music theory and arranging techniques for the church musician winston vaughn arblaster a thesis

385 Pages·2010·4.72 MB·English

MUSIC THEORYAND ARRANGING TECHNIQUES FOR
THE CHURCH MUSICIAN
by
WINSTON VAUGHN ARBLASTER
ATHESIS
Presented to the School ofMusic and Dance
and the Graduate School ofthe University ofOregon
in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements
for the degree of
Master ofArts
September 2010
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"MusicTheoryand ArrangingTechniques for the Church Musician," a thesis
preparedbyWinston VaughnArblaster in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements for
the Master ofArts degree in the School ofMusicand Dance. This thesis has been
approvedand accepted by:
f
Dr.Jack,Boss, Chairofthe ExaminingCommittee
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I
Date
Committee in Charge: Dr.JackBoss
Dr. Timothy Pack
Don Latarski
Accepted by:
Dean ofthe Graduate School
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An Abstract ofthe Thesis of
Winston Vaughn Arblaster for the degree of Master ofArts
in the School ofMusicand Dance to betaken September 2010
Title: MUSIC THEORYAND ARRANGING TECHNIQUES FORTHE CHURCH
MUSICIAN
Approved:
Dr. JackBoss
The rising popularityofthe use of"contemporarymusic" for worship in
Christian churches has created an ever-growingbodyofmusic professionals who,
cominglargelyfrom a rock-influenced folk idiom, are often untrained in music
theory. As the style ofmusic has shifted from the traditional model, stemmingfrom
classical genres, to one dominated by popularmusic, manyofthese musicians see
theory education as impractical oratleast unneeded given their particular stylistic
approach. In orderto address this issue, a method must be developed, departing
from standard methods oftheorypedagogyto one employingselected concepts and
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applications pertainingparticularlyto the contextthe contemporaryworship
settingand presentingthem in a manner immediatelybeneficial to these musicians'
vocational considerations. This thesis serves as apossible solution byproposing
such a method and comparingitto the approaches ofthree major theory methods
on these terms.
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CURRICULUM VITAE
NAME OFAUTHOR: Winston VaughnArblaster
PLACE OF BIRTH: Eugene, Oregon
DATE OF BIRTH: November 22,1984
GRADUATEAND UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOLSATTENDED:
UniversityofOregon, Eugene
DEGREESAWARDED:
MasterofArts, MusicTheory, UniversityofOregon, 2010
BachelorofArts, Music, UniversityofOregon, 2007
AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST:
MusicTheory Pedagogy
MusicArranging, Composition
Classical Guitar, Jazz Guitar
Worship Ministryin the ChristianTradition
Theology
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Instructor, New Hope Christian College, Eugene, Oregon, 2010
Instructor, The Lesson Factory, Eugene, Oregon, 2007-2010
Music MinistryIntern, FirstBaptistChurch, Eugene, Oregon, 2009-2010
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Ithank Dr. Jack Boss for his enduringencouragementand enthusiasm
throughoutthe longtenure ofthis project as well as his remarkable commitmentto
musicand the Church. Also thanks to Dr. Timothy Packand Don Latarski whose
work as advisors and teachers has proven invaluableto me. To Steve Maricle for his
wisdom, which stems from decades offaithful ministry in the church, as well as the
inspiriation he has been as my mentor. To David Case,whose patience and
exemplaryteachinghelped me to strive for myabsolute best. Special thanks to my
mother, whose nurturinghands first showed me music, and above all to our Lord
Jesus Christ,who is redeemingall creation and draws itto theworship ofthe Father.
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To Shaphan Thomas, a faithful teacher and friend.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. PREFACE 1
Background 1
Contributions to the Topic 4
Method 8
Notes 9
II. INTRODUCTION 11
What Is Music Theoryand WhyDoWe Use It? 14
Do We Need Music Theory? 16
Makingthe Mostofthe Text 23
Notes 26
III. PRELIMINARIES &NOTATION 27
What Is Music? 27
What Is Notation? 29
What Notation Style Should You Use? 35
Is Notation Necessaryfor MusicTheory? 38
Notes 39
IV. FUNDAMENTALS OF PITCH 40
The Octave 41
The Musical Alphabet& Natural Notes 44
Accidentals 47
Notation on the Staff 49
Practice Exercises 55
Notes 56
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Chapter Page
V. RHYTHM & POPULAR SONG FORM . 57
The Beat . 57
Divisions ofthe Beat . 59
Notation ofRhythmic Durations .. 60
Time Signatures . 69
Syncopation . 73
Popular SongStructure . 76
MoreVocabulary& Notation . 82
Practice Exercises . 87
Notes . 90
VI. KEYS & SCALES . 91
Keys & Scales . 91
The Major Key . 93
KeySignature . 95
The Minor Key . 103
Key Relations . 108
Practice Exercises . 112
Notes . 115
VII. INTERVALS 116
NumericValue . 116
Interval Quality . 119
Consonancevs. Dissonance . 139
Transposition . 143
Practice Exercises . 146
VIII. TRIADS 149
Diatonic Triads . 150
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Chapter Page
Chord Tones . 152
Chord Quality . 154
EarTrainingfor Major & MinorTriads . 161
Practice Exercises . 169
IX. FOUR-NOTE CHORDS .. 170
Diatonic Sevenths . 170
ChordsWith Seconds, Fourths, & Sixths . 179
Practice Exercises . 190
X. FURTHER CHORD EXTENSIONS 192
Chord Extension . 192
OmittingTones . 207
Practice Exercises . 209
XI. SLASH CHORDS . 210
Chord Inversion (Slash Chords) .. 210
Slash Chord Reinterpretations , 221
Pedal Bass . 224
Practice Exercises . 225
XII. CHROMATICISM 229
Borrowed Chords . 230
Change ofQualityChords . 238
ANote AboutChromaticVoice Leading .. 244
Practice Exercises . 245
XIII. CHORD PROGRESSION 247
Chord Progression . 248
Chord Function . 252
Circle ofFifths (Falling Fifths) . 262