basic music theory: how to read, write ... - core design gallery

3rd Edition3rd Edition

Jonathan HarnumJonathan HarnumAuthor of Sound the Trumpet: How to Blow Your Own Hornand All About TrumpetSol-Ut Press

*436,347 PDF copies of Basic Music Theory have been downloaded worldwide from the Sol-Ut Press web site: www.QuestionsInk.com

MUSIC

THEORY

MUSIC

THEORY

Sol-UtPress

0-9707512-8-1

HarnumHarnum

BASICBASIC

HOW TO READ, WRITE, AND UNDERSTAND WRITTEN MUSIC

MUSIC THEORYBASIC“ D O Y O U W A N T T O

R E A D M U S I C ? ”hat do all those lines and squiggles and dots mean?

Basic Music Theory takes you through the sometimes confusing world of written music with a clear, concise style that is at times funny and always friendly.

The book is written by an experienced teacher using methods refined over more than ten years in schools and in his private teaching studio. Lessons are short, well-paced and enjoyable.

Whether you’re a beginner of any age, whether you’re an experienced player who wants to bone up on your theory, or whether you teach music and need a fun way to do it, you’ll find this book valuable and will refer to it again and again.

YOU WILL DISCOVER HOW EASY IT IS TO:

• Learn quickly and efficiently with easy lessons designed by a professional teacher.

• Learn the symbols used in written music.

• Understand the terms musicians use. • Use memory devices to learn terms and

symbols.• Use the included study guides to

remember it all.• Apply what you have learned with short,

easy Practical Use sections at the end of each Chapter.

• Tune in to radio shows and the Internet to find musicians demonstrating great music.

WITH INTERLUDES ON:• How to practice. Some topics: where-

when-how to practice, how much to practice, equipment, how to improve, ear training, listening, private teachers.

• Conducting. What does all that arm-waving mean? How does it help? Find the answers and learn how!

• Learn Some Italian. Many musical terms are in Italian. Learn them in this section.

• Ultra-brief history of music notation.

SPECIAL FEATURES:• Piano Keyboard w/ Note Names• Guitar Fingerboard w/ Note Names• Specially Designed Reviews• Practical Use Exercises• Practice Aids• Extensively Cross-Referenced• Musical Terms Dictionary• Book Index• Scales in bass and treble clef

BASICMUSIC THEORY

HOW TO READ, WRITE, AND UNDERSTAND WRITTEN MUSIC

THIS BOOK HAS HELPED OVER 400,000 PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND WRITTEN MUSIC, WORLDWIDE*. IT WILL HELP YOU, TOO!

“Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum, is an excellent book for people of all levels. Whether you are a beginner, or learned musician, this book is a very comprehensive source of material, that is both accessible,easy to read & understand, and very enjoy-able. I have played various instruments over 24 years.And because of Harnum's matter of fact, conversational tone, this book has lent more to my understanding of basic music theory than all my private insturctors combined.”

— Remy Durant, Los Angeles, CA

“Finally someone came up with a basic music theory book that's actually understandable and readable. Mr. Harnum explains complicated concepts in a way that even someone like me without any music background can easily understand them. I am look-ing forward to playing an instrument thanks to his help. This is by far the best music theory book I have ever read!”

— G. Donnald, Ellicott City, MD

“The more I think about your book the more brilliant it becomes. See, the tough part is knowing how to limit the depth to keep it true to your goal of making it [music theory] fun and fathomable. You excelled at it!”

—Charles Reynolds, pioneer music educator, Palmer, Alaska

$24.95 US

$35.95 CAN

£23.95 UK

ISBN 0-9707512-8-1

*HYQJXA|751287] /v.c.u.j.f

Reference/Music Theory

: i

“Fun and engaging. A real winner!” —Terrie Lyons, PhD, P.C.

