Music Theory is universal to all instruments including vocals allowing you to
chose which aspect of music and your instrument you wish to increase your knowledge,
ability to play and improvise. If you want to learn to Read or Write music then this is your starting point!
If you are starting out then go through the Lessons in the order they are
listed since each section builds upon knowledge from previous topics.
The following List of Topics includes a brief description
of the Lessons:
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1) MUSIC NOTATION -
 Musical
notation is the written form of Music and describes the pitch, timing and
duration of sounds, we call musical notes. Notes are located on a grid called
a Staff with
a Clef.
Leger lines are used to extend the range of a staff either
above or below the staff. |
2) NOTE VALUES -
    Different
types of notes are used to tell musicians not only which letter name note
to play but how long to hold each note. Phrasing shows how
to play the notes. |
3) RESTS -    Much like
notes, different types of rests are used to show how long each pause of silence
should last. |
4) ACCIDENTALS -
    
Sharps, Flats, Natural Signs, Double Sharps and Double Flats are all accidentals used
to alter the pitch of a note. |
5) TIME SIGNATURES -
 Music is divided into beats and pulses all of which are shown by the time signature. We will also look at different types of time signatures and show you when to use them for various styles of music. |
6) KEY SIGNATURES -
 The Key Signature simplifies
music notation and tells the musicians the key of
the song and which notes have accidentals. We will look at the Major and
Minor Key Signatures as well as the Ecclesiastical Modes. |
| 7) SCALE DEGREES -
The notes of a Major Scale are the basis for everything in music from arranging,
composing, orchestration, jamming or lifting parts by ear. They also provide
for a common musical language used daily by musicians when playing together. |
| 8) INTERVALS -
Intervals are used to measure the distance in pitch between 2 notes. They
are the basis of harmony such as a Perfect 5th, Major 2nds or 3rds and more. |
| 9) TRIADS - The smallest
chord in music is a 3 note Triad such as the Major, Minor, Diminshed,
Augmented and Suspended Fourth chords. They are some of the most common
chords used |
| 10) CHORD SCALES -
This is the basis for playing Chord Progressions. It allows you to know what
type of chord to play on any note in any Key, handy for jamming as
well as writing music. |
| 11) CADENCES -
Cadences are used to mark the end of every phrase of classical music and other styles. Types
include Perfect, Plagal and Imperfect cadences. |
| 12) VOCAL SCORES -
A brief introduction into the types of music written for vocals or choir
such as Short score, Open score (uses all 4 clefs) and Modern Vocal score. |
| 13) STRING QUARTETS -
A very quick overview of how to score music for a String Quartet complete
with a score sample. |
| 14) ORCHESTRA SCORES -
A look into what instruments are commonly used in orchestras and how they
are scored. We will also show you the range of each instrument by comparison. |
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