Lesson 4 ( ~until Spring Term Final)

Lesson 4: Basic Music theory

Learning how Western music notations work, which mainly used for music nowadays around the world.

Checklist (will be tested in the Spring Term Final, during class time, schedule TBA)

• Understanding basic music notations

  • music stave (五線譜)

  • clefs (treble, bass)

  • time signature (e.g. 4/4 time, 3/16 time, etc.)

    • bars (小節)(how rhythms are organized)

  • key signatures

  • accidentals (♯-sharps, ♭-flats, ♮-naturals)

  • stems (pointing up or down)

  • ledger lines

  • different rhythms (whole notes (1), half notes (2), quarter notes(4), eighth notes(8), sixteenth notes(16))

  • tempo marking

    • Italian terms (e.g. Allegro, Andante, Moderato, etc.)

    • exact bpm (beats per minute)(e.g. 120bpm, which you need to fit 120 clicks within a minute)

• Understanding about melodies

  • contour

    • conjunct

    • disjunct

    • step

    • skip

    • leap

  • Whole step (whole-tone)

  • Half step (semi-tone)

  • Major scale (made up of whole steps and half steps)

    • WWHWWWH

    • must use all the alphabets in order before you hit the same one to end the scale (e.g. C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C)

    • scale degree number, from 1 to 8 (e.g. C major: C = scale degree 1, D= scale degree 2, E = scale degree 3, etc.); with 1st and 8th are the same pitch, but an octave (8've) apart

  • minor scale (made up of whole steps and half steps)

    • Natural minor: WHWWHWW

    • Harmonic minor: raise half step on the 7th scale degree

    • Melodic minor: raise half step on the 6th and 7th scale degree when ascending, lower 6th and 7th scale degree back when descending

  • Circle of fifth (chart to identify the tonality (or tonal center) of the piece of music)

    • must start with C major because it doesn't have any ♯s and ♭s

    • go down the alphabet by 5 every time, add a ♯ to the 7th scale degree (e.g. C-D-E-F-G, G major's 7th scale degree = F, therefore, you need to add a sharp to F every time you play a scale starting from the pitch G)

    • go up the alphabet by 5 every time, add a ♭ to the 4th scale degree (e.g. C-B-A-G-F, F major's 4th scale degree = B, therefore, you need to add a flat to B every time you play a scale starting from the pitch F)

  • Intervals (exact distance between two pitches)

    • basic size of intervals (from 1 ~ 8)(e.g. from C to E, the size is 3, counting up the alphabet)

    • always measure from the lowest pitch up to the highest pitch

    • qualities of intervals

      • Major (2, 3, 6, 7 only)

      • Perfect (1, 4, 5, 8 only)

      • minor (2, 3, 6, 7 only)

      • Augmented

      • diminished

  • Chord identification (starting with basic triads)

    • 4 basic triads

      • Major (M3, P5)

      • minor (m3, P5)

      • Augmented (M3, A5)

      • diminished (m3, d5)

    • 3 basic positions

      • Root position

      • 1st inversion

      • 2nd inversion

  • Music notation analysis (応用)

Presentation: research on your musical instrument

• name of parts

• range of instrument

• history of your instrument

• maintenance of your instrument (quick fix, tuning, etc.)

• representative works