Download consonances. (Unisons are rather hard to play on one pianot)

F
N
U
D
M
A
N
E
The distance between any
T
made up of
notes on
two
two
the
the
and
You determine the
count
die first
4. An octave,
to
C, for
sounded
interval. The closest
an
can
happen
on
possible
interval is
different instruments, for
two
a
unison. A urfison is
example,
or
when
two
second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh,
are
by counting the distance from one note to the next, (In music, you always
name
1.) The interval from C
F, for
the
example,
fourth: C is 1, D is 2, E is 3, and F is
have seen, is the name for the interval between two successive notes of the same letter name. (C
Intervals can be either mccessive (one note sounded afi:er the other) or simultaneous (both notes
note as
as we
pitches is called
pitch. This
After the unison, the other intervals
same note.
example.)
together).
5
L
same
people sing
octave.
A
third
second
to
fourth
would be
fifth
a
sixth
seventh
octave
quality of sound
speaking, an interval
The
stablest,
or
considered
most
of each of the intervals can be described in terms ofeonsonaace and dissonance. Generally
is consonant when the two notes sound pleasing or stable when played at the same time. The
consonant, intervals are the unison, fourth, fifth, and octave; the third and sixth are also usually
consonant.
unison
fourth
The intervals of
dissonant. To
our
plete.
a
ears,
fifth
third
octave
sixth
seventh, from C to B above, sound harsh. These intervals are
dissonances sound unstable or "unfinished," whereas consonances sound stable and com-
second, from C
to
D, and
a
The harsh dissonances of the second and seventh seem to require resolution to a consonance. We can hear
that the B in a C-B seventh seems to yearn for the C a half step above, which would turn the dissonant seventh into
the very consonant
octave. And the D in the C-D second wants to resolve up to a third or down to a unison--both
(Unisons are rather hard to play on one pianot)
consonances.
•
resolving
second
to
a
third
second
to a
resolving
unison
seventh
to
an
resolving
octave
C
H
A
P
T
E
R
2
pitches played consecutively, then melody is created. Melodies
be smooth and lyrical, short, sharp, and jagged,
anything in between. We hear melodies every day: the radio, television,
school, and work. Memorable melodies constitute integral part of
lives. Every country, for example, has
national anthem, each possessing distinctive melody. Some melodies, like those in television ads video games,
heads
if
stick in
important element fall cultures. More
to forget them. Popular melodies
o•en than not,
decide whether
like piece of music purely
the basis of its melody.
A melody rypicatly consists of different types of melodic motion. Melodic motion describes the spacing of
melody. Most melodies contain mixture of steps (either half steps whole steps), leaps (movement to
notes in
individual melody is determined by
than step away), and repeated
The distinctive quality of
If several individual
are
can
a
or
or
at
at
a•
a
on
on
our
or
a
even
our
we
want
we
are an
we
a
o
on
a
or
a
notes more
a
notes.
an
the combination of these three types of melodic motion.
The melody of "Happy Birthday to You" contains a mixture of steps, leaps, and repeated notes (see example). It is very simple in construction and can be divided into four sections; 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each of these
sections is called a phrase. A musical phrase is marked off by a tiny moment of repose at its end. If you sing
"Happy Birthday," you will notice that the most appropriate points at which to take a breath are at the end of each
phrase.
rl,
r
Hap-py
bia-th
day,
birth
de•
day
to
read
hap-
you;
er,
hap-
r&--
2.
py
py
bk, lb
bi•h
day
day
to
to
you;
hap-
py
you.
The four phrases axe very similar. Each is the same length. Each features almost exacdy the same rhythm'. The
difference between the phrases is in the mdodic motion. The first two are almost identical; the only difference is
the size of one of the intervals. The first phrase has a fourth between "-day" and "to," while the second phrase has
fifth between those words.
a
The third and fourth phrases are more varied melodically. The third phrase has an octave leap at the beginning
("Happy BIRTH-"), which marks the high point of the entire melody, and then descends by thirds. And the fourth
phrase starts higher than any of the others and descends to the last note of the melody. The fourth phrase has a feeling of finality to it, which is appropriate for the end of the melody.
