Music Theory ( how music works) BITES. #1

Discussion in 'Education' started by MMJ2017, Jun 20, 2019.

  1. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Music Bites #1

    What is a Key?


    A key is. Link or connection between two cadences , a major and a minor cadence .

    These two cadences ( cadence means subdominant,dominant,to tonic)
    Are linked by a neutral chord ( inside the key)
    Which both cadences are consonant over top of.


    Let's see this in action.
    KEY
    Of C major ( A relative minor)
    The notes are
    C D E F G A B C

    Here are the chords.
    1 CEGB
    2. DFAC
    3. EGBD
    4.FACE
    5.GBDF
    6.ACEG
    7.BDFA


    What makes this a key?


    We have a cadence for C major

    2.dfac, 5.gbdf, 1.cegb

    We have a cadence for A minor

    7.bdfa, 3.eG#bd. 6.aceg

    That's 6 out of 7 chords


    Now out of 7 chords , look at the dead center chord
    4.FACE
    Here is our link.

    So the link means that

    If you place link on bottom and cadences on top.

    Face(bottom) and DFAC,gbdf,CEGB, on top or
    Face( bottom) and BDFA,eG#bd,ACEG on top.
     
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  3. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Part B the minor side of a key.

    Let's look at the SAME key , from the A minor perspective.

    A harmonic minor

    A B C D E F G# A

    Chords.
    1.aceg# ( a minor 6th acef#)
    2.bdfa. ( Bmin7b5)
    3.ceg#b
    4.dfac
    5.eg#bd (E dominant 7)
    6.face
    7g#bdf

    We have our 2 cadences
    ( We use Cmajor cadence DFAC,gbdf,CEGB)
    But we use A harmonic minor cadence
    ( BDFA, eg#bd, acef# (use amin6 for tonic)

    That is 6 out of 7 chords
    Look at the dead center chord
    4.DFAC
    This is our link on the minor side

    The link is consonant with both cadences

    So DFAC on bottom while ( DFAC,gbdf,cegb)
    Fits on top
    Or
    DFAC on bottom while ( BDFA,eg#bd,acef#) on top.


    This shows us what a key is, and how it's used.

    It opens up so many options by understanding what a key is and how to use it.
     
  4. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Part C application .

    Once we understand this component of how music works , how do we actualize it? ( Make real music from it)

    Well there so many ways but here is to get you started

    First
    Don't think of this information relative to one instrument only. This represents all sound layers and all instruments.
    By understanding this we assign different instruments to do tasks.

    So our bass line establishes the root
    Our main melody uses the highest pitches
    The harmony is in the middle.

    Let's start by taking C major KEY.

    Our form will be

    Dmin7, G7, C6

    Here is those notes.
    DFAC,GBDF,CEGA

    Now ,
    We are going to start by having the bass be in bold
    D
    FAC ,GBDF ,CEGA

    That's the bass sound.

    That leaves us this for the other instruments.
    FAC,. BDF,. EGA

    We are going to make the main melody in red
    FAC,BFD,AGE
    This gives us a voice leading in high octave

    Finally all we have left is this.

    FA, BF, AG

    New for the remaining harmony we put them in the mid range in between the baseline and the high melody line established.

    Let's spread the notes out.
    AF,. FB,. AG

    We can do it with
    blue being left side in stereo
    And
    green right side in stereo

    AF,. FB. AG

    Now we have totally expressed our
    C major cadence over 4 instrument layers.
    1bass
    2mid left
    3mid right.
    4upper melody


    Now we can add our link as well.

    In C major the dead center chord is FMaj7 FACE

    We can add a 5th layer of sub bass
    Using the F ringing out the whole time the other changes are happening above it.

    Next we follow all the same steps except with A harmonic minor.
    This time our cadence is BDFA,eg#bd,acef#

    And our link is DFAC

    Follow same steps as before once you connect both parts it will be this.

    ( DFAC,GBDF,CEGA,) over top of FACE
    Then changes to
    ( BDFA,EG#BD,ACEF#) over top of DFAC

    You have now seen an example how to take the knowledge and turn it into a real world example of how a key works and how to use it
     
  5. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Part D

    The LINK in more depth.

    In C Maj ( a min)

    The LINK is
    Fmaj7
    We can focus our attention on this area and
    Think of it from that perspective

    F G A B C D E F

    F Lydian

    Now we are seeing it from a modal perspective.
    This means creating music at unity instead of tension release or home and away like in tonal music.
    The LINK
    Is where tonal music meets modal music.

    ,...............

    ( A brief look at the modal language)
    F Lydian.
    1.face.
    2.gbdf
    3.aceg. ( Inversion of Fmaj
    4.bdfa
    5.cegb (inversion of Fmaj
    6 dfac
    7.egbd

    In modal music

    F Lydian really means 5 flavors of the same thing

    major flavor ( Fmaj7
    dominant flavor G7
    min7b5 ( min6) flavor ( bmin7b5) dmin6
    Min flavor ( dmin7
    Min flavor 2 ( emin7


    These all fit on top of FACE
    ( Changing the chords changes the flavor but there is no motion because it all represents F Lydian )
    The music is still not moving around.

