and a number: so, a perfect 5th would be P5; a major 6th, M6; and so on

P1 M2 M3 P4 P5 M6 M7 P8

7Wednesday, June 12, 13

Unit 9: Minor Intervals

• minor intervals are the close cousins of major intervals

• M2, M3, M6, M7, just lowered by a half-step

• note that lowercase letters are used to denote minor intervals

• ...so, m2, m3, m6, m7

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Unit 9: Minor Intervals

• examples...

• note that perfect intervals cannot be made either major or minor; explanation why in a moment...

P1 m2 m3 P4 P5 m6 m7 P8

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Unit 9: Augmented & Diminished Intervals

• augmented = made larger by a half stepdiminished = made smaller by a half step

• if you’re sharping a sharp or flatting a flat, use a double-sharp or double-flat

• you cannot diminish a P1 (perfect unison), since the distance between the pitches is already zero

• ...but, you can have an augmented unison

10Wednesday, June 12, 13

Unit 9: Augmented & Diminished Intervals

• when the keynote and upper note of an interval are NOT from the same major scale = chromatic interval

• ...so, chromatic intervals include minor intervals, augmented and diminished

• note that augmented/diminished intervals often sound the same as other types of intervals; they’re augmented or diminished depending on how they’re written

11Wednesday, June 12, 13

Unit 9: Augmented & Diminished Intervals

• for PERFECT intervals – unisons (1), 4th, 5th, or octave (8) – the order from largest to smallest interval is:

• AUGMENTEDPERFECTDIMINISHED

• for MAJOR intervals – 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th – the order from largest to smallest interval is:

• AUGMENTEDMAJORMINORDIMINISHED

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Unit 9: Augmented & Diminished Intervals

• examples of augmented/diminished intervals

dim 6 dim 4 aug 7 dim 8

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Unit 9: Solfege

• solfege is system of assigning syllable names to each scale degree

• Do – Re – Mi – Fa – Sol – La – Ti – Do1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

• these syllables apply to any major scale; thus, “Do” can start anywhere – it can move

• thus, we call it moveable Do

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Unit 9: Solfege

• moveable Do is in contrast to fixed Do (which you DON’T have to learn!), a system in which each conceivable note (C, C sharp, C flat, etc.) has a slightly different syllable

• but back to moveable Do:

Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do

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Unit 9: Transposition

• change a piece of music (melody, key, everything) from one key to another

• this happens constantly, when one artist sings a song in a different key than someone else...

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Unit 9: Transposition

• example: “Jingle Bells,” first in C Major, transposed into D Major...

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Unit 12: Triads, V7, Scale Degree Names

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Unit 12: Triads/Chords

• chord: three or more notes, sounding together

• triad: a specific type of chord:

• ROOT, 3rd, 5th

• again, think about scale degrees: 1-3-5

• sounded together, any 1-3-5 combo is a triad

19Wednesday, June 12, 13

Unit 12: Triads/Chords

• triads can be built starting on any scale degree

• the triads built in 1, 4, and 5 (I, IV, V) are what the book calls primary triads

• a triad is called a major triad if it contains the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of a major scale

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Units 10-11: Lots of Rhythm

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Any questions about Units 10-11?

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Homework

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Homework

• Please push ahead:review, do exercises for Units 13 through 15

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