Music Theory

[Mozart]

I found this nice websites that explains the basicswww.teoria.com if anyone is interested.

[Mozart]

Fourths are:

    perfect if they have 2 1/2 whole steps (5 half steps)

    augmented if they have 3 whole steps (6 half steps)

why did they go from using major minor to augmented and perfect?

[Mozart]

Construct: major second descending

its showing me a note on e so it has to be something d. half a step down should be d sharp so 1 whole step should be d.


God I swear im being fucked with right now. I spent half an hour thinking what I did wrong when it told me Construct: major second descending and it was on c and i clicked b. Was that wrong? I hate this website!

[Mozart]

 major second ascending its on b so 1 note up is c right? Why c sharp? I really don't get it.

[tjguitar]

why did they go from using major minor to augmented and perfect?

Cause there is no major or minor for those intervals, there's perfect, augmented and diminished....

major second ascending its on b so 1 note up is c right? Why c sharp? I really don't get it.

No. That would be the minor 2nd.  The major 2nd would be C#, if I'm not mistaken...

[Mozart]

Cause there is no major or minor for those intervals, there's perfect, augmented and diminished....

can you explain what that means?

[Mozart]

I think I understand my confusion. Is it because sometimes the piano has 2 white keys next to each other that b would go to c sharp on a major 2nd?

[Larry Rinkel]

I think I understand my confusion. Is it because sometimes the piano has 2 white keys next to each other that b would go to c sharp on a major 2nd?

Think in terms of the whole and half steps, as well as the spelling. A second, no matter how it "sounds" on the piano, must be spelled as two adjacent notes on the staff.

A minor second: B-C or Bb-Cb
A major second: B-C# or Bb-C
An augmented second: B-Cx  or Bb-C#
A diminished second:  B-Cb or Bb-Cbb  - even though on the piano that sounds like a unison

Of course the last of these is not commonly found, but the inversion of a second - a seventh - is useful:

Major seventh: C-B
Minor seventh: C-Bb
Diminished seventh: C#-Bb   - which is very common

Fourths, fifths, and octaves can be perfect.
Seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths can be major or minor.
All intervals can have augmented or diminished forms.

[Haffner]

I start out alot of my guitar students with the "Complete Idiot's Guide To Music Theory", and I would reccomend that tome way before the topic website. The "Idiot..." in the title can help a student to get over his or her pride (the great obstacle toward any learning experiene, imho) and the book also comes with a free ear training cd:


http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Music-Theory/dp/1592574378/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-0006250-4338817?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185369762&sr=1-1

Hope this helps!

[Mozart]

I start out alot of my guitar students with the "Complete Idiot's Guide To Music Theory", and I would reccomend that tome way before the topic website. The "Idiot..." in the title can help a student to get over his or her pride (the great obstacle toward any learning experiene, imho) and the book also comes with a free ear training cd:


http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Music-Theory/dp/1592574378/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-0006250-4338817?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185369762&sr=1-1

Hope this helps!

Looks like a cool boke, I'll try to find it next time im at borders Thx.

Think in terms of the whole and half steps, as well as the spelling. A second, no matter how it "sounds" on the piano, must be spelled as two adjacent notes on the staff.

I dont know why this gives me so much trouble. On the little test I can do 4 or 5 correct in a row and then just miss one and get a huge headache. Can you explain what augmented and diminished mean?

[Larry Rinkel]

Can you explain what augmented and diminished mean?

"Augmented" increases the interval beyond either the perfect or the major condition. "Diminished" decreases the interval beyond either the perfect or the minor condition.

[jochanaan]

"Augmented" increases the interval beyond either the perfect or the major condition. "Diminished" decreases the interval beyond either the perfect or the minor condition.

Quick: someone tell me another name for a diminished second!

[Larry Rinkel]

Quick: someone tell me another name for a diminished second!

A second, diminished! 

Seriously, it's the sort of thing that exists more in theory than practice, and most any composer would write a doubled unison. As, at the other extreme, an augmented seventh is less likely to occur than a perfect octave.

[jochanaan]

A second, diminished! 

Seriously, it's the sort of thing that exists more in theory than practice...

...except in harp music.

(If you're confused at this point, don't worry about it.  For technical reasons, harp music doesn't always follow the rules taught in Music Theory 101. )

[Larry Rinkel]

...except in harp music.

(If you're confused at this point, don't worry about it.  For technical reasons, harp music doesn't always follow the rules taught in Music Theory 101. )

Aha, of course. Harp homophones. A harp could very well play Cb and B on two adjacent strings for greater volume and body, or would tune to those pitches to facilitate playing repeated notes. And given a choice, the reason a harpist would prefer to play Cb rather than B is . . .

[lukeottevanger]

because C flat is more resonant than B on the harp, Larry!

This indeed is true with all flat notes compared to their enharmonic equivalents. Which is why most pieces in very sharp keys give their harp parts in those enharmonic equivalents. The beginning of the Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra has the repeated pedal  F# in the timps doubled by the harps alternating F# and G flat, IIRC. At first this seems merely an unecessary piece of subtlety, but I suppose this is so that that each string has longer to resonate before being damped in the process of being re-plucked.

...except in harp music.

...and in Satie, who is fond of his little enharmonic jokes! Also puts me in mind of a 'bitonal' piece by Slonimsky - inimitably titled Dummkopfmarsch in His/Deses Dur - with the right hand in B sharp major and the left in D double flat major. A pain to read, even after one realises that both hands are thus in C.

[Larry Rinkel]

because C flat is more resonant than B on the harp, Larry!

and that's because in the flat positions, the strings are open, and at their greatest length.

[lukeottevanger]

Correct. That's one I remember from my youthful reading of Piston, I think it was!

[Larry Rinkel]

Correct. That's one I remember from my youthful reading of Piston, I think it was!

Old Walter does cover those very points, yes!

[karlhenning]

Ah, the Maine natives one reads in one's musical youth!