MTPrelude

Kaii had combined several piano/keyboard method books and her life long music learning books to create this sequential music theory study for this website. This page is about the understanding of how music became what we called music. By clicking on the other links on this page, the other music theory topics can be found easily.

For more information, please contact Kaii directly: info@kafm.net

Here are some musical ideas before we get into Music Theory in general

Introduction to Music Theory | Music Theory Topics

Musical Ideas Explanations

Music vs. Noise Music is one type of sound waves. Yes, music is science! When certain sound waves travel through air and hit our ear drums, and our nerves in our inner ear canals send that message to our brain. If the sound waves have an even and regulated ratio, our brain recognizes them as "Musical Tones" due to some soothing qualities. However, if the waves are uneven and non-regulated, our brain rules that as "Noise." Each one of us has a build-in tolerance for "noise."

Rhythm Rhythm is the placement of sounds and silence in time. In its most general sense, rhythm (Greek rhythmos, derived from rhein, “to flow”) is an ordered alternation of contrasting elements. The notion of rhythm also occurs in other arts, such as poetry and painting, as well as in nature, for example,heart beats and ocean waves.

Duration
Duration is an amount of time or how long/short a note, phrase, section, or song lasts. In musical rhythm, duration is vital to Time Signature. The 'Releases" are equally important in determining the quality of a musical sound and its "Articulation."

Pitch Pitch is the quality, in physics, that makes it possible for us to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies. Pitch is a major auditory attribute of musical tones, along with Duration, Dynamics, and Timbre.

Resonance Sometimes when two or more sound sources are near each other, when one sound wave travels in the air, with similar sound waves, the other sound sources will create vibrations as well. This is called Resonance.

Quality of sounds The quality of any sound is made from Pitch, Duration, Dynamics, and Timbre. Here is a link to show the difference in sounds by using different mics: A Sound Quality Experiment.

Dynamics Dynamics are one of the expressive elements in music. It indicates the variations of the loudness of any song. Some composers left no dynamic signs on their music; therefore, it is up to the performers to determine how they would perform.

Timbre Timbre is known as Tone Color or Tone Quality. Timbre distinguishes different types of sound production, such as choir voices and musical instruments. It also enables listeners to distinguish different instruments in the same musical family, such as violin and cello.

Harmonic Series

A harmonic is a sound wave with a frequency that is a positive and multiple numbers of the original signal, or frequency. The original signal is also called the 1st harmonic, the other harmonics are known as higher harmonics. As all harmonics are periodic at the fundamental frequency, the sum of harmonics is also periodic at that frequency. Periodic functions are used throughout science to describe oscillations, waves, and other phenomena that has a frequency. Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time, such as how many vibrations per second. The set of harmonics forms a Harmonic Series.

Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. All musical sounds create vibrations and frequencies. A piano gives a spectrum of most commonly used musical frequency.

Lower pitches have less but bigger sound waves , while higher pitches have more intense and smaller sound waves. See the chart to the right of different octaves of the pitch "A". The unit is measured by Hertz (Hz). The ratio of an octave is 2:1.

Musical Letters

German "B" equals to "B-Flat" in other countries, while other countries' "B" equals to German "H" in tonalities. C4 is the so-called "Middle C" because it is the "C" in the middle of seven-octave groups. A4 has the frequency of 440 vibrations per second and is generally used for tuning in ensemble music.

Steps The basic building blocks of chromatic and diatonic scales are half steps and whole steps, the two smallest intervals between notes in Western music. A step is the distance, or interval, between notes of different pitches. When the same pitch is repeated in music, it creates "Unison" of an interval.

Range The range of a musical instrtument, or human voice, is the distance from the lowest to the highest pitch that one can produce. The piano has a range of A0 to C8, while human voice could have a range of C2 to C6.

Well-Tempered Pitches Well temperament is a type of tempered tuning. The twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard were tuned in such a way that it was possible to play music in all major or minor keys that were commonly in use, without sounding perceptibly out of tune. An article about "Math vs. Music" can be found here.

Music/Tuning Fork Invented in the 1700s, the tuning fork is a simple and easy tool to identify the proper pitch your instruments should be playing at. Crafted with two tines forming a slender “U” shape and a comfortable handle grip, tuning forks produce some of the purest tones at the fundamental frequency. With no batteries, chords, or plugs needed, they can be used just about anywhere. Tuned to the A=440 Hz note, these forks are the standard for concerts, making them an essential tool for any music instructor with a recital or concert to prepare students for.

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To know the language of music is to understand that Rhythm is number one in all kinds of music and every musician needs to have a solid knowledge of music notations. As we know that drummers do not necessarily play melodies, but the drumming in the rhythm section in any ensemble keeps the music going.

The following topics are all parts of Music Fundamentals that every musician could use and should know.

Music Theory that every musician could use and should know

The Basics

Math in Music

More Math and Signs

Music Forms

Time Signatures Intervals Cadences Homophonic Style

Polyphonic Style

Diatonic & Chromatic Steps Chord Progressions Contrapuntal Techniques

Key Signatures Binary Form

Triads & Inversions Figured Bass & Basso Continuo Ternary Form

Primary Triads Modulations Dance Suites

Scales Transposition Prelude & Fugue

Secondary Triads Augmented Sixth Chords Sonata Form

Seventh Chords Rondo Form

Modes Secondary Dominant Musical Signs Theme & Variations

Musical Terms Serialism

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