Music Theory For Dummies

Tune in to how music really works

Whether you're a student, a performer, or simply a fan, this book makes music theory easy, providing you with a friendly guide to the concepts, artistry, and technical mastery that underlie the production of great music. You'll quickly become fluent in the fundamentals of knocking out beats, reading scores, and anticipating where a piece should go, giving you a deeper perspective on the works of others -- and bringing an extra dimension to your own.

Tracking to a typical college-level course, Music Theory For Dummies breaks difficult concepts down to manageable chunks and takes into account every aspect of musical production and appreciation -- from the fundamentals of notes and scales to the complexities of expression and instrument tone color. It also examines the latest teaching techniques -- all the more important as the study of music, now shown to provide cognitive and learning benefits for both children and adults, becomes more prevalent at all levels.

• Master major and minor scales, intervals, pitches, and clefs
• Understand basic notation, time signals, tempo, dynamics, and navigation
• Employ melodies, chords, progressions, and phrases to form music
• Compose harmonies and accompanying melodies for voice and instruments

Wherever you want to go musically -- as a writer or performer, or just as someone who wants to enjoy music to its fullest -- this approachable guide gives you everything you need to hear!

Auteur

Michael Pilhofer, MM, holds a Master's in Music Education with a Jazz Emphasis from the Eastman School of Music, and a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Miami.

Holly Day's work has appeared in Guitar One Magazine, Music Alive!, culturefront Magazine, and Brutarian Magazine.

Texte du rabat

Tune in to how music really works Whether you're a student, a performer, or simply a fan, this book makes music theory easy, providing you with a friendly guide to the concepts, artistry, and technical mastery that underlie the production of great music. You'll quickly become fluent in the fundamentals of knocking out beats, reading scores, and anticipating where a piece should go, giving you a deeper perspective on the works of others -- and bringing an extra dimension to your own. Tracking to a typical college-level course, Music Theory For Dummies breaks difficult concepts down to manageable chunks and takes into account every aspect of musical production and appreciation -- from the fundamentals of notes and scales to the complexities of expression and instrument tone color. It also examines the latest teaching techniques -- all the more important as the study of music, now shown to provide cognitive and learning benefits for both children and adults, becomes more prevalent at all levels. Master major and minor scales, intervals, pitches, and clefs Understand basic notation, time signals, tempo, dynamics, and navigation Employ melodies, chords, progressions, and phrases to form music Compose harmonies and accompanying melodies for voice and instruments Wherever you want to go musically -- as a writer or performer, or just as someone who wants to enjoy music to its fullest -- this approachable guide gives you everything you need to hear!

Contenu

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 3

Where to Go from Here 3

**Part 1: Getting Started with Music Theory/b>

Chapter 1: What Is Music Theory, Anyway? 7

Unearthing Music Theory's Beginnings 8

Putting the Spotlight on Music Theory Fundamentals 9

Understanding the foundation: Notes, rests, and beats 9

Manipulating and combining notes 9

Studying musical form and compositions 11

Seeing How Theory Can Help Your Music 11

Chapter 2: Determining What Notes Are Worth 13

Meeting the Beat 14

Recognizing Notes and Note Values 15

Examining the notes and their components 15

Looking at note values 17

Checking Out Whole (Semibreve) Notes 18

Homing in on Half (Minim) Notes 19

Considering Quarter (Crotchet) Notes 20

Examining Eighth (Quaver) Notes and Beyond 20

Extending Notes with Dots and Ties 22

Using dots to increase a note's value 22

Adding notes together with ties 23

Mixing All the Note Values Together 23

Chapter 3: Giving It a Rest 27

Getting to Know the Rests 28

Whole (semibreve) rests 28

Half (minim) rests 29

Quarter (crotchet) rests 30

Eighth (quaver) rests and beyond 30

Extending the Break with Dotted Rests 32

Practicing Beats with Notes and Rests 32

Chapter 4: Introducing Time Signatures 35

Decoding Time Signatures and Measures 35

Keeping Things Easy with Simple Time Signatures 37

Using measures to count in simple time 38

Practicing counting beats in simple time 40

Working with Compound Time Signatures 41

Using measures to count in compound time 42

Practicing counting beats in compound time 43

Feeling the Pulse of Asymmetrical Time Signatures 44

A Short Discussion about Conducting 46

The beat 47

Phrasing, articulation, and dynamics 49

Cueing 49

Chapter 5: Playing with Beat 51

Creating Stress Patterns and Syncopation 51

Placing stress: Knowing the general rules 52

Syncopation: Hitting the off-beat 52

Getting a Jump on Pick-Up Notes 54

Exploring Irregular Rhythms: Triplets and Duplets 55

Adding interest with triplets 56

Working with duplets 57

Part 2: Putting Notes Together

Chapter 6: Music Notes (and Where to Find Them) 61

Meeting the Staff, Clefs, and Notes 62

The treble clef 63

The bass clef 63

The grand staff and middle C 64

C clefs: Alto and tenor 64

Identifying Half Steps, Whole Steps, and Accidentals 65

Working with half steps 66

Taking whole steps 68

Changing pitch with accidentals 70

Finding the Notes on the Piano and the Guitar 72

Looking for notes on the piano 73

Picking out notes on the guitar 73

Using Mnemonics to Help Remember Notes 75

Chapter 7: Mastering the Major and Minor Scales 77

Following Major-Scale Patterns 78

Working with major scales on piano and guitar 79

Listening to the major scales 82

Discovering All That Minor Scale Patterns Have to Offer 82

Playing natural minor scales on piano and guitar 83

Having fun with harmonic minor scales on piano and guitar 84

Making great music with melodic minor scales on piano and guitar 86

Listening to the minor scales 88

Chapter 8: Key Signatures and the Circle of Fifths 91

Understanding the Circle of Fifths and Recognizing Major Key Signatures 92

Sharps: Father Charles Goes Down and Ends Battle 93

Flats: Battle Ends and Down Goes Charles's Father 94

Finding Minor Key Signatures and Relative Minors 95

Visualizing the Key Signatures 96

C major and A natural minor 96

G major and E natural minor 97

D major and B natural minor 97

A major and F sharp natural minor 98

E major and C sharp natural minor 98

B/C flat major and G sharp/A flat natural minor 99

F sharp/G flat major and D sharp/E flat natural minor 99

C sharp major/D flat and A sharp/B flat natural minor 100

A flat major and F natural minor 101

E flat major and C natural minor 101

B flat major and G natural minor 101

F major and D natural minor 102

Chapter 9: Intervals: The Distance between Pitches 103

Breaking Down Harmonic and Melodic Intervals 104

Quantity: Counting lines and spaces 104

Quality: Considering half steps 106

Naming intervals 107

Looking at Unisons, Octaves, Fourths, and Fifths 107

Perfect unisons 108

Augmented unisons 108

Octaves 108

Fourths 110

Fifths 111

Recognizing Seconds, Thirds, Sixths, and Sevenths 112

Seconds 112

Thirds 115

Sixths and…