"Happy Birthday" is an example of a melody that features phrases of identical length, unified by the repetition of a rhythmic pattern but given shape and contrast by differences in melodic motion. "America" (see example) has a much longer melody than "Happy Birthday" does, but it also contains phrases of equal length, and a
repeated rhythm again unifies the melody. See how often you can lind the same, or almost the same, rhythm in
this
melody.
32
F
U
N
D
A
M
My
E
S
'tis
of
sing.
thee
grims'pride,
Pil
L
A
t•y,
coun-
of
T
N
Land
from
thee,
where
'ry__
ev
land
sweet
fa
my
moun-
of
thers
taJn-side,
li
died,
let
land
free- dom
her-
ty,
of
the
ring!
melody, however, is almost entirely made up of steps. In fact, if you don't
the intereals between
largest interval in the entire song is only third. This interval (on "-try 'tis" and "-'ry moun-" and "let")
sounds like big leap when the
of the melody is in stepwise motion. The word "let" also has the highest
These
factors together
strong climax for the words "let freedom ring!"
Another distinctive feature of this melody is its
of melodic sequence
the words "Land where my fathers
died, land of the Pilgrims' pride." A melodic sequence occurs when melodic
pattern is repeated at different pitch
This
phrases,
count
the
a
a
rest
two
note.
create a
use
level, and
on
a
a
device used in many melodies. Here, the melodic
pattern of "Land where my fathers died" is repeated a step lower for the words "land of the Pilgrims' pride." The musical sequence is matched by the similarity
of the two lines of text. Both begin with the word "land," both have the
same number of syllables, and the two lines
rhyme ("died"/"pride"). Synergy between text and melody is a hallmark of memorable
songs.
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Litde Star" (see example) is an example of melody that ends the
a
same way it begins.
Again, each phrase is the same length, and here, each phrase uses exactly the
rhythm.
You
will notice that the
same
last two phrases are identical to the first
and
that
only
the
middle
two
two provide any melodic contrast. This idea
of melodic contrast a•d return is
an extremely common device in music.
it is
a
Phrase
Phrase 2
kle,
Twinr--
Phrase 3
up
a
r---
twin-
kle,
lit
tie
how
star,
•-
bove
the
world
so
high,
like
Phrase 5--
twin_ kle,
r•
kle,
twin
lit
tie
star,
how
I
won-
der
what
you
are,
mond
in
the
sky,
der
what
you
are.
Phrase 4
a
dia-
Phrase6
won
of"Twinkie, Twinkle, Little Star" is made up primarily of repeated
of fifth
the beginning of the first phrase (and phrase 5). The
a
at
;311
notes
and
descending
steps,
range of the entire song is
¢
H
A
P
T
E
R
2
only sixth, from low of middle C to a high ofA,'maki ng it an easy reach for most singers. The simple but saris•ing structure, the repetitive rhythm, the limited range, and the pattern of repeated notes and stepwise melodJc
motion make this favorite early song for children.
Melodic motion also contributes to a larger-scale aspect of melody, which is melodic shape. If you simply
draw line connecting the notes in a melody, you will get visual picture of its melodic shape. We can also sense
the shape of melody with our eats. "Happy Birthday," for example, is made up of wave shapes, which gradually
rise up to the highest note ("Happy BIRTH-") and then descend. "America" has extremely gentle waves (we might
call them ripples) except for the last phrase. "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" has two phrases (1 and 5) that rise
rather suddenly, while all the rest of the phrases have a long, gradual descent. The overall shape of melody has a
not.
very strong effect on whether the melody appeals to us
"Happy Birthday," '•America," and "Twinkle, T•/mkle, Litde Star" simple melodies. Yet they exhibit the
division into phrases; mixture of steps, leaps, and repeated notes; the use of
most important aspects of melody:
other feature in common,
quence; the unifying role played by rhythm; and overall shape. These melodies have
memorable tune: Each is dominated by a keynote,
tonic. An explanation of
one that is shared by almost every
this aspect of melody must include discussion of harmony, key, and tonality.
a
a
a
a
a
a
a
or
are
se-
a
one
or
a
melodies can be sung unaccompanied, most of them normally occur with accompaniment. Accompaniwhich this accompaniment is constructed is known as h•:ment adds depth and richness to a melody. The way in
mony. A composer can create different moods and feelings by changing the harmony in a piece of music.
