TheoryRoom with Dr. J.

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)

I browsed the Youtube offerings hoping that someone had posted incredibly wonderful Theory stuff… Apparently the professor from L.A. Harbor College took the time to make these succinct but effective tutorials.

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This is what happens to composers who don’t attend their music theory classes:

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.