Music Theory Is Not Nuclear Physics!
Music Theory Is Not Nuclear Physics!
Music Theory Is Not Nuclear Physics!
Major Keys & Minor Keys Major and Natural Minor Scales
Chords/Arpeggios:
Triad chords Seventh Chords The Relative Minor Three Chord Rock Three Major Chords Three Minor Chords The V can be V7 in Major & Minor Three Dominant 7 in the Blues Secondary Dominant (V of V) MUSIC THEORY-Time Grouping-Time Signatures 4/4, Cut, 3/4, and Beat Counting Division by 2: Eighth Notes Division by 3: Triplets/Compound Meter Dots & Ties
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The Shuffle and Swing Division by 4: Sixteenth Notes Division by 6: Sixteenth Note Triplets & New Jack Swing Three Ways to Learn a Song The Usual Suspects
Deep Space
Seventh Chords
Modes
MUSIC THEORY-Space
Music Theory is the lifelong study of all musicians and applies to all instruments of the western world. Heres a Sketch of The System. The Twelve Musical notes of the Chromatic Scale (All notes flats & sharps included) are like the letters of the Alphabet. Scales are like languages. Chords are like words; each spelled with certain notes. The Basic Musical Structures are: Intervals: The smallest interval is the half step (one fret) or minor 2nd (m2). A Scale made of half steps is the Chromatic Scale. The next smallest interval is the whole step (two frets) or Major 2nd (M2). A Scale made of whole steps is called a Whole Tone Scale. The Minor 3rd (m3) is common to all minor scales & chords. The Major 3rd (M3) is common to all major scales & chords. All of the basic Intervals are listed below with half step counts.
Every different type of scale, chord/arpeggio and pair of notes has a unique and specific INTERVAL FORMULA. Scales: The 12 Chromatic notes are grouped into twelve 7 note Diatonic Major and/or Minor Scales each with the same whole/half step interval structure but a different group of flats or sharps. Scale steps are Numbered 1-7 in Alphabetical Order. If the 7th of A should be the note G it might be G# or Gb, but it has to be G something. Is it a m7 or M7? The eighth note is called the Octave and has the same name as the first note. Each Key has a Key Signature with specific sharps or flats to keep the interval structure intact. There is much more about different scales and interval formulas in my book: INTERVAL GRAPHICS.
The most basic moods of Music are split into two groups of sounds: the Major Keys & Minor Keys . I like to call them the Good Guys and the Bad Guys. Listen to the heros theme from a movie and compare it to the villains. Each pair of 7 note Major and Natural Minor
The C
Chords/Arpeggios: The Diatonic scale is Harmonized into Triad chords (3 notes) & Seventh
Three Major Chords are the primary chords (I, IV & V) and the three Minor
In a Major Key, the chords are the secondary chords (IIm, IIIm & VIm). In a Minor Key, the Three Minor Chords Major chords are the secondary chords (III, VI & VII).
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are
the primary chords (Im, IVm & Vm) and the three
Secondary Dominant (V of V)
In the Key of C, the second chord (II), is a minor chord: Dm. If you see a D7 we are not in C anymore. D7 is the V7 of G; G7 is the V7 of C. D7 is the V of V AKA Secondary Dominant. This a Key Center Change to a neighboring Key. If we are in the Key of C then the new Key is G or Gm and the V7 of G or Gm is D7. This also helps determine which scale(s) the Lead Player uses for soloing.
If you need to know what Key youre in, count the scale backwards five steps to find the root of the I or Im chord. Or you can count up four steps to get the same note.
Any combination of chords is possible, of course, but only a few are real classics.
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MUSIC THEORY-Time
All Rhythms are based on Groupings AKA Time Signatures and Divisions: 1/8 notes, triplets & more! The Only Important numbers are 2 & 3.
Time Signatures
The Top Number indicates How Many notes. The Bottom Number tells us What Kind of note.
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Triplets can be fixed as the normal division of rhythm with Compound Meters such as 6/8 & 12/8.
straight eighth notes in 6/8 you need to use a duplet sign, a 2 instead of a 3.
If you want two
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Dots work only within the Measure. Ties can cross the Bar Lines.
The number of beats tied is calculated by basic addition.
This is a real popular beat! The and of beat two is tied to beat three, then the and of three is struck leading into beat four. This is called Syncopation. We play the off beats!
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Swing Indicator
telling the musician to play all Eighths as Swing Eighths or all Dotted Eighth Sixteenth pairs as Swing Eighths. The Rolling Feeling continues.
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Division by 4: Sixteenth Notes The count is 1 e & a, 2 e & a, 3 e & a, 4 e & a The picking is always Down /Up. These double beam or flag notes make the groove happen in Funk and R & B.
Eighth Notes Rock. Triplets Roll. Sixteenth Notes Run. Sixteenth Note Triplets Hop.
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Divide by 2 = 1/8 notes March,Rock Divide by 3 = 1/8 triplets Stroll,Swing Divide by 4 = 16th notes Funk,R&B Divide by 6 = 1/16 triplets HipHop,Alternative
Is there a Divide by 5? Yes, a Quintuplet. Is there a divide by 7? Yes, a Septuplet. And, of course, Divide by 8 is 32nd notes.
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next chord or two. If they both work then were in the Key of A. Secondary chords are the Relative Minors: F#m, Bm & C#m. 4) If it is A minor, check out the Dm and the Em (E7) chords. If they both work then were in the Key of Am. Other possibles are the Relative Majors: C, F and G. 5) What happens if none of these chords work? Major: the A Major chord is also in the Keys of D and E, any chords from the keys of D or E could happen too. This adds the Key of Ds G, Em & A7 to our Major Key Suspect List along with the Key of Es B, B7 & G#m. Minor: Am is also in the Keys of Dm and Em and any chords from the keys of Dm or Em could happen too. That adds the Key of Dms Gm, Bb & A7 along with the Key of Ems Bm, B7 & D Chords to our Minor Key Suspect List. These Keys are related to the Original Key. It is more likely that chord changes from the Keys that are nearby and related to the original key will be used than changes from Keys that are far away and which have nothing in common.
