Download Review of Music Rudiments

Review of Music
Rudiments
Music 1133
Pages 3-38
The essence of music
Music essentially has two basic
components
Sound - pitch, timbre, space
Time - distribution of sounds over
time
Modern Western notation system
plots these two components in a
Cartesian-like graph
X and Y axis
Space - pitch, combinations of pitches, and distance
between pitches
Time
5-line Stave
Revolutionary notation technology
Allows for maximum number of
pitches to be represented while still
allowing instant identification of
pitch
Each line and space of the stave
represents a different “letter name”
of pitch
Alphabet for Musicians
In Western music, pitches are
designated names corresponding
to the first 7 letters of the alphabet
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, - corresponds to
white keys on a piano keyboard
Note C is a reference
A0 C1
C2 D2 etc.
C4 - Middle C
Clefs
Clefs are symbols used to indicate
reference pitches on the 5-Line
stave
Treble Clef (Also Soprano Clef or G Clef)
C Clefs
G4
C4 - Middle C
F3
Alto
C4 - Middle C
Bass Clef (Also F Clef)
Tenor
Scale and Mode
 Succession of pitches known as a scale - begin
on one pitch and end on pitch above or below
with the same letter designation (A ascending
to A etc.)
 On piano keyboard, distance between
successive white keys is not always the same
 Some adjacent white keys have black keys
between them, which are separate pitches
 Semitones - pitches with no pitch in between
 Tones - Pitches with one pitch in between
 Succession of tones and semitones determines
mode
Tone - Whole Step
SemiTone - Half Step
Sharps and Flats
 Black Keys are named according to their adjacent
white keys
 Black key to the right of C is C sharp - sharp
symbol raises pitch by 1 semitone
 Same pitch could also be called D Flat - Flat
symbol lowers pitch by one semitone
 B Sharp sounds same as C
 F Flat sounds same as E
 Pitch Class - Word used to determine pitches
which are enharmonically equivalent (sound the
same) or octave equivalent (same name in different
octave)
White Key Modes
 Any scale using the white keys only contains 2
semitones and 5 whole tones
 For example: A to A - T, ST, T, T, ST, T, T
 Order of Tones and Semitones determines Mode
 Greek Names (early church modes):
 A (Aeolian/Minor), B (Locrian), C (Ionian/Major), D
(Dorian), E (Phrygian), F (Lydian), G (Mixolydian)
 These modes can also involve black keys - For Example
Phrygian Mode beginning on A - A, Bb, C, D, E, F, G, A same order of tones and semitones as “white key mode”
beginning on E
Tonal Modes
Tonal Music Utilizes two of these
modes: Ionian or Major and Aeolian
or Minor
Succession of Tones and
Semitones most conducive to
harmonic function
Other Western music traditions use
other modes more freely (fiddle
music, pipe music, plainchant)
Major Mode and Scale
 The Major Mode contains the following succession of
Tones and Semitones:
 T, T, ST, T, T, T, ST
 White key mode from C to C
 Major Scales use this succession of Tones and
Semitones starting on any pitch
 For Example: D Major = D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#. Key of D
Major - uses this scale melodically
 F Major: F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E. Key of F Major uses this
scale melodically
 Notice how in both scales, all letter names are
represented. F major would not be written as F, G, A, A#
etc.
Key Signature
 It turns out that key centres 7 semitones apart
(a fifth) differ in their scales by only one sharp
or flat.
 G Major (fifth above C) - 1 sharp (F#)
 D Major (fifth above G) - 2 sharps (F#, C#)
 The additional sharp or flat is also separated by
a fifth above (sharp) or below (flat)
 F Major - (fifth below C) - 1 flat (Bb)
 Bb Major - (7 semitones below F) - 2 flats (Bb,
Eb)
Cycle of Fifths
Minor Scales
 Natural Minor Scales correspond to the white key mode
beginning on A (Aeolian)
 T, ST, T, T, ST, T, T
 A minor considered the relative minor of C major
because it has the same number of sharps and flats
(none)
 Relative minor always 3 semitones below the relative
major - eg. A major/F# minor
 Relative major and minor have the same key signature
 Two other variants of the natural minor scale are more
commonly used
 Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor
Harmonic Minor
 Natural minor scales end with a whole tone
 Basic principle of tonal music is the ti/do
semitone motion as last interval in scale (to be
discussed later)
 Raising the last note creates this semitone so
harmonic minor has a raised 7th scale degree
G Natural Minor
G Aeolian
Whole Tone
Semitone
G Harmonic Minor
Melodic Minor
 Harmonic Minor contains an augmented 2nd
interval (to be discussed shortly) between 6th and
7th pitch
 In Western tonal music, this melodic interval is not
often used
 Melodic minor raises 6th scale degree as well on
the way up to eliminate the Aug 2nd
 Descending, both the 6th and 7th return to natural
state
Augmented 2nd
G Harmonic Minor
G Melodic Minor
Intervals
Intervals refer to the “space” between pitches
Measured between letter names
F-A is a third - three letter names - F, G, A
G-E is a sixth - six letter names G, A, B, C, D, E
C to C, A to A etc. called an octave
Intervals above an octave (9th, 10th etc.) called
compound intervals
 A 10th also called a compound 3rd






Third (melodic)
Sixth (melodic)
Third and Tenth (Harmonic)
-also octave E-E
Interval Quality
 Intervals are oddly classified as either
perfect or imperfect
 Unisons, 4ths, 5ths, and octaves are
