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Table of Contents
About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You’re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Part I: Getting Started with Music Theory Part II: Putting Notes Together Part III: Musical Expression through Form, Tempo, Dynamics, and More Part IV: The Part of Tens Part V: Appendixes Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here
Part I: Getting Started with Music Theory Part II: Putting Notes Together Part III: Musical Expression through Form, Tempo, Dynamics, and More Part IV: The Part of Tens Part V: Appendixes
Chapter 1: What Is Music Theory, Anyway? Unearthing the Birth of Music and Theory Putting the Spotlight on Music Theory Fundamentals Understanding the foundation: Notes, rests, and beats Manipulating and combining notes Studying musical form and compositions Seeing How Theory Can Help Your Music Chapter 2: Determining What Notes Are Worth Meeting the Beat Recognizing Notes and Note Values Examining the notes and their components Looking at note values Whole (Semibreve) Notes Half (Minim) Notes Quarter (Crotchet) Notes Eighth (Quaver) Notes and Beyond Extending Notes with Dots and Ties Using dots to increase a note’s value Adding notes together with ties Mixing All the Note Values Together Chapter 3: Giving It a Rest Getting to Know the Rests Whole (semibreve) rests Half (minim) rests Quarter (crotchet) rests Eighth (quaver) rests and beyond Extending the Break with Dotted Rests Practicing Beats with Notes and Rests Chapter 4: Introducing Time Signatures Decoding the Time Signature and Measures Keeping It Simple with Simple Time Signatures Using measures to count in simple time Practicing counting beats in simple time Working with Compound Time Signatures Using measures to count in compound time Practicing counting beats in compound time Feeling the Pulse of Asymmetrical Time Signatures Chapter 5: Playing with Beat Creating Stress Patterns and Syncopation Studying the general rule of placing stress Syncopation: Hitting the off-beat Getting a Jump on Pick-Up Notes Irregular Rhythms: Triplets and Duplets Adding interest with triplets Working with duplets
Unearthing the Birth of Music and Theory Putting the Spotlight on Music Theory Fundamentals Understanding the foundation: Notes, rests, and beats Manipulating and combining notes Studying musical form and compositions Seeing How Theory Can Help Your Music
Understanding the foundation: Notes, rests, and beats Manipulating and combining notes Studying musical form and compositions
Meeting the Beat Recognizing Notes and Note Values Examining the notes and their components Looking at note values Whole (Semibreve) Notes Half (Minim) Notes Quarter (Crotchet) Notes Eighth (Quaver) Notes and Beyond Extending Notes with Dots and Ties Using dots to increase a note’s value Adding notes together with ties Mixing All the Note Values Together
Examining the notes and their components Looking at note values
Using dots to increase a note’s value Adding notes together with ties
Getting to Know the Rests Whole (semibreve) rests Half (minim) rests Quarter (crotchet) rests Eighth (quaver) rests and beyond Extending the Break with Dotted Rests Practicing Beats with Notes and Rests
Whole (semibreve) rests Half (minim) rests Quarter (crotchet) rests Eighth (quaver) rests and beyond
Decoding the Time Signature and Measures Keeping It Simple with Simple Time Signatures Using measures to count in simple time Practicing counting beats in simple time Working with Compound Time Signatures Using measures to count in compound time Practicing counting beats in compound time Feeling the Pulse of Asymmetrical Time Signatures
Using measures to count in simple time Practicing counting beats in simple time
Using measures to count in compound time Practicing counting beats in compound time
Creating Stress Patterns and Syncopation Studying the general rule of placing stress Syncopation: Hitting the off-beat Getting a Jump on Pick-Up Notes Irregular Rhythms: Triplets and Duplets Adding interest with triplets Working with duplets
Studying the general rule of placing stress Syncopation: Hitting the off-beat
Adding interest with triplets Working with duplets
