Music is an art that encourages overcoming stress, anxiety and, also developing an interest in life. For some, music is only part of the entertainment, whereas, for the other, music is a sound platform where they can make their field. Today’s generation has a keen interest in the music profession, so, it is necessary to learn basic music theory.
To improve in the musical area understanding the core of the music is required. Moreover, it is a set of guidelines and practices used to recognize the different ways to express emotions with sound. Without a solid base, you cannot assume creating a great future in the music field.
For example: To make the sentence require the words and these words are made of letters. To learn how to make the sentence as a whole, you have to learn the letters of the alphabet and learn how to put them into words. Then you have to learn certain words and learn how to put them into sentences. In the same way, in music, you have to learn some basic things.
Essentials to learn music theory:
Alphabets
It is a system of letters that are assigned to represent sounds in music that we call notes.
Scales
Scales are just a linear arrangement of notes. If notes are actual pitches, then scales are those pitches in a certain order.
Intervals
An Interval is a distance from one note to another.
Chords
Chords give structure, organization, and shape to a song.
Key Signatures
Key signatures tell us the tonality or “key” of a song. It also tells us which notes the song will be using. Besides, the more you work with these, the more familiar you get with the range and scale of particular keys.
Musical Notes and Intervals
Music Alphabet
The musical alphabet consists of seven letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. Notes are the building blocks for all music which has a unique pitch.
The 12 Keys Of Music
12 notes on the piano keyboard are A, A#/B♭, B, C, C#/D♭, D, D#/E♭, E, F, F#/G♭, G, G#/A♭.
White Keys
On your keyboard, the white keys play the natural notes in the scale(A, B, C, D, E, F, G). Playing only white keys puts you in either the key of C major or A minor.
Black Keys
The black keys are mainly played for the “ sharp and “flat notes in a scale (A#/B♭, C#/D♭, D#/E♭, F#/G♭, G#/A♭). Every note has a symbol♭ for flat and # for sharp. To write in all available keys signatures both white and black keys are essential.
Intervals
There are several different intervals and each interval is in the gap between two notes. In addition, these intervals are measured by the number of half steps, whole steps, and their position on the scale. A half step interval is one semitone. A whole step interval is two semitones and both two half steps make a whole step.
Following this, intervals are defined by a number (distance) and prefix (quality). It represents the number of half-steps between two notes. These numbers are (unison), 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th (octave).
Intervals are also described by quality using a prefix. The five interval qualities are major, minor, perfect, augmented and diminished.
The next highest or lowest pitch of the same note. For example, an octave up from C1 on a piano is C2. An octave down would be C0. There are 12 semitones in the octave.
Octaves
The same note has the highest or lowest pitch. For instance, an octave up from C1 on a piano is C2. An octave down would be C0. 12 semitones are in the octave.
Key signatures represent that which notes in a scale are sharp or flat and also help you identify the key of a song, which is the tonal center and twelve key signatures, derived from the twelve available note. For example, a song in the key of A minor uses notes from the A minor scale.
Musical Scales And Modes
While learning basic music theory musical scales and their functions are essential because these scales are basic building blocks of music.
What Is A Scale?
Set of notes in an octave determined by their pitch on the musical scale. Each scale defines the ascending or descending interval links among the note pitches. Furthermore, these scales are used to form melodies and harmonies. There are two types of scales major and minor which can produce from any note.
Major Scales
The seven notes in all major scales follow the same interval pattern: W-W-H-W-W-W-H (whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half).these major scales are, uplifting, and happy sounding.
Minor Scales
The seven notes in all minor scales follow the same interval pattern: W-H-W-W-H-W-W (whole-half-whole-whole-half-whole-whole. These scales are dark, sad, and emotional sounding.
Scale Degrees
All note on a scale has a definite name connected with its function to show its position on the scale. Above all, there are seven scale degrees that apply to major and minor scales.
Hope this Basic music theory information provides you knowledge and tools that make you professionally and more advanced in the music profession.