The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

338 Pages·2007·2.23 MB·English

by  Michael Miller

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