Chapter 6: Music Notes (And Where to Find Them) Meeting the Staff, Clefs, and Notes The treble clef The bass clef The grand staff and middle C C clefs: Alto and tenor Identifying Half Steps, Whole Steps, and Accidentals on the Staff Working with half steps Taking whole steps Changing pitch with accidentals Finding the Notes on the Piano and Guitar Looking for notes on the piano Picking out notes on the guitar Using Mnemonics to Help Remember Notes Chapter 7: Mastering the Major and Minor Scales Following Major Scale Patterns Working with major scales on piano and guitar Listening to the major scales Discovering All Minor Scale Patterns Have to Offer Playing natural minor scales on piano and guitar Having fun with harmonic minor scales on piano and guitar Making great music with melodic minor scales on piano and guitar Listening to the minor scales Chapter 8: Key Signatures and the Circle of Fifths Understanding the Circle of Fifths Sharps: Father Charles Goes Down and Ends Battle Flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’s Father Recognizing Major Key Signatures Finding Minor Key Signatures and Relative Minors Reviewing the Key Signatures C major and A natural minor G major and E natural minor D major and B natural minor A major and F sharp natural minor E major and C sharp natural minor B/C flat major and G sharp/A flat natural minor F sharp/G flat major and D sharp/E flat natural minor C sharp major/D flat and A sharp/B flat natural minor A flat major and F natural minor E flat major and C natural minor B flat major and G natural minor F major and D natural minor Chapter 9: Intervals: The Distance between Pitches Breaking Down Harmonic and Melodic Intervals Quantity: Counting lines and spaces Quality: Considering half steps Naming intervals Looking at Unisons, Octaves, Fourths, and Fifths Perfect unisons Augmented unisons Octaves Fourths Fifths Recognizing Seconds, Thirds, Sixths, and Sevenths Seconds Thirds Sixths and sevenths Building Intervals Determining quantity Determining quality Showing Major and Perfect Intervals in the C Major Scale Chapter 10: Chord Building Creating Triads with Three Pitches Roots, thirds, and fifths Major triads Minor triads Augmented triads Diminished triads Expanding to Seventh Chords Major sevenths Minor sevenths Dominant sevenths Minor 7 flat 5 chords Diminished sevenths Minor-major sevenths Looking at All the Triads and Sevenths A A flat B B flat C C flat C sharp D D flat E E flat F F sharp G G flat Manipulating Triads through Voicing and Inversion Taking a look at open and close voicing Identifying inverted chords Chapter 11: Chord Progressions Reviewing Diatonic Chords, Chromatic Chords, and Minor Scale Modes Identifying and Naming Chord Progressions Assigning chord names and numbers Looking at chord progressions in major keys Checking out chord progressions in minor keys Adding a Seventh Chord to a Triad Seeing (And Hearing) Chord Progressions in Action Applying Chord Knowledge to Fake Books and Tabs Modulating to a New Key Reaching a Musical Cadence through Chord Progressions Authentic cadences Plagal cadences Deceptive cadences Half-cadence
Meeting the Staff, Clefs, and Notes The treble clef The bass clef The grand staff and middle C C clefs: Alto and tenor Identifying Half Steps, Whole Steps, and Accidentals on the Staff Working with half steps Taking whole steps Changing pitch with accidentals Finding the Notes on the Piano and Guitar Looking for notes on the piano Picking out notes on the guitar Using Mnemonics to Help Remember Notes
The treble clef The bass clef The grand staff and middle C C clefs: Alto and tenor
Working with half steps Taking whole steps Changing pitch with accidentals
Looking for notes on the piano Picking out notes on the guitar
Following Major Scale Patterns Working with major scales on piano and guitar Listening to the major scales Discovering All Minor Scale Patterns Have to Offer Playing natural minor scales on piano and guitar Having fun with harmonic minor scales on piano and guitar Making great music with melodic minor scales on piano and guitar Listening to the minor scales
Working with major scales on piano and guitar Listening to the major scales
Playing natural minor scales on piano and guitar Having fun with harmonic minor scales on piano and guitar Making great music with melodic minor scales on piano and guitar Listening to the minor scales
Understanding the Circle of Fifths Sharps: Father Charles Goes Down and Ends Battle Flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’s Father Recognizing Major Key Signatures Finding Minor Key Signatures and Relative Minors Reviewing the Key Signatures C major and A natural minor G major and E natural minor D major and B natural minor A major and F sharp natural minor E major and C sharp natural minor B/C flat major and G sharp/A flat natural minor F sharp/G flat major and D sharp/E flat natural minor C sharp major/D flat and A sharp/B flat natural minor A flat major and F natural minor E flat major and C natural minor B flat major and G natural minor F major and D natural minor
