If you need to review your cadences, go here:
http://musictheory.net/lessons/html/id55_en.html
Here’s the tutorial on NCTs
Archive for the “Class” CategoryWorkbooks are in. Go get one! We continued to explore aspects of 16th century counterpoint. Topics for today included Parallel Motion Oblique Motion Similar motion Contrary Motion Dealing with Tritones Constructing Major, Minor and Diminished triads. Homework for Monday. yankeedoodlecf Expect your counterpoint to be played in class. Qualities of Intervals Some intervals have 4 possibilities, others have only 3. Please refer to the illustration in your text. The accidentals that affect the quality of an interval do not change the letter names of the notes or the name of an interval. B# does not become C! Fb does not become E!
Qualities of intervals in a major scale Tonic to Tonic (same note) = Tonic to Supertonic = Tonic to Mediant = Tonic to Subdominant = Tonic to Dominant = Tonic to Submediant = Tonic to Leading Tone = Tonic to Tonic (8va higher) =
These are the old “Rules” I told you about. If it helps, use them.
Unisons and Octaves = If both tones of the interval have the same accidental, unisons and octaves are perfect.
Fifths – If both tones of the interval have the same accidental, all fifths are perfect EXCEPT for the one above __________, which is diminished.
Fourths- If both tones of the interval have the same accidental, all fourths are perfect EXCEPT for the one above ____________, which is augmented.
Thirds – If both tones of the interval have the same accidental, the thirds above C F and G are major, the rest are minor
Sixths – If both tones of the interval have the same accidental, the sixths above C,D, F and G are major, the others are minor.
Seconds – The seconds that consist of 2 half steps are major, the ones that are only one half step are minor. The two notes must not have the same letter name.
Sevenths – the seventh that is one half step smaller than a perfect octave is major. The seventh that is one whole step or two half steps smaller than an octave is minor.
Inversion = the arithmetic sum of the names of the interval and its inversion is always nine. To get the inversion, subtract the beginning interval’s number from 9. The inversion of perfect intervals remains perfect. The inversion of major intervals is minor and vice versa. The inversion of a diminished interval is augmented and vice versa.
The big test is over and results are in. If you are not happy with your grade, then you may retest on the same material. It is not “open-book” and the content may change slightly. See me if you want to do this. Friday we’ll watch a bit of the documentary “Before the Music Dies.” It’s a very timely commentary on the state of the music and entertainment industry and I think may raise some eyebrows. Below is a teaser: (Caution – Explicit Language) Our big test is postponed until Sept. 8th due to band trips. The link for the review sheet is : Below are vocab words for the test following Monday’s…I’m looking at Friday Sept. 12th. Expect timed tests on Wednesday and Friday. Vocab- Workbook pages for this Friday’s homework are here: Here are the links to the theory sites we looked at in class today: Ricci Adam’s site: Jose Alvira’s Bilingual Theory site: William Wieland’s Theory things: http://www.northern.edu/wieland/theory/tt.htm
Amy Baeur’s practice quizzes, etc… http://courses.wcupa.edu/abauer/mtm.html Robert Frank’s Hypertext Theory book: http://www.smu.edu/totw/toc.htm Dave Megill’s excellent quiz site: http://www.coastonline.org/megill/skilltests/skilltests.html Brian Blood’s extensive and helpful site: http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryintro.htm Rob Whelan’s free training aids: (Check out the Music Speed Reader!) Catherine Schmidt-Jone’s excellent text: http://cnx.org/content/col10363/1.3 Music Notes: (theory and more) http://library.thinkquest.org/15413/index.shtml Freshman Theory at Alcorn State University: http://www.alcorn.edu/musictheory/Version2/index.htm
Texas School Music Project’s Quickfacts sheet: http://www.tsmp.org/theory/lias/pdf/quickfacts.pdf Tim Cutler’s Tonal Theory Examples collection: http://musictheoryexamples.com/ The Tonal Center: Tom Pankhurst’s Tonality Guide http://www.tonalityguide.com/startcentre.php PracticeSpot (printable practice tests) http://www.practicespot.com/theorycenter.phtml Nuottila – (java exercises) http://www.nuottila.info/2007/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 Jazz Improvisation advisor: http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~keller/jazz/improvisor/
Here are some study questions to help you review for our first exam: 1. Can you write the fundamental and first 4 overtones of the harmonic series starting on C2? 2. Can you tell me the difference between simple and compound division of the beat? 3. Can you write C4 using the G clef, C clef and F clef? 4. What is a hemidemisemiquaver? 5. What note is enharmonically equivalent to G double-sharp? 6. WHat is an Orff time signature? 7. What does the dot do to the value of the note it’s attached to? 8. Can you list the silly theory scale degree names? (tonic, supertonic, etc..) 9. Can you list the Greek Modes in the order that they relate to the C major scale? 10. What is the difference between parallel major and relative major? 11. Which form of the minor scale do we use in my class and how does it differ from the natural minor scale? 12. What do scales do? Remember to keep learning key signatures and to spell the diatonic scales built from the C scale!! Today I spent the first half hour on campus in a hallway due to a tornado warning. Lots of folks called to ask if we were having class and I told them “get here if you can do it safely, but use your own discretion.” On Wednesday, most of the class will be absent due to the trip to MTSU, and returning home Friday morning at 4:30 AM, it’s not likely that many will make it in for Friday’s class. The inspirational Dr. Perry Castelli once told me: “Teaching is like playing baseball. Some games you win, some games you lose. Some get rained out”. There’s a whole lot of truth to that statement. Today we talked about the need to memorize our diatonic scale spellings and I uttered a few brief statements about those dreaded units of musical measure: intervals! Then we watched Lenny Bernstein’s section of the Norton Lectures where he links the awareness of the harmonic series to elements of music history. My point = technology is the missing link. The development of standard tunings and equal temperment helped solidify tonality as our “universal” musical principle. Bernstein speaks of the discovery of the “fifth” leading to the circle of fifths. Switch your point of view and see that fifth as a dominant chord resolving up a perfect 4th or down a perfect 5th to tonic. That gives us our circle of fourths, (not fifths) and leads to the modulation example he used prior to playing the Wagnerian “Fair Harvard” at the end of our segment. Wednesday will be “Fun” and Friday will be optional for those needing drill and practice.
Today we reviewed, took a timed test, compared Orff time signatures to our common ones and watched Lenny B. talk about musical univerals. Again, I blamed the French for the downfall of Occidental music, but that’s not really the point, is it? Please have the introduction, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 read. If you think I’m gonna test on the Church Modes, you’re wrong, BUT I want you to see the relationship because it critical to understanding the tonal system. Pretend that the starting pitch is the 2nd overtone and realize that it resolves according to the “Law of Harmonic Resolution.” Under topics in chapter 2, you should become familiar with those terms. Know the scale degree names for the test (tonic, supertonic, mediant, etc…). Question for extra credit: Why would your teacher disagree with the way the Circle of 5ths is presented in the text? Oh! And we listened to Metal Shop by DaVinci’s Notebook. These guys were so incredible and I used to take students to hear them anytime they sang within state lines. A few years ago the group broke up (after MANY years of singing together) and 2 of these talented folks became Paul and Storm. Here’s a collegiate(?) barbershop group paying homage to the DaVinci’s Notebook Legacy. |
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