A chord is formed when three or more different notes are played together. The intervals between these notes
determine whether the chord is consonant or dissonant, stable or unstable.
The most common consonant chord is the triad, which consists of one primary note (called the "root") and
two other notes, one a third above it and the other a fifth above it. This is the most frequently used of all chords.
Although
•-'•
Root
Both of the notes above the root form a consonance with the root, creating
played one after another, rather than all at once, the result is not a chord but an
hear if you strum a guitar once very slowly.
Chord
Arpeggio
Chord
very stable sound. If the notes are
•rpegglo. An arpeggio is what you
a
Arl:•eggin
Sometimes cnmposers will write a triad with the notes rearranged, so that the third or the fifth, or both, lie belnw the root. The resulting chords sound slightly different, but the root in each case remains C, because that is the
note on
which the triad
was
originalfy
based.
F
U
N
A
D
Triads
can
M
E
N
T
be built
on
any
A
L
root.
Triads built
on
G would look like dais:
Other chords, which are variants of the basic consonant triad, imply subsequent movement to a different triad;
in other words, the listener expects a chord change to follow. The most common of these is the seventh chord.
This chord consists of a triad (for example, C, E, and G) with a flatted sm, enth (Bb) added.
You will notice a difference between the C-E-G sound of the first example in this section and the C-E-G-B[, sound
of this last example. The BI, adds a dissonance to the basic triad because it creates the interval of a seventh with the
C. Dissonant chords are unstable and seem to need resolution to a more stable chord. The B[, in the seventh chord
"leans" toward the A that is a half step below. But the note A is not a part of the C triad.
of harmony is required, based in this case on the root F, which has A as its third.
The
relationship
second
as
its
between the
resolution, the
ther elements of music:
r•-
key
two
chords in the
two
chords
and
tonality.
can
example
be said
to
r•
twin-
lde,
llt
tle
a
r•
bore
the
world
so
high,
Phrase 5
tWin_
kle,
like
n
twin- kle,
lit
tie
important
r•-
how
star,
35
Because the first chord
one.
To
see
why,
we
need
ro
I
won-
der
what
you
are,
rnond
in
the
sky,
der
what
you
are.
Phrase 4
a
dia-
Phrase 6
I
won
a
change
requires
examine
Phrase 2
how
star,
Phrase 3
up
an
belong together.
Phrase
Twin-kle,
is
Consequendy,
two
the
fur-
C
H
A
P
T
E
2
R
phrase 4, the melody will sound incomplete. This
on a C, the tonic or keynote of the piece. If you examine the melody,
will
that
begins
and
ends
the
it
you
see
on
same note: C. If
to change the melody to end on a different note
(see below), its whole quality would change. Listen to these new versions of the melody and you wil/hear that the
final note is not stable enough to end the piece. The only note that sounds right at the end of this piece is C.
sing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
happens because the melody needs to end
If you
and stop,
at
the end of
we
Ending
on
Ending
D
on
were
Ending
B
on
C
•
How
won-der
what you
How
are.
won-der
what you
•
keynote, "Twinlde, Tw'nkle Little Star' can therefore
by keys is known as tonality'.
look again at the melody of "Happy Birthday."
be said
Because C is the
ity to be molded
Now let's
Hap-py
day
bLrth
hap- py
you;
to
How
are.
day
birth
wonder
to
to
be in the
day,
dear
dent,
stu
hap-
birth-
py
day
to
key
you;
J
birth-
what you
•re.
of C. Music's abil-
hap-
i
py
II
you.
What is the keynote of this melody? The melody ends on G, so the keynote is probably G. (Most melodies end on
their keynote.) If you try substituting any other note at the end of "Happy Birthday," you will find that the substitutions simply don't sound right; they don't give a sense of finality at the end of the song.
The keynote of "Happy Birthday" is G, so "Happy Birthday" is in the key of G, or simply in G. There are
malay different keys, and "Happy Birthday" could just as easily have been written in the key of B-flat, for example.
Every key has a different series of notes associated with it. When you zrrange the notes that belong to a particular
keynote in their proper order, you create a scale.
