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Music Theory
Harmony and rhythm. Voice leading and cadences. Music theory can be a complex subject. Ask anything you need to know about it here.
858 Questions
How many flats and sharps are there in C D G and E major?
C major - No sharps or flats
D major- 2 sharps (F,C)
G major- 1 sharp (F)
E major- 4 sharps (F,C,G,D)
How do you memorize base clef notes?
In ascending order, the line notes are G, B, D, F, and A. The spaces then are A, C, E, and G. The best way to remember it is through repetition and practice.
What is it called when you change the name of a note without changing its pitch?
Two notes that sound the same in pitch but have different names are 'enharmonically equivalent'. E.g. F# and Gb sound the same but they are written differently.
How can different notes or pitches be produced?
A tone generator function or software synthesizer plug-in can be used to generate specific frequencies or notes.
What lines are added to staff to extend the range?
Those little lines above or below a music staff are called ledger lines.
Why does a perfect note when reduced by half step becomes a diminished interval?
It's a perfect interval that is called a diminished interval when reduced by half step; there is no such thing as a perfect note. Minor intervals are also called diminished intervals when reduced by half step. If you listen to a perfect fourth and a diminished fourth, for example, they clearly have very different sounds, so they need different names.
What is the sguiggly line on the left side of a note in music mean?
If it's next to a chord (it usually is), it means to arpeggiate the chord. Instead of playing all the notes together at once, you would quickly "roll up" through the notes quickly. Basically, building the chord from bottom up, but fast.
What is the musical expression for spiky and smooth?
Spiky, or short, is often referred to as staccato in musical terms. Legato is the correct name for smooth. There are many more musical synonyms which can be used for these 2 words, but legato and staccato are the most commonly used.
Why does a viola need its own clef?
It reads alto clef because the range is a little too low to stay in treble, but goes too high to play in bass.
What are the solfége syllables?
The solfége syllables (solfeggio, IT) are syllables assigned to the notes of the scale.
The origin of the syllabic identification of pitch goes back to Guido d'Arezzo, a monk who was assigned to the job of teaching younger monks their chants. At this time (Guido lived from somewhere around 992 to after 1033AD) memorization of chants was done aurally, with no mnemonic system. Guido is believed by some to have composed a hymn, with each succeeding half-line starting on a rising step of the scale. The words of the hymn were:
Ut queant laxis
resonare fibris,
Mira gestorum
famuli tuorum,
Solve polluti
labii reatum,
Sancte Iohannes.
I have italicized and underlined the first syllable of each half-line (hemistich), which became the names of the notes: ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la. There are only six of them, and much of music theory for the next six centuries would be based on the hexachord, which is this string of six notes.
The Medieval and Renaissance music theory system named notes by a combination of syllables. This was created as an extension to the hexachord, to create an individual name for each note from Gamma, which would sit on the bottom line of our modern Grand Staff, to the note that now occupies the top line.
Here is a table of the notes, showing their hexachords:
G-E C-A F-D hard natural soft note name E5 E la -- -- Ela D5 D sol -- la Dlasol C5 C fa -- sol Csolfa B4 B mi -- -- Bmi Bb4 B -- -- fa Bfa A4 A re la mi Alamire G4 G ut sol re Gsolreut F4 F -- fa ut Ffaut E4 E la mi -- Elami D4 D sol re la Dlasolre C4 C fa ut sol Csolfaut B3 B mi -- -- Bmi Bb3 B -- -- fa Bfa A3 A re la mi Alamire G3 G ut sol re Gsolreut F3 F -- fa ut Ffaut E3 E la mi Elami D3 D sol re Dsolre C3 C fa ut Cfaut B2 B mi Bmi A2 A re AreG2 Gammaut Gammaut
The range of notes encompassed the entire range of usable male vocal notes, and the term Gamut (from Gam-Ut) is now used to describe the entire range of something. The name of each note comes from reading across the gam-ut, starting with the letter, then each syllable from the hexachords Gamma-ut (here spelled without the hyphen) is the lowest note in common usage, roughly the bottom of a Male bass voice range. e-la is the highest. (Latin sylables are pronounced separately, so "Csolfaut" is "C-sol-fa-ut", not kasolfowt.) There are three basic hexachords, starting from Gam-ut, C fa ut, and F fa ut. (ut in each case tells us that this is the first note of one of the hexachords.) The hexachord on G (G, A, B, C, D, E) was considered 'hard', the hexachord on C, natural, and that on F, soft. Each note has an individual name, so the octaves of C are C-fa-ut, C-sol-fa-ut, and C-sol-fa-ut. We have it much easier today!
In the 17th century, theorist Giovanni Battista Doni replaced "ut" with "Do" for singing (from his own family name) because of the more resonant sound provided by "o" over "uh". This has stuck in many countries, and is now considered the syllable for C, or for the tonic in "Moveable Do" systems.