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Deep Space
Seventh Chords
Chords are Stacks of Notes. Three Note Stacks are called Triads. Four Note Stacks are called Seventh Chords. The Note Numbers are recounted from the Root of each Chord (Arabic Numeral 1 for the scale step). Triads: 1 (Root), 3rd and 5th Seventh Chords: 1 (Root), 3rd, 5th and 7th
The Root position stacks above are almost unplayable on a guitar but easy on piano. Any combination of the same notes will give you another different Chord Voicing. Seventh Chords are much more colorful than triads. Major Seventh (maj7) is used for Romantic or heavenly sounds. Dominant Seventh (7) has a positive, playful mood but also Bluesy Minor Seventh Chord (m7) is a softer smoother nicer minor sound. Minor Seventh Flat Five (m7b5) has a much darker more dramatic sound than the minor triad.
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Modes
The Major / Minor sound of the diatonic scale is a matter of point of view, since all of the notes are the same. There is a point of view for each note, the Modes of the Major Scale. Each Chord has a Scale called a Mode. Each Mode has a chord: Imaj7 Ionian (Major) IIm7 Dorian IIIm7 Phrygian IVmaj7 Lydian V7 Mixolydian VIm7 Aeolian (Natural Minor) VIIm7b5 Locrian Ionian & Aeolian are The Main Modes and the Main Key Centers for Traditional Classical Harmony. Modes are used for Improvisation Over a Major 7 chord, two modes can be used: Ionian & Lydian. Over a Minor 7 chord, three modes can be used: Dorian, Aeolian & Phrygian. The Dominant 7 chord gets the Mixolydian Mode and the Minor 7 flat 5 chord gets the Locrian Mode.
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Harmonic Minor
The Harmonic Minor Variation of the Natural Minor Scale has a Major Seventh instead of the Minor Seventh in the Interval Formula: R M2 m3 P4 P5 m6 M7 R The Harmonization is more dramatic than the Natural Minor is: Im/maj7 IIm7b5 IIImaj7#5 IVm7 V7 VImaj7 VIIdim7 Im/maj7 This is the Classical Minor Scale used in Flamenco & Sicilian Music. The I is Minor /Major Seventh (m/maj7) in theory only. In practice, a normal Minor Triad (m) is used. The IV is a Minor or Minor Seventh Chord. And the V is a Dominant Seventh Chord (7) often with a Flat 9 (b9) or Sharp Five (#5). Another common Change: II (m7b5) V (Dom7). It is usually mixed in with the Natural Minor: Im VII VI V7 Im7 VImaj7 IIm7b5 V7
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Melodic Minor
The Melodic Minor Variation of the Natural Minor could also be looked at as a Major Scale with a Minor Third. There is now a Major Sixth to go along with the Major Seventh in the Interval Formula: R M2 m3 P4 P5 M6 M7 R The Harmonization creates some interesting parallel ascending chords: Im/maj7 IIm7 IIImaj7#5 IV7 V7 VIm7b5 VIIm7b5 Imaj7 We call the Melodic Minor scale: Jazz Minor. All Three Scales; Natural Minor (Major), Harmonic Minor & Melodic Minor, have Modes. Some of the Melodic Minor Modes have names. I Minor/Major III Lydian Augmented IV Lydian Dominant VI Half Diminished or Locrian #2 VII Diminished Whole Tone
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Substitution
In Jazz and Modern Classical Music many of the rules of Harmony and Melody have been expanded and altered. Jazz Musicians have come up with Chord Substitution Systems to guide them in creating and releasing chord tensions.
Enharmonic Substitution
If the chords have exactly the same notes but in a different order, substitute them.
Diatonic Substitution
If the chords share three out of four notes they can be subs for each out as well. Here are the major Key Diatonic Subs.
Diminished Substitution
The Dominant 7b9 with out the root is a Full Diminished chord based on the b9 & all of the other Chord Tones! G7b9 = G B D F Ab Abdim7 = Ab B D F
The Keys of Db & C#, Gb & F# and Cb & B are Enharmonic Keys.
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Scale Spellings
How long has 2 X 2 = 4? Since Euclid wrote it down or since the Dawn of Time?
The Scale Spellings, like the Multiplication tables, are not going to change any time soon and should be memorized. Major & Natural Minor Scales are the same Notes with
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different starting numbers. There is a #7 in the Harmonic Minor Scale and a #6 &
#7 in the Melodic Minor Scale. Chord Changes from Harmonic Minor are often mixed in with Natural Minor. Chord Changes from Melodic Minor are used in Jazz mostly.
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The Guitar Note Map is laid out in a Grid Pattern with White and Black Dots instead of White and Black Keys. Keep it tuned up in Standard Tuning: E6 A5 D4 G3 B2 E1, these note locations will never change. The other instruments have other kinds of Note maps but all of the chromatic notes remain the same. The Note Map we all share is Music Notation. Remember! Literacy is Good! Ignorance is Bad!
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The Notes of the Treble Clef & Bass Clef are arranged in alphabetical order going up the staff.
T h e s e
relationships to the note C on both the keyboard and the guitar. This Map must shift as the Key or chords change. For more complete information about Music Theory and Guitar, check out the other Onomuse Books. Beginnings: Twelve Lessons for the Fresh Guitarist Can Ambitious Guitarists Even Dream? Cheap Tricks for the Lazy Guitarist Interval Graphics
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