M Theory Basics Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is Relative Notation?
The manner of notation that refers to notes in a song in terms of their SCALE POSITION instead of their actual note names.
Why is Relative Notation Smarter than using note names?
For 2 reasons:
1: The note name doesn’t mean anything unless it is given in context with the scale.
2: The particular scale itself doesn’t matter much, because any song can pretty much sound the same in another major scale that use different notes.
What do you call the notes of Relative Notation?
“Scale Degrees”
What are “Scale Degrees”
notes being referred to by their position in the scale, the notes of Relative Notation.
What is one of the most useful things about Relative Notation?
It allows you to compare melodies and chords of two songs regardless of scale, allows us to compare apples to apples.
How to differentiate between I for chords and I for scale degrees…?
Italics = chords
What qualifies a chord as an I chord?
Includes I, iii, and V in any arrangement, as long as I is always the lowest note, then it is an I chord.
What causes the difference in sound between Major and minor chords?
The relative spacing between the notes of the chord. In major chord, there are 4 half steps, then 3 half steps. in minor chord, there are 3 half steps, then 4 half steps.
Is the 7th chord major or minor?
Neither, it is diminished. So there are three major, three minor, and one diminished chord in the major scale.
What is a “cadence”?
The transition & closure of a chord progression that sets up a smooth transition back to the I chord.
What is a “cadence chord”?
The chords that used to set up the cadence. (Typically IV or V).
What gives a song its rhythmic framework?
The beat is the meter!
What is the basic rhythmic unit of a song?
A measure.
You can feel the beginning of each measure because it lands on a pronounced “1” count feel.
Where is the emphasis in simple meter with a four-beat feel?
On the 1 and 3.
1 is stronger.
2 and 4 are weak.
What is compound meter?
When each measure has two different types of subdivisions. (ex: 2 primary beats, but each is further subdivided into 3 so each measure has a total of 6 beats.
Because each measure has two different types of subdivisions (two beats then three beats), this type of meter is referred to as compound meter (as opposed to simple meter).
With 6 beats per measure in compound meter, what is strong and what is weak?
With six beats per measure, beats 1 and 4 are strong, where as beats 2, 3, 5, and 6 are weak.