Sharps: Father Charles Goes Down and Ends Battle Flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles’s Father
C major and A natural minor G major and E natural minor D major and B natural minor A major and F sharp natural minor E major and C sharp natural minor B/C flat major and G sharp/A flat natural minor F sharp/G flat major and D sharp/E flat natural minor C sharp major/D flat and A sharp/B flat natural minor A flat major and F natural minor E flat major and C natural minor B flat major and G natural minor F major and D natural minor
Breaking Down Harmonic and Melodic Intervals Quantity: Counting lines and spaces Quality: Considering half steps Naming intervals Looking at Unisons, Octaves, Fourths, and Fifths Perfect unisons Augmented unisons Octaves Fourths Fifths Recognizing Seconds, Thirds, Sixths, and Sevenths Seconds Thirds Sixths and sevenths Building Intervals Determining quantity Determining quality Showing Major and Perfect Intervals in the C Major Scale
Quantity: Counting lines and spaces Quality: Considering half steps Naming intervals
Perfect unisons Augmented unisons Octaves Fourths Fifths
Seconds Thirds Sixths and sevenths
Determining quantity Determining quality
Creating Triads with Three Pitches Roots, thirds, and fifths Major triads Minor triads Augmented triads Diminished triads Expanding to Seventh Chords Major sevenths Minor sevenths Dominant sevenths Minor 7 flat 5 chords Diminished sevenths Minor-major sevenths Looking at All the Triads and Sevenths A A flat B B flat C C flat C sharp D D flat E E flat F F sharp G G flat Manipulating Triads through Voicing and Inversion Taking a look at open and close voicing Identifying inverted chords
Roots, thirds, and fifths Major triads Minor triads Augmented triads Diminished triads
Major sevenths Minor sevenths Dominant sevenths Minor 7 flat 5 chords Diminished sevenths Minor-major sevenths
A A flat B B flat C C flat C sharp D D flat E E flat F F sharp G G flat
Taking a look at open and close voicing Identifying inverted chords
Reviewing Diatonic Chords, Chromatic Chords, and Minor Scale Modes Identifying and Naming Chord Progressions Assigning chord names and numbers Looking at chord progressions in major keys Checking out chord progressions in minor keys Adding a Seventh Chord to a Triad Seeing (And Hearing) Chord Progressions in Action Applying Chord Knowledge to Fake Books and Tabs Modulating to a New Key Reaching a Musical Cadence through Chord Progressions Authentic cadences Plagal cadences Deceptive cadences Half-cadence
Assigning chord names and numbers Looking at chord progressions in major keys Checking out chord progressions in minor keys
Authentic cadences Plagal cadences Deceptive cadences Half-cadence
Chapter 12: The Building Blocks of Music: Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, and Song Form Establishing Rhythm Shaping the Melody Complementing the Melody with Harmony Working with Musical Phrases and Periods Linking Musical Parts to Create Forms One-part form (A) Binary form (AB) Three-part form (ABA) Arch form (ABCBA) Chapter 13: Relying on Classical Forms Counterpoint as a Classical Revelation Sussing Out the Sonata Starting with the exposition Moving on to something new: Development Taking a rest with recapitulation Rounding Up the Rondo Figuring Out the Fugue Combining Forms into a Symphony Observing Other Classical Forms Concerto Duet Etude Fantasia Chapter 14: Tapping Into Popular Genres and Forms Feeling the Blues 12-bar blues 8-bar blues 16-bar blues 24-bar blues 32-bar blues ballads and country Having Fun with Rock and Pop Improvising with Jazz Chapter 15: Creating Varied Sound through Tempo and Dynamics Taking the Tempo of Music Establishing a universal tempo: The minim Keeping steady time with a metronome Translating tempo notation Speeding up and slowing down: Changing the tempo Dealing with Dynamics: Loud and Soft Modifying phrases Checking out other dynamic markings Examining the piano pedal dynamics Looking at the articulation markings for other instruments Chapter 16: Instrument Tone Color and Acoustics Delving Into Tone Color Attack: Checking out the beginning sound of a note Timbre: Hearing the body of a note Decay: Listening for the final sound of a note Building the Band: An Acoustics Lesson