A scale is
from when
Major
just an ascending
writing a piece of music.
more
than
scale.
or
descending
A composer
group of
writing
real•y a store of notes the composer draws
key of C Major mosdy uses notes from the C-
notes.
in the
It is
scale. As we saw before, this scale use• only the white notes from the piano. The
first and last notes of the scale are C, and C is the keynote. But you can build a major scale on any keynote. What
makes a scale major is not the keynote, but thepattern of intervals between the notes.
Let's see what the intervals are in the scale of C Major. Look at the C-Major scale in the following example.
The pattern of intervals going up is: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step,
Let
us
reexamine the
C-Major
FUNDAMENTALS
half step
step whole step
whole
whole step
step
whole
whole step
half
step
Every major
scale contains this pattern. If you use this pattern, you can build a major scale on any note. You
will find that most major scales are not limited to the white notes. Try the scale of G Major. All you do is start on
G and go up, keeping the same pattern of intervals. (The pattern in shorthand is: 1-1-•-1-1-1-•.)
Start on G. Then go to A (a whole step from G), then B (a whole step from A), then C (a half step from B),
then D (a whole step from C)! then E (a whole step from D), then F] (a whole step from E), and flnally G (a half
step from F•I). You'll see that in order to keep the pattern, you have to use an F] instead of a plain F. So the scale of
G Major looks like this:
half step
step whole step
whole
whole step
whole step
whole step
half step
o
The same applies to any major scale: just start on any note and keep the interval pattern exact. Try making
some other scales. You'll see that some need quite a few sharps or flats.
There are two main types of scale: major and minor. Pieces that use a major scale are said to be in the major
mode; pieces using a minor scale, in the minor mode. There is a difference in sound between the two modes. That
difference is created by differences in the pattern of the intervals.
The minor scale still uses whole and ha/f steps, but the arrangement is different. The pattern in the minor scale
is this: whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step. The easiest minor scale is A
minor, because it has no sharps or flats.
whole step
But
just
like the
whole step
half step
major scale,
a
whole
minor scale
can
step
be built
half
on
intervals (1-½-1-1-•-1-1).
whole step
As you
You'll
tive,
see
can
see,
half
step
D minor needs
or
one
flat.
whole
step
Try building
BI,, El,, and
sound different from
that C minor needs three flats:
Major-key pieces usually
Sound
whole step
any
half
whole
step
note.
step
step
whole step
Here's D minor, with the
whole
step
other minor scales. For
same
pattern of
whole step
exasrlple,
try
building
C minor.
AI,.
minor-key pieces.
The
major key usua[ly
sounds
bright, posi-
cheerful, whereas pieces in the minor key sound more serious, even a litde sad. Notice the difference
of"Twinld,• "v•wmrae, Ltttle •tar lrwe change it from C Major to C minor.
Twin- kle,
twin
lde,
lit
tie
star,
how
I
won
der
what
you
are.
in the
C
H
A
P
T
E
R
2
different versions of the minor scale. The basic one we have been look.ing at is called
the natttral minor; the two other forms we called the harmonic minor and the melodic minor. Each has a slightly
different interval pattern. The melodic minor scale is slightly different ascending and descending.
Composers
sometimes
use
norm(lily
;n their
chords when hm*moMz(ng minor melody
Harmonic minor
Natural minor
MeJodic minor
(ascending)
Melodic minor
(descending)
There are other scales that composers sometimes use, including pentatonic scales (scales with only five notes)
and the chromatic scale, which moves entirely by half s[eps. Music that uses lots of half steps in addition to those
in the scale is alao called chromatic.
F• to keep to the pattern. Ira composer were to write
piece in G Major, he she would have to write a sharp sign every time an F] was required. If the piece were in
C minor, the composer would have to write three flats all the time. Instead of dolng this, composers usually write
the beginning of each line of music. This indicates to the performer that whenever the relevant
a key signature at
flatted. The key signature for G Major shows
F•I, indicating that whennotes appear, they should be sharped
F appears, it should be sung or played as F•. The key signature for C minor has three flats, showing that
ever
When
we
G-Major
constructed the
a
scale above,
we
needed
an
or
or
an
an
whenever B, E,
or
A appears, it
should be flatted.