“Jonathan Harnum has taken an overly complicated subject matter and made it learnable for anyone. And I do mean anyone! Harnum de-cryptifies all that is involved with music theory for the non-musician. But this book is not just for the non-musician. I have been a student of music for more than 13 years and a teacher for 3 and I found new, interesting and humorous facts about music theory. This book can teach anyone music the-ory and keep a smile on their face the entire time.” —Robin Gibelhausen, music teacher, Illinois

“Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum is an excellent book for people of all levels. I have played various instruments over 24 years and because of Harnum's matter of fact, conversational tone, this book has lent more to my understanding of basic music theory than all my private instructors combined.” —Solstice 1221, Anon. reader in LA

“I appreciate the clever and humorous ways that you introduce many of the concepts. The illustrations and pictures are very helpful. Can't wait to get to the bookstore to get a copy for myself.” —Dave Larsen, elementary teacher, Hawarden, IA

“The more I think about your book the more brilliant it becomes. See, the tough part is knowing how to limit the depth to keep it true to your goal of making {music theory} fun and fathomable. You excelled at it!” —Charles Reynolds, music educator, Alaska

“Basic Music Theory is an ideal and highly recommended text for anyone of any background wanting to become proficient in the reading, composing, and performance of written and notated music.” —Midwest Book Review (5 stars, highest rating)

“This is a book that covers lots of ground without ever appearing "difficult." It is written in a breezy, conver-sational manner, so one "talk" naturally drifts into the next.” —KLIATT Library Review Service

“After the first read you can’t help but wonder if music was invented by humans or whether it is nature’s gift to help one appreciate and understand one’s sense of purpose.” —Randy Mac, entrepreneur/adventurer, Baja Mexico

Read what folks have to say about the best-selling Music Theory book versatile enough to be used by

kids, adults, schools and universities.

ii Basic Music Theory

MUSIC EXISTS FOR ITS OWN SAKE.WRITTEN NOTES ARE NOT THE REAL MUSIC.

Music programs in schools across the United States struggle to make the case formusic in an effort to raise funds and in some cases, to keep programs from being cutaltogether. Advocates often point to extra-musical benefits in an effort to justify theinclusion of music in the curriculum. Some of these claims have been supported byquality research, and some have not. For example, researchers at McGill University inCanada found that kids who take piano lessons showed improved general and spatialcognitive development; studies at a Miami Veterans Administration hospital indicatethat music making may improve the brain’s natural production of regulatory hormoneslike melatonin; piano students who begin studying by age 7 have a larger corpuscallosum (the channel through which the two hemispheres of the brain communicate).

Although these findings are fascinating, and might actually mean somethingimportant, the truth is that music does not need external justification. It is its ownreason for existence. Music is an art form, and whether you listen to it, play it, write it,think about it, or any combination of these, to justify its existence and importance bypointing to other effects is like saying that eating food is important to the economy.It’s true, but there is a deeper and more fundamental importance. In a schoolenvironment in which there is less and less time for individualism and the arts as ameans of expressing that individualism, we should be realistic about the reasons forincluding music. The reasons have nothing to do with larger brains, better social skills,or better math skills, even if these things might be true. The reason for includingmusic in school is that it can be beautiful, and the pursuit of musical beauty is equallyimportant as the pursuit of any other beauty, whether it be linguistic, mechanical,mathematical or scientific. In fact, if we are to provide a balanced education, music andthe other arts must be included in the curriculum. If you feel the same, support yourlocal music programs, volunteer and see how you can help out.

Remember that written music is a recent development in music history and hasonly been around for about 800 years. Many musical traditions, and many highlysuccessful musicians around the world don’t use written music at all. Written music issimply one more tool a musician can draw upon in the pursuit of creating beautifulmusic. Being able to read music is no guarantee that you will be a musician. In yourquest, be sensitive to what you are trying to say musically, and as soon as you can let goof the written note and dive deep into the sounds themselves, do it and don’t lookback.

The best of luck to you!Jon Harnum 1/1/11

: iii

BASIC MUSIC THEORYHOW TO READ, WRITE, AND UNDERSTAND

WRITTEN MUSIC

In the early fifteenth century, music was read from scrolls like the one above drawn by Giovannino di Grassi.

JUST AS THERE CAN BE NO MUSIC WITHOUT LEARNING, NO EDUCATION IS COMPLETE

WITHOUT MUSIC.

T H I S B O O K I S D E D I C A T E D T O A L L M Y T E A C H E R S A N D

T O M Y S T U D E N T S , W H O A R EA L S O M Y T E A C H E R S .

T H A N K Y O U .

iv Basic Music Theory

Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music, 2nd ed.