Establishing Rhythm Shaping the Melody Complementing the Melody with Harmony Working with Musical Phrases and Periods Linking Musical Parts to Create Forms One-part form (A) Binary form (AB) Three-part form (ABA) Arch form (ABCBA)
One-part form (A) Binary form (AB) Three-part form (ABA) Arch form (ABCBA)
Counterpoint as a Classical Revelation Sussing Out the Sonata Starting with the exposition Moving on to something new: Development Taking a rest with recapitulation Rounding Up the Rondo Figuring Out the Fugue Combining Forms into a Symphony Observing Other Classical Forms Concerto Duet Etude Fantasia
Starting with the exposition Moving on to something new: Development Taking a rest with recapitulation
Concerto Duet Etude Fantasia
Feeling the Blues 12-bar blues 8-bar blues 16-bar blues 24-bar blues 32-bar blues ballads and country Having Fun with Rock and Pop Improvising with Jazz
12-bar blues 8-bar blues 16-bar blues 24-bar blues 32-bar blues ballads and country
Taking the Tempo of Music Establishing a universal tempo: The minim Keeping steady time with a metronome Translating tempo notation Speeding up and slowing down: Changing the tempo Dealing with Dynamics: Loud and Soft Modifying phrases Checking out other dynamic markings Examining the piano pedal dynamics Looking at the articulation markings for other instruments
Establishing a universal tempo: The minim Keeping steady time with a metronome Translating tempo notation Speeding up and slowing down: Changing the tempo
Modifying phrases Checking out other dynamic markings Examining the piano pedal dynamics Looking at the articulation markings for other instruments
Delving Into Tone Color Attack: Checking out the beginning sound of a note Timbre: Hearing the body of a note Decay: Listening for the final sound of a note Building the Band: An Acoustics Lesson
Attack: Checking out the beginning sound of a note Timbre: Hearing the body of a note Decay: Listening for the final sound of a note
Chapter 17: Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Music Theory Why Is Music Theory Important? If I Can Already Play Some Music Without Knowing Music Theory, Why Bother Learning It? Why Is So Much Music Theory Centered on the Piano Keyboard? Is There a Quick and Easy Way to Learn to Read Music? How Do I Identify a Key Based on the Key Signature? Can I Transpose a Piece of Music into Another Key? Will Learning Music Theory Hinder My Ability to Improvise? Do I Need to Know Theory if I Just Play Drums? Where Do the 12 Musical Notes Come From? How Does Knowing Theory Help Me Memorize a Piece of Music? Chapter 18: Ten Valuable Music Resources Dolmetsch Online Open Directory Project ClassicalWorks.com Smithsonian Folkways Series The Rough Guide to Classical Music The Virgin Directory of World Music American Mavericks Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart The Guitar Chord Bible Chapter 19: Ten Music Theorists You Should Know About Pythagoras (582–507 BC) Boethius (480–524 AD) Gerbert d’Aurillac/Pope Sylvester II (950–1003) Guido D’Arezzo (990–1040) Nicola Vicentino (1511–1576) Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695) Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) Harry Partch (1901–1974) Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007) Robert Moog (1934–2005)
Why Is Music Theory Important? If I Can Already Play Some Music Without Knowing Music Theory, Why Bother Learning It? Why Is So Much Music Theory Centered on the Piano Keyboard? Is There a Quick and Easy Way to Learn to Read Music? How Do I Identify a Key Based on the Key Signature? Can I Transpose a Piece of Music into Another Key? Will Learning Music Theory Hinder My Ability to Improvise? Do I Need to Know Theory if I Just Play Drums? Where Do the 12 Musical Notes Come From? How Does Knowing Theory Help Me Memorize a Piece of Music?
Dolmetsch Online Open Directory Project ClassicalWorks.com Smithsonian Folkways Series The Rough Guide to Classical Music The Virgin Directory of World Music American Mavericks Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music from the Heart The Guitar Chord Bible
Pythagoras (582–507 BC) Boethius (480–524 AD) Gerbert d’Aurillac/Pope Sylvester II (950–1003) Guido D’Arezzo (990–1040) Nicola Vicentino (1511–1576) Christiaan Huygens (1629–1695) Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) Harry Partch (1901–1974) Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928–2007) Robert Moog (1934–2005)
Appendix A: On the CD Appendix B: Chord Chart Appendix C: Glossary Cheat Sheet Download CD/DVD Content