Key Signature
for G Major
Key Sign•tt•re
for C minor
composer will want to use a note different from those indicated by the key signature. In these
cases, the composer writes a sign immediately in front of the note in question. The sign may be a sharp (•) or a flat
(•), or it may be a natural (•), which shows that the note is neither sharp nor flat. The natural sign
Occasionally,
a
temporarily
cancels
out
any
sharp
or
flat
on
that
note.
These individual
signs
are
called accidentals.
F
U
N
D
A
M
E
N
T
A
$
L
Every key signature is shared by one major and
minor key. G Major and E minor, for example, both have
sharp:
sharp.
The
F
difference
that
the
is
keynote
of G Major is G, whereas the keynote of E minor is E.
one
an
nlinor
The majol and
keys that feature the same key signatures are called relative major and minor. E minor is
known as the relative minor of G Major. E•, Major is the relative major of C minor. Sometimes
composers write
of
the
major
piece
in
relative
the
minor,
other
part
way around. The difference in mode provides variety to the
piece, but the common key signature provides unity.
When musicians see key signature, they know what key piece of music is in. If they
see three flats, they can
tell that the piece is either in E•, Major
in C minor. Other factors--looking at the final chord, just listening
to
the saund--will tell them whether it's the major
the minor key.
one
a
or
a
a
or
or
We have examined the most common consonant chord, the triad (root third fifth). Triads, like scales,
can be
either major or minor. The third of a major triad is a major third--two whole steps--above the
root; with a minor
triad, it is a minor third, or 1•, steps. Listen to these chords, paying special attention to the difference in sound be-
major
tween
and minor.
major
key
Each
major
minor
seven notes
has
a
in the scale. The
most
begin
will
firming
it
at
important
major
minor
series of chords associated with it. The chords
meral, it is sometimes called the
piece
major
minor
of these is the tonic
formed
are
chord, built
keynote is the first note
chord, thereby establishing the key at
chord, because the
and end with the tonic
minor
by constructing triads
on the keynote. Using
on
each of the
a Roman nuof the scale. More often than not, a
the
beginning
of the
piece
and reaf-
the end.
The dominant chord
(chord V
in
a
key
is second in
importance
to
the tonic chord. It is bulk
on
the fifth
note
afthe scale, so the dominant chord in C Major is built
(root third fifth G-B-D). Because the dominant
on G
chord in any key always contains the seventh note in the scale (B in this case), it sounds though it requires
as
resolution back to the tonic chord. Listen to the chords in each example. You'll hear how the V chord
seems to want
chord again. Some pieces use only these two chords throughout.
to go back to the
I
v
The effect of the I-V-I
I
V
progression
is the
same
whether it is
played
in C
Major
or
any other
key.
C
H
A
P
T
2
R
E
punctuation in grammar. They provide stopping points in the flow of the discourse.
Stopping points in grammar have varying degrees of strength. A period marks the end of sentence. A comma
marks off phrase. A semicolon provides both closure and continuity. Cadences perform these same functions in
Cadences in music
are
like
a
a
a
musical
context.
are three main types of cadence: the authentic cadence, the plagal cadence, and the half cadence. Each
of
different progression of two chords.
consists
a
The chord progression we just examined is an authentic or full cadence. An authentic cadence consists of a
V chord followed by a I chord. It is used to mark the end of sections in a composition or the end of the entire piece.
There
plagal cadence, the other hand, features IV chord (known the subdominant chord) and I chord.
If you play these two chords consecutively, you will notice that the cadence is
strident and forthright
the
authentic cadence. Indeed, the plagal cadence is often called the "Amen" cadence,
close
it is frequently used
hymns liturgical pieces.
The
on
a
as
a
not as
as
to
as
or
1V
]
or
IV
The authentic a•nd plagal cadences both end on a tonic chord (I). Both, therefore, can be used by composers
end pieces. The haft cadence ends on the dominant (V) chord, though, so it lacks the finality of the authentic
to
and plag• cadences. It may be preceded by a IV chord or a chord; in either case, it provides a pause at the end of
phrase, but not an actual ending. It leaves the listener with the sense that there is more music to come.
a musical
V
or
IV
V
melody is sung without its rhythm, it immediately loses much of its essence. Rhythm is fundamental to
Rhythm is built into our bodies as hearthears, or as the motion of our limbs
sic as pitch, possibly even
so.
walking. Rhythm is one of the most important distinguishing features in music.
Ira
as
more
mu-
in