Published by Sol Ut Press A Music Education Business

Find musical support at:www.Sol-Ut.com and www.QuestionsInk.com

Copyright © 2009 Sol Ut Press. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interiordesign, cover design, and icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means(electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of thepublisher.

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send E-mail regarding this book to [email protected]

ISBN: 0-9707512-8-1

For general information about this book or SolUt, visit our web site at www.Sol-Ut.com.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-PublicationHarnum, Jonathan.

Basic music theory: how to read, write, and understand written music / Jonathan Harnum. -- 3rd ed.

p. cm.Includes index.LCCN 2005086279ISBN 0-9707512-8-1

1. Music Theory. 2. Conducting. 3. Musical notation. I. Title.

MT6.H37 2003 781

Sol Ut Press

Musician-friendly Resources.www.Sol-Ut.com

: v

Basic Music TheoryTable of Contents

0 The Chapter Everyone Skips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Welcome to Basic Music Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Why Basic Music Theory? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2What’s Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Basic Music Theory: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4How to Use the Special Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

PART ONE

1 A Brief History of Musical Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Hear, There, Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Music Performed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10The Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2 Lines, Lines, Everywhere There’s Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Everything You Don’t Hear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Chapter 2 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

3 More Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19No Holds Barred . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Chapter 3 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

4 Where’s the Beat?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21The Beat Goes On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21The Note Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22The Stem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Put Your Stems Up, Put Your Stems Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Chapter 4 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

5 The Sound of Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Take a Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25The Rests of the Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Chapter 5 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Part I Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Whew! You Made It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29The Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

vi Basic Music Theory

PART TWO

6 Meter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Not the Metric System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354/4 Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362/4 Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373/4 Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Chapter 6 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

7 Down With the Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Can You Count to 4?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Tap Your Foot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Quarter Note Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Half Note Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Whole Note Count. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Count the Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41All Together Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42Chapter 7 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

8 New Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Eighth Notes and Rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Sweet Sixteenth Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45How to Figure out a Tough Rhythm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Chapter 8 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

9 Seeing Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49You Are Not Seeing Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49The Dotted Whole Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49The Dotted Half Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50The Dotted Quarter Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Dotted Eighth Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Dotted Rests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Chapter 9 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

10 Triplets! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53General Tuplet Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Eighth Note Triplet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Sixteenth Note Triplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Quarter Note Triplets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Chapter 10 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Part II Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Whew! You Made It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57The Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

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11 The Practice of Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Don’t Say the P Word. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Come on Baby, Light my Desire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62How to Get Better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Start a New Habit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Where to Do It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65How to Do It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65The Ideal Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Other Ways to Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69More Better Practice Advice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

PART THREE

12 The Wind-up and the Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73Spaced Out and Lined Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73The High and the Lowly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74What? More Lines? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Chapter 12 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Home, Home on the Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

13 A Note by Any Other Name Would Sound as Sweet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79What’s in a Name? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Chapter 13 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

14 Going Over the Clef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83What’s a Clef? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83C Clefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Treble Clef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Bass Clef. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Rhythm Clef. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Chapter 14 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

15 No Trouble with Treble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Golly G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Chapter 15 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

16 The Bass of the Clef. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91This Clef is Not a Fish! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Nmore Mnemonics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Chapter 16 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

17 To Fathom the Rhythm Clef. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95No Letters With this Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Why No Note Names? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95The One-Line Staff with Rhythm Clef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Instruments, not Pitches. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96The 5-Line Staff with Rhythm Clef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97Chapter 17 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

viii Basic Music Theory

Part III Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Whew! You Made It.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99The Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

18 Musical Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Musical Terms are Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Dynamics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Articulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107General Musical Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Pete and Repeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

PART FOUR

19 Accidentals On Purpose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Accidentals Are No Accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113General Accidental Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Flats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Sharps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114More Accidental Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Chapter 19 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

20 The Piano Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Why Learn the Keyboard? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Note Names on the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Flat Notes on the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Sharp Notes on the Keyboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118Enharmonic Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Half Steps and Whole Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119The Chromatic Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Chapter 20 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

21 Major Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121The Major Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121The C Major Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Octave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Scales with Accidentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Major Scales with Many Accidentals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Chapter 21 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

