Download Music Theory Essay. - Guitar Master Class

Music Theory Essay.
1) Tell me everything you know about major scale. Construction, intervals, harmony and
everything else you feel I need to know.
2) Tell me everything you know about cadences in major scale and its modes. Use C major scale for
explanations.
3) Tell me everything you know about major scale modes?
4) Tell me everything you know about modal harmony?
5) Tell me everything you know about pentatonic scales?
6) Tell me everything you know about chord tone and tension relationship with harmony ?
7) Tell me everything you know about natural/harmonic/melodic minor scale harmony?
8) Tell me everything you know about natural/harmonic/melodic minor modes and harmony?
Prior to stating the MTP with Pedja my knowledge of musical theory was virtally zero. What
follows is a summary of what I now know and or understand.
There are many elements to what we call music, including pitch, rhythm, melody, harmony,
tempo, and so on.
The pitch of a musical note is linked directly to the frequency of the sound wave that is
produced. Sound waves are a succession of vibrations and the number of vibrations per
second is referred to as frequency. Frequency is measured in Hertz (1Hz being one vibration
per second). The higher the frequency, of a sound wave, then the higher the pitch of the
note. Humans with good hearing can detect sound waves within a frequency range of about
20Hz up to about 20,000 Hz.
In western music pitches of notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet (A
B C D E F G). The notes we usually use are made relative to a reference frequency of
440Hz. This reference frequency is given the name A. The difference between two pitches or
notes is called an interval. If we play two notes of the same pitch then we say they are in
unison. Doubling the frequency of a note means we have gone through an interval we call
an octave.
In modern western music, an octave is usually divided into 12 notes, each being called a
semitone. Musical instruments have of course evolved so that they can play these semitone
intervals or musical notes. On a guitar the interval between two adjacent frets is a semitone.
The series of 12 notes in an octave is called a chromatic scale. The twelve notes of the
chromatic scale are,
A Bb B C C# D Eb E F F# G G#
Intervals between notes can be described as Major (M), Minor (m), Perfect (P), Augmented
(A), and Diminished (d).
Intervals come in various sizes: Unisons, Seconds, Thirds, Fourths, Fifths, Sixths, and
Sevenths. This is called interval quality.
The 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th are considered major intervals. If you lower (flat) a major interval
by a semitone it becomes minor. So 3 = major 3rd, and b3 = minor third etc...
Thus 2nds, 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths can be found as Major and Minor.
Unisons, 4ths, 5ths, and Octaves are Perfect.
Perfect intervals happen when there is a perfect frequency or pitch ratio between the two
notes. For example two notes in perfect unison have a pitch ratio of 1:1, An octave interval
would have the ratio 1:2. A perfect 4th has the ratio 3:4 and a perfect 5th is 2:3.
When a major interval is raised by a half step, it becomes augmented.
When a major interval is lowered by a half step, it becomes minor.
When a major interval is lowered by two half steps, it becomes diminished.
When a minor interval is raised by a half step, it becomes major.
When a minor interval is raised by two half steps, it becomes augmented.
When a minor interval is lowered by a half step, it becomes diminished.
When a perfect interval is raised by a half step, it becomes augmented.
When a perfect interval is lowered by a half step, it becomes diminished.
Keys and Scales
Music in a particular key tends to use only some of the possible notes available; these notes
are listed in the scale associated with that key. The choice of notes and more accurately the
note intervals, dictates the feel and sound of a piece of music. Western music is built largely
around keys and scales that are classed as major or minor.
The use of major scales tends to produce music that is bright, cheerful and “catchy”. Major
scales are used a lot in pop, rock and simple music such as nursery rhymes etc.
Minor scales on the other hand tend to produce music that has a more sad, or ominous feel.
The Major Scale:
The major scale is a diatonic scale meaning that it has seven notes.
The major scale has the following formula
T T S T T T S where T = a whole tone interval and S = a semitone interval.
The starting (and octave note) of a particular major scale give it its name.
Applying the formula to C, F and G scales we get the following scales
Interval
Scale
Degree
Cmajor
Fmajor
Gmajor
T
T
S
T
T
T
S
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
I
C
F
G
D
G
A
E
A
B
F
Bb
C
G
C
D
A
D
E
B
E
F#
C
F
G
Harmonizing the C Major Scale
If we take the C major scale:
C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C
And build a triad off of each note of the scale using only notes found within the scale, we
get this:
I
C-E-G
1-3-5
Cmaj
ii
D-F-A
1-b3-5
Dmin
This is a minor chord because we have I bIII and IV
Tiii
E-G-B
1-b3-5
Emin
This is a minor chord because we have I bIII and IV
IV
F-A-C
1-3-5
Fmaj
V
G-B-D
1-3-5
Gmaj
vi
A-C-E
1-b3-5
Amin
This is a minor chord because we have I bIII and IV
vii
B-D-F
1-b3-b5
Bdim
VIII
C-E-G
1-3-5
Cmaj
This is a diminished chord because we have I bIII and bV
Major Scale Modes
As shown above the C major scale has the following notes.
C D E F G A B C
which follows the major scale formula TTSTTTS
Playing the same notes but beginning with the D note gives the following,
D E F G A B C D this shifts the interval formula like this TSTTTST
This is known as the Dorian Mode and is in effect a scale in its own right having a different
feel to the C major scale which is known as the Ionian Mode.
There are therefore seven possible major scale modes
I----------- Ionian
II---------- Dorian
III--------- Phrygian
IV---------- Lydian
V----------- Mixolydian
VI---------- Aeolian
VII--------- Locrian
Cadence
Cadence is a term used to describe the idea of bringing a piece of music to a resting point,
which can be either either temporary or permanent. It can therefore be used to describe a
chord progression or note sequence such as the I, IV, V sequence used in much popular
music.
The Pentatonic Scale:
A pentatonic Scale is a five-tone scale. I have found out that Minor pentatonic scales can
just be thought of as a minor scale, minus scale degrees 2 and b6. Therefore a minor
pentatonic scale has the formula 1 b3 4 5 b7.
I need to learn more about the minor scale, and the major pentatonic scale.