In the 19th century, a seventh syllable was added for the 'leading tone', synthesized from the first letters of the last hemistich "Sancte Iohannes" (Medieval Church Latin lacking the "J" letter form): si. This was not immediately adopted, and though it is now considered part of the solfeggio, it is spelled ti, allowing the notes to be uniquely identified by the starting letter (i.e., avoiding the Sol/Si collision).
Some have added a system for indicating sharps and flats by changing the vowel in the syllable, as well, or by adding the word "sharp" or "flat" to the solfeg syllable.
The only possible letters that a note can be are ABCDEFG, they repeat in the same order no matter what clef or key you are in, the form of the note (natural, flat or sharp) can change but the order of the letters remains the same.
Another good way to help you remember note names is by associating words to the staff.
In treble clef all the notes from top to bottom on the spaces spell: FACE
In treble clef all the notes on the lines state the phrase: EGBDF (Every Good Boy Does Fine)
In bass clef all the notes on the spaces state the phrase: ACEG (All Cows Eat Grass)
In the bass clef all the notes on the lines state the phrase: GBDFA (Good Boys Do Fine Always)
The names of the solfege syllables will change depending on what key you are in.
ex. When in the key of C Major C = Do, D = Re, E = Mi, F = Fa, G = Sol,
A = la, B = Ti, C = Do.
When in the key of F major F = Do, G = Re, A = Mi, Bb (B flat) = Fa,
C = Sol, D = La, E = Ti, F = Do
etc...
Sight singing is a good way to start with music, not only does it help with pitch accuracy but it helps to memorize notes. You can sing the pitches on the solfege syllables or by using note names.
Also using staff paper with notes written out on it, with spaces underneath the staff to write in answers can help you test yourself on your memory.
This is just the basics, when you are ready to progress to key signatures and scales iI would recommend buying a theory book (I use Tonal Harmony) or trying to find a good theory tutor!
Improved answer:
To be able to determine which note is being played takes a skill that musicians call perfect pitch and it is not a talent everybody has. However there is a way of developing a concept called relative pitch. The way relative pitch works is that you have a pitch playing in your ear for a while (about a week). Then as you hear a note different from the note you remember hearing, you start humming the note you were "taught" and hum it. Eventually, you raise or lower your pitch until your pitch matches the one you hear. Then you count the number of half steps you moved and determine the note.
The solfege exercises, I don't know which one your talking about. The only one I know is the one that you sing:
12345 54321 1525354554321
Can you have more than one chorus in a song?
In a song, there should be an intro, chorus THEN verse one. After each verse, there should be a chorus. But I'm not saying a song should be written like this:
Hey, little monkey
HEy hey hey!
Little little monkey
In da tree eating banana YUM YUM YUM
Yum banana
Then another 3-line verse, then chorus. (That was a really stupid song lol).
If the verse is less than 6 lines (5 lines is the only exception), there probably shouldn't be a chorus after it. Usually in my songs, I put a chorus after 2 verses, but the conventional form is to put a chorus after 1 verse. It all depends on how you want the song to be written. If you want to have a chorus after more than 3 verses, your song should be extremely long. If your song is for an audience, I wouldn't suggest putting a chorus after more than 3 verses, because then the song would have to be long and the audience would get bored.
Good luck!
What is the best way to answer chord change questions in standard grade music?
is this what you are asking?
in music theory in any given key, take the 1st key for example. C
write down c to c
C D E F G A B C ................then number them, music is math.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8/1
145 are major .............. 236 are minor........ 7 is diminished or m7flat5 or 5over7
so you have C Dm Em F G Am,,, b the leading tone in contemporary music is 5over7 = G/B,,,
most songs are 145 progressions, C,F,G, (any order)
the minor key to any major key is number 6,,, thus Am
start on 1=C your in a major key
start on 6=Am your in the minor key they both use the same chords
major is more upbeat and lively where minor is more melodic, bluesy, moody.
did this answer your question? if not, please explain exactly what your asking
and i will be more than happy to help you. thank you.
Why is the treble clef called G clef?
The G clef (Treble) is so named because the circle at the bottom part of it, goes around the G line of the treble clef.
The F clef (Bass) is so named because the two dots following the backward C are on either side of the F line of the bass clef.
What is a Classical accompaniment style based on triads?
A very popular example of Classical accompaniment based on triads is the Alberti bass, initially developed by Domenico Alberti (1710-1740).
Alberti bass is a kind of broken chord/triad or arpeggiated accompaniment, where the notes of the chord are presented in the order lowest, highest, middle, highest. For example, if a C major chord was being played in root position, the order would be C-G-E-G.
What are the letter names of the pair of notes which are a semitone apart in the major scale of F?
F major is
F - G - A - B flat - C - D - E
the A and B flat are a semitone apart. (3rd and 4th)
the E and F are a semitone apart (7th and 8th (1st))
It is the same in all major scales (3-4 and 7-8 are always a semitone apart)
The beat of Music is the number and type of counts per bar, this keeps the music in a consistent speed (unless directions given). In a orchestra, the conductor keeps the beat in order to keep all the instruments playing in time with each other.
