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The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory PDF

338 Pages·2007·2.23 MB·English
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Music Theory Second Edition by Michael Miller A member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. This book is dedicated to Beth Ogren, who has been a good friend for more years than I remember. She’s been waiting a long time for me to write a book about a topic she’s interested in—so here it is, Beth ALPHA BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, U.S.A. Penguin Group (Canada), 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2 (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Books India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), cnr Airborne and Rosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a divi- sion of Pearson New Zealand Ltd) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Copyright © 2005 by Michael Miller All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For information, address Alpha Books, 800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46240. THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO and Design are registered trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. International Standard Book Number: 1-4295-1388-8 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005926982 Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year of the book’s printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the book’s printing. For example, a printing code of 05-1 shows that the first printing occurred in 2005. Note:This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should be consulted. The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book. For details, write: Special Markets, Alpha Books, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014. Publisher:Marie Butler-Knight Copy Editor: Cari Luna Product Manager: Phil Kitchel Cartoonist:Shannon Wheeler Senior Managing Editor: Jennifer Bowles Cover/Book Designer: Trina Wurst Senior Acquisitions Editor: Renee Wilmeth Indexer:Tonya Heard Development Editor: Jennifer Moore Layout:Becky Harmon Production Editor: Janette Lynn Proofreading:John Etchison Contents at a Glance Part 1: Tones 1 1 Pitches and Clefs 3 Sing high, sing low—and learn how to describe all those different pitches you can sing. 2 Intervals 17 What’s the shortest distance between two tones? It’s called an interval! 3 Scales 27 Do, a deer, a female deer … which happens to be as good a way as any to describe a scale. 4 Major and Minor Keys 45 We’re not talking car keys here; nope, this chapter is all about major and minor keys, as well as some seven-note modes that date all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Part 2: Rhythms 55 5 Note Values and Basic Notation 57 If you can count to four, you can figure out most rhythms—and write them down, on paper. 6 Time Signatures 67 It looks like a fraction, but it’s not a fraction—it’s a time signature! 7 Tempo, Dynamics, and Navigation 77 How do you describe how fast and how loud a song should be played? Read here to find out! Part 3: Tunes 89 8 Melodies 91 When you put tones together with rhythms, what do you get? (Hint: You can sing it!) 9 Chords 111 Major, minor, diminished, augmented—whatever you call ’em, chords are just three notes played together. 10 Chord Progressions 127 Did you know that most folk, rock, and country music can be played with just three chords? Now that’sa popular chord progression! 11 Phrases and Form 145 ABAC isn’t an acronym—it’s a way to describe in what order you play all the different sections of a song. Part 4: Accompanying 153 12 Transcribing What You Hear 155 The music goes in one ear, bounces around your brain, and ends up written down on paper—if you do it right. 13 Accompanying Melodies 167 Time to sit down at the piano (or guitar) and play a few chords! 14 Transposing to Other Keys 177 When one key isn’t good enough, you have to move the notes to another key. Part 5: Embellishing 185 15 Harmony and Counterpoint 187 Or, where you find out background vocals are more than just ooohs and aaahs and acting like a Pip or a Supreme. 16 Chord Substitutions and Turnarounds 203 If you don’t like the chords as written—change ’em! 17 Special Notation 215 All sorts of fancy notation that didn’t fit anywhere else in this book. Part 6: Arranging 223 18 Composing and Arranging for Voices and Instruments 225 Learn how to write for specific voices and instruments—the proper ranges, and whether and how they need to be transposed. 19 Lead Sheets and Scores 241 Turn here to see some examples of lead sheets, chord sheets, vocal scores, big band scores, and full-blown orchestral scores. 20 Performing Your Music 257 Up, down, left, right—how to set the tempo and start conducting! Appendixes A The Complete Idiot’s Music Glossary 265 B The Complete Idiot’s Chord Reference 275 C Answers to Chapter Exercises 279 D The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory, Second Edition, Ear Training Course CD 293 Index 305 Contents Part 1: Tones 1 1 Pitches and Clefs 3 Understanding Musical Tones ............................................................4 Tones Have Value ..............................................................................5 What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? ........................................................5 Play by Numbers ..............................................................................6 Do Re Mi ..........................................................................................7 Tones Have Names ............................................................................8 Learning the ABCs ..........................................................................8 Notes on a Piano Keyboard ................................................................9 Notes on a Staff ................................................................................9 Above—and Below—the Staff ........................................................11 Different Clefs ..................................................................................11 The Treble Clef ..............................................................................11 The Bass Clef ..................................................................................12 The Grand Staff ............................................................................12 Specialty Clefs ................................................................................13 The Percussion Clef ........................................................................14 2 Intervals 17 Be Sharp—or Be Flat ........................................................................17 Steppin’ Out … ................................................................................18 A Matter of Degrees ........................................................................19 First Things First ............................................................................19 Major and Minor Intervals ............................................................21 Perfect Intervals ..............................................................................21 Augmented and Diminished Intervals ..............................................22 Beyond the Octave ..........................................................................23 Intervals and Half Steps ..................................................................23 3 Scales 27 Eight Notes Equal One Scale ..........................................................27 Major Scales ......................................................................................28 Minor Scales ......................................................................................31 Natural Minor ................................................................................31 Harmonic Minor ............................................................................34 Melodic Minor ................................................................................35 In the Mode ......................................................................................38 Ionian ............................................................................................38 Dorian ............................................................................................39 Phrygian ........................................................................................40 Lydian ............................................................................................40 Mixolydian ......................................................................................41 vi The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory, Second Edition Aeolian ..........................................................................................41 Locrian ..........................................................................................42 4 Major and Minor Keys 45 Keys to Success ................................................................................45 Using Key Signatures ......................................................................46 Major Keys ......................................................................................46 Minor Keys ....................................................................................48 The Circle of Fifths ..........................................................................50 Accidents Will Happen ....................................................................51 Changing Keys ..................................................................................52 Part 2: Rhythms 55 5 Note Values and Basic Notation 57 Taking the Measure of Things ........................................................58 Taking Note—of Notes ....................................................................58 Whole Notes ....................................................................................59 Half Notes ......................................................................................59 Quarter Notes ................................................................................60 Eighth Notes ..................................................................................61 Sixteenth Notes ..............................................................................61 Taking Count ....................................................................................62 Taking a Rest ....................................................................................62 Taking a Note—and Dotting It ........................................................63 Taking Two Notes—and Tying Them Together ............................64 Taking the Beat and Dividing by Three ..........................................64 6 Time Signatures 67 Measuring the Beats ..........................................................................67 Quarter-Note Time ........................................................................68 Eighth-Note Time ..........................................................................69 Half Time ......................................................................................71 Changing the Time ..........................................................................72 Grouping the Beats ..........................................................................72 7 Tempo, Dynamics, and Navigation 77 Taking the Pulse ................................................................................77 Beats per Minute ............................................................................78 Italian Tempo Terms ........................................................................78 Speeding Up—and Slowing Down ..................................................80 Hold That Note! ..............................................................................80 Getting Loud—and Getting Soft ....................................................81 Dynamic Markings ........................................................................81 Changing Dynamics ........................................................................81 Play It Harder ................................................................................82 More Dynamics ..............................................................................83 Contents vii Finding Your Way ............................................................................83 Repeating Sections ..........................................................................84 Repeating Measures ........................................................................85 Repeating Notes ..............................................................................85 Repeating Rests ................................................................................86 Part 3: Tunes 89 8 Melodies 91 Combining Tones and Rhythms ......................................................91 Common Melodic Techniques ........................................................92 Dvorˇák’s New World Symphony ..................................................92 Bach’s Minuet in G ........................................................................93 Michael, Row the Boat Ashore ........................................................94 Pachelbel’s Canon in D ..................................................................95 Composing Your First Melody ........................................................95 What Makes a Melody Memorable? ................................................97 Center on a Pitch ............................................................................97 Make Sure You End Up at Home ....................................................98 Stay Within the Scale ......................................................................98 Use the Big Five ..............................................................................99 Find the Hook ................................................................................99 Create Variations ..........................................................................100 Write in Four—or Eight, or Sixteen ............................................100 Make It Move ..............................................................................101 Take Small Steps ..........................................................................101 Stay in Range ..............................................................................102 Avoid Unsingable Intervals ............................................................102 Keep the Rhythm Simple ..............................................................103 Stay in Time ................................................................................104 Set Up—and Resolve—Tension ......................................................104 Set Up a Call and Response ..........................................................105 Establish Symmetry ......................................................................105 Balance Repetition and Variety ......................................................106 Follow the Chord Progressions ........................................................106 Follow the Form ............................................................................107 Follow the Words ..........................................................................107 Write for a Specific Instrument or Voice ........................................108 Be Unique ....................................................................................108 Learn More About Composing ......................................................108 9 Chords 111 Forming a Chord ............................................................................112 Different Types of Chords ..............................................................112 Major Chords ................................................................................113 Minor Chords ................................................................................114 Diminished Chords ........................................................................114 viii The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Music Theory, Second Edition Augmented Chords ........................................................................115 Chord Extensions ............................................................................116 Sevenths ........................................................................................116 Other Extensions ..........................................................................119 Altered, Suspended, and Power Chords ........................................120 Altered Chords ..............................................................................120 Suspended Chords ..........................................................................121 Power Chords ................................................................................122 Inverting the Order ........................................................................122 Adding Chords to Your Music ........................................................123 The Complete Idiot’s Chord Reference ........................................125 10 Chord Progressions 127 Chords for Each Note in the Scale ................................................127 Creating a Progression ..................................................................130 It’s All About Getting Home ..........................................................130 One Good Chord Leads to Another ..............................................131 Ending a Phrase ..............................................................................133 Perfect Cadence ............................................................................133 Plagal Cadence ..............................................................................133 Imperfect Cadence ..........................................................................133 Interrupted Cadence ......................................................................134 Common Chord Progressions ........................................................134 I-IV ..............................................................................................134 I-V ..............................................................................................134 I-IV-V ..........................................................................................135 I-IV-V-IV ....................................................................................135 I-V-vi-IV ......................................................................................135 I-ii-IV-V ......................................................................................136 I-ii-IV ..........................................................................................136 I-vi-ii-V ......................................................................................136 I-vi-IV-V ......................................................................................136 I-vi-ii-V7-ii ..................................................................................136 IV-I-IV-V ....................................................................................137 ii-V-I ............................................................................................137 Circle of Fifths Progression ............................................................137 Singing the Blues ............................................................................138 Chords and Melodies ......................................................................138 Fitting Chords to a Melody ............................................................138 Writing a Melody to a Chord Progression ......................................142 11 Phrases and Form 145 Parts of a Song ................................................................................146 Introduction ..................................................................................146 Verse ............................................................................................146 Chorus ..........................................................................................146 Bridge ..........................................................................................147

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