Class 4

Intervals, intervals, intervals. I promise it gets a little easier.

Today we talked about all intervals of all qualities. By the way, the quality of an interval refers to its type (major, minor, etc.). The easiest way to identify intervals is to begin with the key signature of the beginning note. You remember from last class that the qualities of diatonic intervals are:

P1(unison) M2 M3 P4 P5 M6 M7 P8(octave)

So from there, you can figure out how to get to the other qualities of intervals. They are (from ascending to descending:

• Augmented (A)
  
• Major (M)
  
• Minor (m)
  
• Diminished (d)

Or, if the interval is of the perfect type:

• Augmented (A)
• Perfect (P)
• Diminished (d)

Don't forget: perfect intervals are never major or minor. That is why they are perfect.

Before I end this post, let me work through an example or two just to spark your memory. Suppose you are given a Gb and are asked to find the interval a minor 7th above. You know that a 7th above G is F, so you think about the key signature of Gb to see what type of F it is. Gb has 6 flats, but F is the only natural note. So Gb to F is a MAJOR 7th. To get to the minor 7th, you must lower the F a half step. So Gb to Fb is a minor 7th.

Suppose you are given a B and are asked to find the interval an augmented 6th above. You know that G is a 6th above B, and then you think of the key signature of B to see what type of G is diatonic (remember, diatonic 6ths are major). You know B has 5 sharps, of which G is one. So B to G# is a major sixth. To get the augmented sixth, you must raise the G# a half step (Gx). So B to Gx is an augmented sixth.

Last example. Let's say you have an imaginary key given, like finding a diminshed 5th above D#. Well, there is no D# key signature, so we must think in its enharmonic, Eb. A perfect 5th above Eb is Bb, so a diminished 5th would be Bbb. You must then think of the enharmonic for Bbb that would be a type of 5th above D, in other words, some type of A. The enharmonic of Bbb that starts with an A is A natural. So, A diminished 5th above D# is A natural (and you thought it would be something weird!).

By the way, there is an easier way to find those imaginary key intervals. Ask me next class and I'll tell you how.

Last thing I briefly mentioned was interval inversion. This means finding out the interval below the given note. The formula was:

9 - interval = inverted interval

Important: major and minor are reversed for inversion. So a major 6th inverted becomes a minor 3rd. Perfects stay perfect, so a perfect 5th inverted is a perfect 4th.

God bless!

Josh

Class 3

Thanks to everyone for being faithful with their homework assignments. You all are progressing quickly because you are willing to work. Thanks.

Today was a working day. We reviewed minor scales and then jumped right in to sight singing by scale degrees. We learned the intervals from the tonic based on key signatures. Remember, these intervals are diatonic but are only true when you start from the tonic (1). They are:

M2    M3    P4    P5    M6    M7    P8

M=major

P=perfect

4ths, 5ths, and octaves are perfect, never major or minor. 2nds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths can be major or minor. We will talk about the other alterations later.

We also talked about recognizing intervals aurally. This is not so much the science part of theory as the art part, but there are some ways to remember the differences between the way intervals sound:

• 2nd -- close together
• 3rd -- sweet
• 4th -- "Amazing Grace"
• 5th -- "Star Wars"
• 6th -- NBC sound
• 7th -- harsh
• 8th -- sounds like the same note

Different teachers may teach these differently, but this is just how I remember the intervals.

Next class: an in-class group project and altered intervals. God bless.

Josh

P.S. Here's a link to the homework.

Class 2

Major keys. Minor keys. Scales and more. Here's what we covered today:

• Circle of 5ths (minor)
• Scale degrees
  
• Major scales
• Minor scales (natural, harmonic, and melodic)
• Intervals

We finished talking about the circle of 5ths by discussing relative minor keys. Remember, to find the relative minor, you take the major key you're in and move down a third (keeping in mind the key signature). So if you're in the key of Db major, the relative minor is Bb minor (because B is flat in the key of Db).

Major and minor scales are made up of seven distinct notes, and each note holds a numerical value in that scale relative to the beginning (1, or tonic). The 5th scale degree is called the dominant and is important because, in a way, it defines the tonic. The 4th note is the subdominant.

Last thing. There are three forms of a minor scale. The diatonic form (following the key signature) is called the natural minor scale. To get the harmonic minor scale, you simply raise the 7th note. The melodic minor scale is achieved by raising the 6th and 7th notes going up and then lowering them coming down. Also remember the hierarchy of altering notes:

• double sharp (x)
• sharp (#)
• natural
• flat (b)
• double flat (bb)

Make sure that whenever you have finished writing your scales that you have seven distinct notes. Like today in class, when we write the a# harmonic minor scale, we must write:

A# G# B# C# D# E# F# Gx(not A) A#

If you were to write an A natural instead of G double sharp, you would end up with two types of A's and no form of G. Make sense?

I realize today's class was pretty heavy, but it should get a little more interesting as we start moving past the basics. Thanks for all your hard work. God bless.

Josh


P.S. Here's a link to the homework.

Class 1

Great class today. I'm looking forward to the semester. Here's what we covered today:

• Key signatures
• The circle of 5ths
• Simple rhythmic dictation

Remember, the order of flats is BEADGCF. The order of sharps is just the opposite, FCGDAEB. For flats, you know what key you're in by looking at the next to last flat (exception: one flat is the key of F). For sharps, you know what key you're in by taking the last sharp and then moving up one note (just remember to take into account whether the note you're moving to is itself a sharped note).

The circle of fifths looks like this:

This diagram tells us the order of key signatures by adding sharps (moving clockwise) or adding flats (moving counter clockwise). The three key signatures at the bottom of the circle are the enharmonic keys, meaning they have two names.

Next class, we will look at minor key signatures and begin learning the intervals -- aurally and written. We will look at the homework I gave you and talk about scales. I trust that this is coming naturally to you. If not, shoot me an email at jstewart@bellevue.org and we'll talk. God bless.

P.S. Here's a link to the homework.

Intro

Hey everyone! I'm excited about the class this afternoon. I've come up with a rough syllabus for the class. Honestly, I am going to taylor the class to whatever level you guys are at, but these are the things we're definitely going to learn:

• Key signatures (circle of 5ths)
• Scales
• Rhythms and time signatures
• Intervals
• Chords (tertian) and inversions
• Chords (7ths and beyond) and inversions
• Advanced scales
• Functional harmony
• Melody writing
• Harmonizing a melody

This may seem like a ton of stuff, or it may seem simple. Whatever the case, I hope you enjoy what's to come. I've discovered over my course that the more you learn about music, the more you realize there's more to learn about music. No one knows everything. The best classical piano player probably can't sing jazz, and the composer of a film score may know nothing of Eastern music. That's the beauty of music. It is a form of art given to us by an infinite God Who will not let us think too highly of ourselves, but Who desires for us to use music (and other resources) to know Him and worship Him.

Again, I'm looking forward to working with you all. God bless!

josh