22 Unlock the Secret of Key Signatures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Key Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Flat Key Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Find the Name of a Flat Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Construct a Flat Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Sharp Key Signatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Find the Name of a Sharp Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Construct a Sharp Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

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The Key of C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128The Major Keys to the Kingdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Circle of Fourths/Fifths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Chapter 22 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

23 The Guitar Fretboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Basic Guitar Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133The Strings of the Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Half Steps and the Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134All Notes on Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Scales on Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Chords on Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

Part IV Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Whew! You Made It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137The Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

PART FIVE

24 Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Intervals by the Number. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Interval Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Altering Perfect Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Altering Major Intervals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Finding an Interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145A Brief Note on Ear Training. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Chapter 24 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

25 Minor Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149General Minor Scale Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149The Natural Minor Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149The Harmonic Minor Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151The Melodic Minor Scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Circle of Fourths/Fifths Revisited. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Chapter 25 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

26 Scales a la Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155What is a Mode? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155The Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155Finding Modes in Other Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Modes Using Other Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157Chapter 26 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158

x Basic Music Theory

27 Blues To Bebop and Beyond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159General Blues Scale Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159The Blues Scale. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159Other Crazy Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Chapter 27 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Part V Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163Whew! You Made It.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163The Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

28 How to Conduct Yourself. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167General Conducting Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167Conducting Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168The Left Hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Conductors to Check Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

PART SIX

29 Triads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175General Chord Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175The Basic Triad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Major Triads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176Minor Triads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Diminished Triads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Augmented Triads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177Chapter 29 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

30 Chord Extensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179General Chord Extension Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Seventh Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180Ninth Chords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Other Chords. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Chapter 30 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

31 Chord Inversions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185More General Chord Info . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185First Inversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Second Inversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186Inverting Seventh Chords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187How to Find a Chord’s Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187Chapter 31 Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

: xi

32 Chord Progressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189What is a Chord Progression?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189Chord Progression General Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189The I IV V7 I Progression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191The ii V7 I Progression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192The iii vi ii V7 I Progression. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192Plagal Cadences (IV-I) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193The 12 Bar Blues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194Chapter 32 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

Part VI Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Whew! You Made It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197The Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

PART SEVEN

33 Faster Notes andDouble Dots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203

Shorter Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Double Dotted Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204Chapter 33 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

34 Double Flats,Double Sharps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Double Your Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207Double Flats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207Double Sharps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208A Werd on Spelling Kords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208Chapter 34 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

35 More Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211Beyond 4/4 Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211Cut Time, or 2/2 Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2116/8 Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Odd Meters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Chapter 35 Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Part VII Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215Whew! You Made It. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215The Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

36 What Comes Next . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219So Much More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219Theory Ain’t Everything . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219Free Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220Drop Me An E-mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

xii Basic Music Theory

Codicil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Piano Keyboard Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Cycle of Fourths/Fifths (Major) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Quick Reference: Note Lengths in 4/4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Quick Reference: Helpful Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Guitar Fingerboard Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Cycle of Fourths/Fifths (natural minor) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Quick Reference: Tempo Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Quick Reference: Note Lengths in 2/2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224

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Musician-friendly Resources.www.Sol-Ut.com

0: The Chapter Everyone Skips 1

C H A P T E R

0CHAPTER 0THE CHAPTER

EVERYONE SKIPS

W e l c o m e t o B a s i c M u s i c T h e o r yIf you never thought you would pick up a book on music theory, you’re not alone. I never thought

I’d write one. But in my experience as a student, a player, and a teacher, I have searched for and usedmany different methods of learning music theory. Some methods were good, most were okay, and afew were bad, but none of them satisfied me.

I’ve tried to take all the positive things about teaching theory, thrown in many of the tricks I’veused with thousands of students, and tossed in a little humor in an effort to make learning musictheory both easier and more enjoyable. These methods and suggestions have worked well with allstudents of all sizes. I hope they’ll work for you too.

What It’s Al l AboutBasic Music Theory is your introduction to another language—the rich and often strange language

of music. By the time you’ve completed even two lessons in this book, you’ll have made big stepsdown the path toward understanding written music.

With this language you’ll be able to reproduce sounds from nearly a thousand years ago bysomeone like Guillame de Machaut. And with this same language you can play music by someonelike Alannis Morisette, or Limp Bizkit, or Dave Matthews, or Garth Brooks. Name your favoriteartist. If it’s written down, you’ll be able to understand and interpret it!