considered perfect
 2nds, 3rds, 6ths, and 7ths are imperfect
 Imperfect Intervals can be either major
or minor
 All intervals can be augmented or
diminished
Major vs. Minor
 Imperfect intervals are considered major when the higher
pitch is part of the major scale of the lower pitch
 Imperfect intervals are considered minor when the higher
pitch is one semitone below the major inyterval
 Both intervals below are sixths
 In the first case, the higher pitch B is part of the major
scale of the lower pitch D so it is a Major 6th
 In the second case, the higher pitch Bb one semitone
lower than B – the major 6th
Major 6th
(M6)
Minor 6th
(m6)
Augmented and Diminished
Augmented intervals are perfect or
major intervals that are raised an
additional semitone
Diminished intervals are Perfect or
minor intervals that are lowered an
additional semitone
Augmented 6th
(A6)
Diminished 6th
(d6 or 06)
Augmented 5th
Diminished 5th
Inverting Intervals
 Interval distances are always measured from the
lower pitch
 Inverting an interval involves changing the lower
pitch to become the higher pitch (transposing up an
octave)
 The new interval is then read from the new lower
pitch
 Inverting always reverses interval quality major/minor, aug/dim, perfect remains perfect
 The sum of the original and inverted interval
distances always equals 9
m7 inverts to M2
Minor to Major 7+2=9
A4 inverts to d5
Augmented to Diminished 4+5=9
Tritones
Consonance and Dissonance
 These are complicated and culturally-influenced terms
 Loosely meaning “pleasing to the ear” and “not pleasing
to the ear”
 Can refer to a number of musical parameters
 For now, we will apply these terms to intervals
 Consonant intervals are perfect intervals (4ths are a
special case), and major and minor 3rds and 6ths
 Dissonant intervals are 2nds, 7ths, and tritones
(sometimes considered neutral)
 P4ths are considered dissonant if the 4th is above the
bass note - more later
 Describing intervals as dissonant does not mean that
they sound bad - they are considered harmonically
unstable in this system
 Resolution of dissonance to consonance is a
fundamental process in tonal music
Rhythm and Metre
 These terms refer to the temporal
component of music
 Music exists in time
 Metre refers to the way we measure time
in music - normally in beats or pulses
 Rhythm refers to the series of note
durations that fill in this time and the
patterns that these durations create
Note Durations
 Our musical system contains a set of
symbols for relative note durations
 There is a temporally equivalent set of
symbols to represent rests (silences)
 The value of each duration symbol may
change depending on the musical metre
 The relative durations are always fixed each symbol represents a duration twice
as long or twice as short as the next
duration level
 See p. 27 in text
Dots and Ties
Dots and ties are used to create
note durations that are greater or
lesser than those represented by
individual duration symbols
Dots add half of the value of the
notes they follow
A note that is “tied” to an adjacent
note assumes the duration of both
notes
Musical Metre
 Metre is defined by regular beats of a fixed
length
 Beats are grouped into bars or measures
 The number of beats in each measure is
determined by the time signature
 The time signature also identifies the next level
of subdivision of each beat
 It is important to remember that barlines and
time signatures are convenient notational
symbols that allow us to measure music
 Real music simply exists in time without these
artificial divisions
Simple and Compound Time
 Beats are often subdivided into smaller
divisions
 These divisions can be any prime
number (2, 3, 5, 7)
 In Western music, beats are divided by 2
or 3
 Division by 2 is called simple time
 Division by 3 is called compound time
Metrical Number
 The number of beats in each measure is
determines the overall metre
 Duple time features 2 beats per measure
 Triple time features 3 beats per measure
 Quadruple time features 4 beats per
measure
 Additional beat numbers are possible
though they are found less frequently in
Western tonal music
Simple Time Signatures
 Time Signatures indicate the number of beats per
measure and the subdivision of each beat
 Simple time signatures include 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 - also 2/2, 3/2,
4/2, 2/8, 4/8, 2/16, 4/16
 In 2/4 time there are two beats per measure and each beat
is a quarter note in length.
 This implies that each beat can be divided into two 8th
notes - called simple duple time
 3/4 is simple triple time (so is 3/2)
 4/4 is simple quadruple time (so is 4/2)
 Time signatures with shorter beat durations (8 and 16)
depend on context to determine whether simple,
compound, or something more complex
Compound Time Signatures
 In compound time, each beat is divided into three
subdivisions
 Duration symbols feature division by two so each beat in
compound time is usually a dotted value
 Compound duple time features two dotted-quarter (or
dotted half, eight etc.) note beats per measure
 Each beat is therefore divisible into three 8th note
subdivisions
 Time signatures use numbers to represent note values
(4=quarter, 8=eighth)
 There is no number that can represent a dotted value
 Compound duple time uses the number 8 in the
denominator = 6/8
 Though this indicates six 8th notes per measure, three
eighth notes are grouped into two dotted-quarter note
beats
 Compound Triple = 9/8
 Compound Quadruple = 12/8