timbre
the quality of the sound or tone of the instrument
interval
the distance between two pitches
unison interval
0
major 2nd interval
1 whole step (2 half steps)
major 3rd interval
2 whole steps (4 half steps)
Perfect fourth interval
2.5 whole steps (5 half steps)
Perfect 5th interval
3.5 whole steps (7 half steps)
major 6th interval
4.5 whole steps (9 half steps)
major 7th interval
5.5 whole steps (11 half steps)
Octave interval
6 whole steps (12 half steps)
enharmonic
same pitch but represented differently depending on context e.g. A# and Bb, C# and Db
Simple Intervals
those contained within one octave
melodic interval
pitches played separately e.g. arpeggio
harmonic interval
pitches played together e.g. chord
consonance and dissonance ordering of intervals
(More Consonance) (more dissonance)
Unison > octave > 5th> maj 3rd > maj 6th»_space; 4th»_space; maj 2nd > maj. 7th
Perfect Intervals
Unison, 4th, 5th, octave
Imperfect Intervals
- major/minor intervals
- 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th
minor interval
flat/half step below
diatonic scale
a scale containing 7 degrees
5 whole steps, 2 half steps
augmented and diminished
augmented: up a half step
diminished: down a half step
tritone
augmented 4th / diminished 5th
triad
three note chord (i.e. played harmonically)
Diminished triad
1-b3-b5
augmented triad
1-3-#5
chord tones vs. non-chord tones
chord tones: the scale pithces of the chord
- sound harmonious played over the chord
non-chord tones: the scale pitches not in the chord
- create tension, e.g. sus2, sus4, 6th
- tend to want to resolve to the nearest chord tone
resolution
- motion of pitch from tension to rest
- half steps pull harder than whole steps
- resolving up is a leading tone
- resolving down is a leaning tone
conjunct vs. disjunct motion
conjunct: moving through scale stepwise
disjunct: skipping scale tones
chromatic scale
scale where each interval is a half step
Standard Tuning Intervals
E-A-D-G-B-e
4th-4th-4th-maj 3rd-4th
any pattern that crosses the 2nd sting ascending is up a half step
any pattern that crosses the 2nd string descending is down a half step
chord voicing
the ordering of the tones within a chord
compound intervals
intervals greater than an octave e.g. 9th (octave + 2nd), 11th (octave + 4th), 13th (octave + 6th)
seventh chord types
dominant 7th / ‘7th chord’: 1-3-5-b7
minor 7th: 1-b3-5-b7
major 7th: 1-3-5-7
minor major 7th: 1-b3-5-7
the major/minor 7ths are from the major and minor scales. the dominant and m(maj7) are a mix.
Modes
- same notes but different root
- called displaced or relative scales (from the key/ major / ionian)
- Ionian
- Dorian
- Phrygian
- Lydian
- mixolydian
- Aeolian (relative/natural minor)
- Locrian
Parallel Modes
have the same roots but different notes
e.g. A ionian and A Dorian
circle of fifths
- arranges the key signatures in fifths
- adjacent keys are most similar, differ by one sharp/flat (i.e. one note different)
(0 sharps flats) C G D A E B Gb/F# (6 sharps/flats) Db Ab Eb Bb F (1 flat)
Key
- defines a set of notes.
- in musical notation defined relative to c major by added sharps/flats
- does not define root/tonal centre
Seventh Chords Major Pattern
Imaj7, iim7, iiim7, IVmaj7, V7, vim7, vii07
basic major chord resolutions
V7-I > IV-V-I > V-I > IV-I
basic minor resolutions
increase strength of minor progression resolutions by changing v-i to V-i (harmonic minor) or iv-v-i to IV-V-i (melodic minor)
Inversion Forms
First Inversion: 3rd in the bass
Second Inversion: 5th in the bass
Riffs
- short, repeated phrase
- often vamps on a single implied chord (corresponding to the most important pitches)
- common riff structures: AAAA, ABAB, ABAC, AAAB
Advanced Resolutions
vii0 - I V7b9 - I vii07 - I bII7 - I vii7b5 - I
complementary intervals
- intervals that add up to an octave
- inverting one of the intervals makes that other
e.g. maj 2nd and minor 7th
inverted maj 3rd = minor 6th
parallel harmony
when the harmony part plays the same part as the original but maintaining a specific scale degree separation
Diminished 7th arppegio
1-b3-b5-bb7
each note is seperated by a minor 3rd
no clear root
pulls strongly to the tonic, half a step above
Diminished Scales
Whole-Half = 1 2 b3 4 b5 b6 6 7
(alternate whole then half)
Half-Whole = 1 b2 b3 b5 5 6 b7
(alternate half then whole)
octatonic scales
Whole tone scale
1 2 3 #4 #5 b7
each degree is seperated by a whole step, i.e. each interval is a whole step
hexatonic scale
atonal, no tonal centre
9th Chords
9 = 1 3 5 b7 9 (4 stacked thirds)
maj 9 = 1 3 5 7 9
m9 = 1 b3 5 b7 9
add9 = 1 3 5 9
Extended Chords
9ths (octave + 2)
11ths (octave + 4)
13ths (octave + 6)
Diminished 7th
1-b3-b5-bb7
- each pitch is equidistant apart (3 semitones)
- no definite root
- arpeggio is the same over each pitch (repeats every 3 frets)
- pulls towards chords that have a root a semitone away
Diminished Scales
Whole-half scale: starting with whole tone alternate with semitone
half-whole scale: starting with half-tone, alternate with whole tone
(both are octatonic scales)
whole tone scale
Scale that contains only whole tone intervals
half diminished 7th
1 b3 b5 b7
also called m7b5
hybrid scales
scales formed by combining the pitches of two smaller scales
playing extended chords
- always includes named pitch
- usually drop the 5th
- Generally keep the colour notes (root, 3, 7) others can be dropped
- root can be dropped if in bass line
playing chords with 11ths
- avoid clash of 11th and 3rd by replacing 3rd with 5th/9th
- maj 11th chords generally sound better with #11 to avoid tritone between 7th and 11th
- generally drop 11th when playing dominant or major 13th (to avoid clash with 3rd), alternatively play 13#11
Altered chords
dominant 7th chords with altered 5th/9th
e.g. E7b9, E7#5#9
minor 2nd interval
1 semitone / fret
minor 3rd interval
3 semitones / frets
minor 6th interval
8 semitones / frets
minor 7th interval
10 semitones / frets