But let’s not get too carried away. Those musicians you look up to (some of whom have earnedmillions upon millions of dollars) have spent thousands of hours learning both their instrument andin many cases, their music theory. Learning theory will take some focus and some work, but that workwill be clearly explained, and you’ll be surprised to find how easy it can be.

A journey of one thousand miles must begin with a single footstep.

— Lao Tzu c531 B.C.

2 Basic Music Theory

Nobody likes to work on a task endlessly. For that reason, the theory lessons are broken up byInterludes every few chapters. These interludes cover things like practice, conducting, Italian terms,and a brief history of musical notation.

So, if you’re interested in the music of Mozart or Metallica, Beethoven or B.B. King, DizzieGillespie or Vince Gill, you’ve finally found the right book.

W h y B a s i c M u s i c T h e o r y ?Learning music theory doesn’t have to be a long and difficult process. It does take some work,

but with this book you can make that work much easier. I’ve suffered through some of the mostboring music courses a person should be forced to suffer, and before this book was available I’ve hadexperience inflicting such boredom on others as well. Believe me, it’s not fun on either side! Whetheryou’re a teacher or a student, I’d like to spare you any of that frustration and difficulty.

Music theory is a language that is used by all Western instruments. Whether you play the kazooor the krumhorn, voice or vibraphone, French horn or nose flute, pigsnout psaltery or percussion,trombone or triangle, bagpipes or bass fiddle, Sousaphone or Saxophone…you get the idea. Whateverinstrument you play, reading music will be a useful tool in your studies, and this book will give youthat tool.

W h a t ’ s I n s i d eBasic Music Theory is divided into seven Parts and in each Part are several chapters. Between

some of the Parts are Interludes — stand-alone sections giving information on aspects of music otherthan theory.

The Codicil (stuff at the back of the book) contains a musical terms glossary, a book index, thekeyboard template, guitar fretboard, practice aids, and blank staff paper for photocopying.

PartsEach Part is made up of four to seven chapters. The division isn’t arbitrary. Information in each

Part is related and the reviews come at a point where a review will do the most good.

Part ReviewAt the end of each Part is a comprehensive review in the same format as the chapter reviews. Cross-references below the questions allow you to quickly find and re-read any section that you haven’t quite remembered yet.

ChaptersEach chapter is fairly short and contains detailed information on one or two topics. When an

important term appears for the first time, it is in bold and italics so that when you do the chapterreview and need to go back to the chapter, you can find the information easily.

Chapter ReviewsAt the end of each chapter is a brief review covering the material in the chapter. The reviews are generally very short, the longest being around fifteen questions.


Practical UseAlso at the end of each chapter is a short list (often only one item) of written exercises to hone your music-writing/reading ability.

About the ReviewsAfter each chapter and Part is a section which contains questions on the information presented.

The reviews are arranged as quizzes, but with one important difference. The answers are in the margin!That’s right, the answers are right there. How is that supposed to help you? Read on…

The best way to learn is to get immediate feedback. There is no better way to get feedback thanto have the answer right there with the question. Of course, this does you no good if you can see theanswer before reading the question, so you have to cover up the answers while you give yourself thequiz. In the back of this book is a cut-out bookmark with a piano keyboard on it (if this is a librarybook, please photocopy the keyboard and leave the original for others to copy as well). Use thekeyboard to cover up the answers while you test yourself.

After you answer the question, simply uncover the answer in the margin and kiss yourself on theelbow for giving the correct answer. If you didn’t get the answer correct, at least you have the answerright there to remind you.

Voila. Instant feedback, and your memory of the material is sped right along.Once you’re confident you know the information, you can either go on to the next chapter or take

the written quiz. You can find the free quizzes and a whole lot more in the Basic Music TheoryTeaching Packet. For more information go to www.sol-ut.com.

Basic Music Theory is meant to be used as a textbook and study guide, with written work takingplace on the blank staff paper photocopied from the back of the book. That way the book may be usedover and over again. Of course, if you’ve bought this book for your own personal use, mark it up!

T h e I c o n s

Memory Tip .

This icon is placed near methods to improve your memory of terms, notes, and otherfun stuff. These little memory tricks will save you some brain strain.