    ........

    Now that we have looked at the tonal aspect ( first few comment boxes)
    And then the separate modal language aspect here.

    We can see where the two types of music meet together and both can be used at any time.

    If you want to combine tonal and modal music through this understanding of a KEY and it's link,

    All you have to remember is that
    The major and minor cadences move normally like a normal progression .
    However the LINK
    Moves slowly because those 2 cadences are happening inside the LINK.


    Let's take a look at

    C melodic minor scale

    C D Eb F G A B
    D#.

    1.CEbGB. ( C minor major7th. _ Cminmaj
    2.DFAC. ( dmin7
    3.Eb GBD. ( Ebmaj7#5
    4.FACEb. ( F Lydian dominant)
    5.GBDF. (G dominant7
    6.ACEbG. ( Amin7b5. Or. Cmin6
    7.BDFA. ( Bmin7b5. Or Dmin7

    Here we can see that the LINK
    Behaves the same way
    F Lydian dominant is the thing that these chords are happening inside of .
     
  6. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Part E

    Tonal music's melody ( in the KEY )

    Now we are going to take a look at melody.
    We are going to use one note after another here

    First take C major.
    1.up and down
    C D E F G A B C
    C B A G F E D C

    2. Thirds
    D C E D F E G F A G B A C B D A

    B C A B G A F G E F D E C

    3 triads forward backward

    CEG AFD EGB CAF GBD ECA BDF GEC
    Then
    GEC DFA BGE FAC DBG ACE FDB CEG

    3b triads leading tone below root forward

    BCEG C#DFA D#EGB EFAC F#GBD G#ACE

    A#BDF BCEG

    3c. Triads leading tone below fifth backward

    F#GEC G#AFD. A#BGE. BCAF C#DBG D#ECA
    EFDB

    3d.
    Triads leading tone below root up, then leading tone below 5th down then next up the next etc.

    BCEG. G#AFD D#EGB. DCAF F#GBD D#ECA A#BDF F#GEC


    4. 7th chords ( 4 note chords)
    CEGB CAFD EGBD ECAF GBDF GECA BDFA BGEC
    Then
    BGEC DFAC DBGE FACE FDBG ACEG AFDB CEGB
     
  7. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Part F

    The connect between rhythm and the melody in a key.

    For every important beat you have a weak beat next to it.
    If you have 4 beats
    1234
    The first is important the bass drum identifies this
    The 2 and 4th beats are weak
    The 3rd beat is strong commonly identified by the snare drum.

    This connection of how our ear prioritizes strong and weak beats also has a connection to the navigation of melody within a KEY.

    This is through what is called the chromatic MAJOR scale.
    How this works is like this
    If I am moving forwards in the KEY of C major
    CC#DD#EGFF#GG#AA#BDC

    If I am moving backwards in the KEY of C major

    CDBA#AG#GF#FGED#DC#C

    This is the chromatic C major scale .
    It gives you a way to always have a note land on a strong beat if it is your preference to do so at any moment in any context.

     
  8. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    The chromatic C major scale can be used in the same way that we looked at melody in the KEY.

    Let's say outlining the triads.
    1.CEG
    Forward
    CD#DD#EGFF#G
    Backwards
    GF#FGED#DC#C

    2.DFA
    DD#EGFF#GG#A
    Backwards
    AG#GF#FGED#D

    3.EGB
    EGFF#GG#AA#B
    Backwards
    BA#AG#GF#FGE

    Etc.

    How about triads forward then backward?

    CEG
    DFA

    CC#DD#EGFF#GG#AG#GF#FGED#D

    Any regular melodic motion can be captured this way as demonstrated.

     
  9. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Changing tones.

    Say we are on our tonic chord
    CEGB

    For every note in a Melody you can use the neighbor notes of the key to setup your landing note as a melodic device.

    Take CEGB
    CEGB
    Turns into
    DBCEGB
    Then
    DBCEGBDBC on top as well

    We can loop it around

    DBCEG
    CAB
    Is just more detailed version of
    CEGB
    What about a more detailed version of
    CEGBGEC?
    Up then down.
    DBCEGCABGEDBC
    Now it is a loop

    Changing tones offer a great way to add embellishments.

    Say if we were on our subdominant 2 chord in C major
    DFAC ( E is the 9th a good note for this chord)

    Using the changing tones
    FDECDFACECDAFECDFACECDAF


    Let's revisit this.

    FAC DBG ACE FDB CEG

    Now changing tones

    GEFAC ECDBG BGACE GEFDB DBCEG

     
  10. MMJ2017

    MMJ2017 Audiosexual

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    Summary of The KEY.

    It's important to understand what a key is and how it works.
    A KEY is NOT that you are restricted in any way.
    You have every note and every chord available .
    Because a key is a connection between 2 cadences.
    Which motion is happening over a static 2 or 4 chord.

    Summary of melody in a key

    As stated before there is no restriction of notes.
    All 12 are usable in every key.
    It's about understanding that in melody you have strong beats and weak beats.
    You have notes that prepare you for a strong destination landing note .
     
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