Download AP Music Theory - Somerset Academy

AP Music
Theory
Elements of Music: Pitch
IB and AP
 This
class will get you through the material
you will need to accurately analyze a
piece of music in the IB Curriculum
especially in Form and Harmony
 Please take a moment to read the Syllabus
and the Course Planner on Moodle
 Please find the Sight Singing Exercises on
Moodle as well
 Please pay your class fee of $45.00 by
Friday ONLINE
 If you have questions about anything email
me at [email protected]
Keyboard and Octave
Registers
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Pitch refers to highness or lowness of a sound
Names for the first 7 letters of the alphabet
(ABCDEFG)
C- is the note that we will relate to the
keyboard
7 ¼ octaves on a standard keyboard from A-0
to C-8
From any C up to the next C is called an
octave
All the notes from one C to another are part
of the same octave register
Keyboard
Notation on a Staff
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A staff is used to indicate the precise pitch
desired
Contains 5 lines and 4 spaces
Can be indefinitely extended with ledger lines
A clef associates certain pitches with the lines
and spaces:
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G-Clef – Treble
F Clef – Bass Clef
C-Clef – Alto or Tenor clef (it is movable)
A Grand staff is a combination of the Treble and
bass clef
Clef Signs
The Major Scale
 Scales
form the basis of tonal music
 The major scale is a pattern of half and
whole steps encompassing an octave
 Half step is the distance from one key to
the next key either black or white
 Natural half step is between B and C and
E and F
 Whole steps skip the next key to the next
key white or black
Tetrachords and Accidentals
 Tetrachords
– four note patern of 1 - 1- ½
 A Major scale is made up of two
tetrachords with a whole step in the
middle
 Accidentals – symbols that raises or lowers
a note
 Accidentals are written to the left of the
note and are vocalized after the note
Accidentals
Major Key Signatures
 Key
– the term that is used to identify the
first degree of a scale
 Key Signature – is a pattern of sharps or
flats that appear at the beginning of a
staff and indicates that certain notes are
to be raised or lowered consistently
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
Sharps – G, D, A, E B F# C#
Flats – F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb
Key Signatures
Other Key Signature Info
 Order
of sharps – FCGDAEB
 Order of Flats – BEADGCF
 Enharmonic – Notes that are spelled
differently but sound the same
 Transposition – to write or play music in
some key other than the original
 Circle of Fifths – follows the order of sharps
in a clockwise motion around a circle
Circle of Fifths
Minor Scales
 Natural
minor scales – like a major scale
with a lowered, 3rd, 6th, and 7th degree
 Harmonic Minor scale – thought of as a
major scale with a lowered 3rd and 6th
degree
 Melodic minor scale – ascending form is
like a major scale with a lowered 3rd
degree, the descending form is the same
as the natural minor scale
Natural Minor Scales
Minor Key Signatures
 Relative
– share the same key signature
 Parallel – share the same letter name only
 We
base the minor key signature on the
major key signature but take the name of the
6th scale degree
 Relatively speaking – C major and A minor
share the same key signature
 To create harmonic or melodic you must use
accidentals
Scale Degree Names
 All
scales have scale degree names
 1st – Tonic
 2nd – Supertonic
 3rd – Mediant
 4th – Subdominant
 5th – Dominant
 6th – Submediant
 7th – Subtonic or leading tone – depends
on whether it is raised
Intervals
 Interval
– a measurement of the distance
in pitch between two notes
 Harmonic Interval – performing the two
notes at the same time
 Melodic Interval – performing the two
notes successively
Intervals 2
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Two parts of an interval name

Numerical name – how far apart they are
Unison instead of 1
 Octave instead of 8
 2nd instead of two
 3rd instead of three
 Interval smaller than an octave are called
simple intervals
 Intervals larger than an octave are called
compound intervals
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Modifier – Perfect, Major, Minor, augmented
and mininished
Intervals Modifiers
 Perfect
refers only to the Unison (P1),
Octave (P8), the 4th (P4), and the 5th (P5)
 Major or Minor refers to the 2nd (M2,m2),
3rd (M3, m3), 6th (M6,m6), and 7th (M7,
m7)
 Augmented – a major or perfect interval
that is expanded by ½ step
 Diminished – a minor or perfect interval
that is contracted by ½ step
Natural Interval Chart
Natural Interval Quality Chart
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
C-D
Maj
C-E
Maj
C-F
P
C-G
P
C-A
Maj
C-B
Maj
D-E
Maj
D-F
min
D-G
P
D-A
P
D-B
Maj
D-C
min
E-F
min
E-G
min
E-A
P
E-B
P
E-C
min
E-D
min
F-G
Maj
F-A
Maj
F-B
AUG
F-C
P
F-D
Maj
F-E
Maj
G-A
Maj
G-B
Maj
G-C
P
G-D
P
G-E
Maj
G-F
min
A-B
Maj
A-C
min
A-D
P
A-E
P
A-F
min
A-G
min
B-C
min
B-D
min
B-E
P
B-F
DIM
B-G
min
B-A
min
2nds on E and B are Minor
3rds on C,F,G are Major
4th on F are Augmented
5ths on B are diminished
6ths on E,A,B are minor
7ths on C, F are Major
Inversions of Intervals
 Inversion
– putting the top note below the lower
note of an interval
 2nd becomes a 7th and the reverse
 3rd becomes a 6th and the reverse
 4th becomes a 5th and the reverse
 The Modifier changes as well when inverted
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Minor becomes Major and vise-versa
Augmented becomes diminished and vice-versa
Perfect is always perfect
Consonant and Dissonant
 Consonant
– pleasing to the ear – 3rd, 6th,
perfect 5th and octave
 Dissonant
– not pleasing to the ear
Ear Training/ Sight Singing
 Go

to:
www.musictheory.net
 Begin
practicing on Note Identification in all clefs
 Key signature Identification Major and Minor
 Interval Identification in all keys with modifiers
 Practice Sight Singing Exercise 1 on Moodle
Daily Homework
 Sing
& Play on a keyboard anything
discussed or worked on in class.
 Practice sightsinging from the AP Music
Theory and Choir Resources webpages
on the Somerset Academy website under
my name.
 Always work in your workbook AHEAD of
the lessons the class is on so that you have
questions when we go over it.