Take NoticeThis icon is placed near information that is particularly useful to know. Heed thisinformation and you’ll avoid common mistakes.

Theory Geek Alert .

This icon is placed near information that isn’t especially necessary, but which youmight find interesting.


B a s i c M u s i c T h e o r y : O v e r v i e w

Chapter 0: The Chapter Everyone SkipsIn addition to what you’ve already read, this part will give you an overview about the book as well

as tips on how to study the information.

Part I: Start Me UpPrelude, Chapter 1. This section is where the fun begins. And what better way to start than with

something other than music theory! The first chapter is an ultra-ultra-brief history of written music.It’ll be painless, I promise.

In Chapters 2-5 you’ll learn some of the most basic terms and symbols (no, not cymbals) ofwritten music, how they look, what they mean, and what they do. Included are note lengths and rests.You’ll be reading music in only one or two lessons.

Once you’re done with Part I, peruse the Comprehensive Part Review and see how much youremember.

Part II: You Got RhythmChapters 6-10. The party continues. In this section you’ll find more symbols used in written

music including more note lengths, a counting system, time signatures, dotted notes and triplets. Andof course, a Part Review.

Interlude: The Practice of PracticeChapter 11 and it’s time for a break. This Interlude is all about practice. How to go about it, how

to structure it, how to record it in a journal and on a tape recorder, equipment you’ll need and how touse it, and how to do what must be done to become a better player.

Part III: Clef NotesChapters 12-17. For the first two chapters of this section you’ll learn about the letter names for

notes and how pitch is shown in written music. The other four chapters are devoted to clefs. You’lllearn treble clef, bass clef, percussion clef, and a few other clefs as well.

A Comprehensive Part Review

Interlude: Musical TermsTime for another break with Chapter 18. This Interlude is all about musical terms, most of

which are in Italian. You’ll learn the terms, what they mean, and what they tell you to do.

Part IV: See Sharp or Be FlatChapters 19-22. Once you’ve got the basics of reading music down, we go into more advanced

concepts. This section shows you how to use the piano keyboard, covers whole steps and half steps,sharps, flats, and naturals, the chromatic scale, enharmonic notes, and key signatures. AComprehensive Part Review when you’re ready for it.


Part V: Intervals and Minor ScalesChapters 23-26. In this section you’ll learn how to measure the interval from one note to

another, and using that information you’ll learn how to construct a minor scale beginning on anynote. From there you’ll move on to modes, and finally to several other types of scales.

A Comprehensive Part Review.

Interlude: Conducting YourselfChapter 27 is your final Interlude. In this Interlude you’ll learn the basics of conducting,

conducting patterns, body and facial language, and the work it takes to become a good conductor.Also learn how to use conducting patterns to enable you to write down what you hear.

Part VI: ChordsChapters 28-31. Here you’ll learn about how chords are constructed and the many different

types of chords. You’ll also learn about chord extensions and the symbols they use, chord inversions,and several basic chord progressions.


Part VII: More of the SameChapters 32-34. In this final short section are some concepts which go further than when they

were originally introduced. Included are double dots, double sharps and double flats, faster notes, 6/8time and odd meters.


Codici lsTeacher Information: A quick summation of the free Basic Music Theory Quiz-Pack.Glossary of Musical Terms: Here they are. A quick reference and not exhaustive by any means,

but you’ll find most of what you might be looking for.Index: This is a cross-reference to all the terms and concepts presented in the book, so you can

find any topic covered quickly and easily.Blank Staff Paper: To be used for the Practical Use sections at the end of the chapter Reviews.

Keep the staff paper in the book so you can photocopy it as often as you need. Give them to yourfriends.

Piano Keyboard: One side with the note names, one side without. Also used with the End-of-Section Reviews as mentioned later.

Guitar Fretboard: Guitar is one of the most popular instruments around, so here’s a fretboardlabeled with note names to help you guitarists out there.

H o w t o U s e t h e S p e c i a l F e a t u r e s

The End-of-Section Reviews What’s different about all the reviews in Basic Music Theory is that the answers are right there

with the questions. In the end-of-section reviews you will also have a reference, in case you want to go


back to review the information, there’s a reference (in itty bitty writing) to the page where you canlook at the information again.

The answers are on the right side of the page, and the questions on the left. While reviewing thechapter, to cover up the answer, you’ll use the piano keyboard in the back of the book.

The KeyboardIn the back of the book is a piano keyboard template, double-sided with the keys named on one

side and blank on the other. The keyboard is used as a bookmark, as a cover for the study guideanswers and—can you believe it?—also as a keyboard. If you’re borrowing this book, please help keepthe book useful for everyone and photocopy the keyboard instead of tearing it out.

Practical UseAfter the chapter Reviews are Practical Use exercises, most of which will be done on the staff

paper you’ve copied from the back of the book. There may be as many as four exercises, or as few asone.

M o v i n g O nOkay, enough details. If you’ve read them, good job! You’ll have a better handle on how to get the

most out of this book and you won’t be at all surprised or confused about what’s next. Part I: Start Me Up is next, and the first chapter is about how written music came to be. Hope

you like it!

AB

CD

EF

GA

BC

DE

FG

AB

A#

Bb

C#

Db

D#

EbF#G

bA

#B

bG

#A

bC

#D

bD

#Eb

F#Gb

G#

Ab

A#

Bb

CG

D

A

E

Cb/BDb/C#

Ab

Eb

Bb

F

1 #

2 #

4 #

7b / 5#

1 b

3 #

2 b

3 b

4 b

5b / 7#

6b / 6#

no sharps or flats

Gb/F#

C y c l e o f F o u r t h s / F i f t h s ( M a j o r )

cycle of 4ths

cycle of5ths

Important Terms

flat (b): lowers notes a half step.

sharp (#): raises notes a half step.

natural ( ): cancels the effect of a sharp or flat.

order of flats: BEADGCF

order of sharps: FCGDAEB

half step: the smallest interval in Western music. Two adjacent keys on a piano. Two adjacent frets on the same string for guitar.

whole step: two half steps.

natural half step: half steps without the use of accidentals. Occurs from E-F and B-C.

Note Lengths: 4/4

sixteenth note = 1/4 beat

eighth note = 1/2 beat

dotted eighth note = 3/4 beat

quarter note = 1 beat

dotted quarter note = 1 1/2 beats

half note = 2 beats

dotted half note = 3 beats

whole note = 4 beats

middle C

is the C

in the middle

of your keyboard. M

iddle C as

written in treble

and bass clef looks like this:

string #

string name

Guitar Fretboard

E A G B E6 5 4 3 2 1

F A#/Bb D#/Eb G#/Ab C

F#/Gb E A C#/Db

G C F A#/Bb D

G#/Ab C#/Db F#/Gb B D#/Eb

A D G C E

A#/Bb D#/Eb G#/Ab C#/Db F

B E A D F#/Gb

C F A#/Bb D#/Eb G

C#/Db F#/Gb B E G#/Ab

D G C F A

D#/Eb G#/Ab C#/Db F#/Gb A#/Bb

E A D G B

F

F#/Gb

G

G#/Ab

A

A#/Bb

B

C

C#/Db

D

D#/Eb

E

B

F#/Gb

G u i t a r S t r i n g N o t e s

6 = E 5 = A 4 = D 3 = G 2 = B 1 = E

ae

b

f #

c#

ab / g#bb /a#

f

c

g

d1 #

2 #

4 #

7b/5 #

1 b

3 #

2 b

3 b

4 b

5b / 7#

6b/6#

no sharps or flats

eb/d#

C y c l e o f F o u r t h s / F i f t h s ( n a t u r a l m i n o r )

cycle of 4ths

cycle of5ths

D

N o t e Le n g t h s : 2 / 2 Te m p i

sixteenth note = 1/8 beat

eighth note = 1/4 beat

dotted eighth note = 3/8 beat

quarter note = 1/2 beat

dotted quarter note = 3/4 beats

half note = 1 beat

dotted half note = 1 1/2 beats

whole note = 2 beats

Largo: mm = 40-60Larghetto: mm = 60-66Adagio: mm = 66-76Andante: mm = 76-108Moderato: mm = 108-120Allegro: mm = 120-168Presto: mm = 168-200Prestissimo: mm = 200-208

basic music theory: how to read, write ... - core design gallery

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