Music Theory Lessons Level 1

General

– Black Notes are nothing Special, just 5 more Keys/Pitches 

– Going down the Piano we call Flats (named by the very next right Key with a “b”) 

– Going up the Piano we call Sharps (named by the very next left Key with a “#”)

– Scales have usually 7 Keys that included Pitches define a certain Character

– Tonality is the Type of “Home”

– often Bridges include Diminished or 7 Chords that can resolve easier in several Keys

Minor Scales 

– Different Types of Minor (Natural-Harmonic-Melodic) 

– the first 5 Notes of a Minor Scale are Stable (Rarely Change) 

– 6th and 7th Notes Change the Style

– Natural = Ends with = G# – A#  (both down half step of Major Scale)

– Harmonic = Ends with = G# – B (7th note same as Major Scale. Sounds a bit Middle Eastern Style)

– Melodic = Ends with = A – B (like Major Scale)

Relative (Minor) Scales 

– from Major go down 3 Half-steps to get Relative Minor 

– from Minor go up 3 Half-steps to get Relative Major 

Parallel (Minor) Scales 

– means simply the Minor Version of a Major Scale

– runs same Tracks – means starts and ends on the same Notes as Major Scale (C to C for example)

– lower the 3rd, 6th and 7th Note get Parallel Minor  (E=Eb, A=Ab,B=Bb)

Major Scales with Sharps or Flats

– C Major Scale is the only Scale without Sharps or Flats

– basically we have 12 Major Scales for every Note

– technically we have 15 Major Scales because 

13) C# can also be called Db

14) F# can also be called Gb 

15) B can also be called Cb

Major Scales with Sharps detailed

– F# Major Scale has also the F in the Scale – because of the Rule that every Note-name can only be used once in a Scale – we fix the Note F with an E#

– C# Major Scale has only Sharps in the Scale (7) – again, because of the Rule that every Note-name can only be used once in a Scale – the F is fixed as an E#

Major Scales with Flats Detailed

– starting from F as a neutral Starting point F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Cb – every new Key until C#/Gb introduces a new Flat

– Cb Major Scale has only Flats in the Scale (7)

Cycle of 5ths and 4ths

– run through the Keyboard in 5ths in one giant circle to get all Sharps

– run through the Keyboard in 4ths in one giant circle to get all Flats

Whole Tone Scales

– there are 2 of them

Pentatonic Scales

– playing the 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 of a Major Scale 

– People love this scale because there are no Half-Steps in between (Less mistakes when playing) 

– it´s the same as playing all Black Keys

– has a Cousin – the Blues Scale playing the 1, Min3rd, 4th, Sharp4 or Dim5th, Min7th

What Key we are in?

– listen to what Key it falls when it comes “Home” or to the End of Song

– play the Scale of that Home Note to detect if its more in Major or Minor

Melody

– mostly Notes from within a Scale – but still 1 or 2 Notes can be added from Outside a Scale

– most Melodies start from the Root, the 3rd or the 5th of a Scale

– usually the Melody comes back to Root / the 1 of a Scale

Diatonic Intervals

– the Intervals have names regarding a order and Ambience they make when played in 2 Note Grouping with the Root together (means C with D, C with E or C with F etc)

– the names in Major Scale are: Prime/Root, Maj2nd, Maj3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Maj6th, Maj7th, Perfect Octave

– Diatonic in conjunction with Intervals means “In The Key” – say in C Major Scale all Black Keys are Non-Diatonic

– can be played Harmonically (for Chords) – means Notes together make up a Interval/Melody 

– or Melodic (1 head of time) – means the Notes are played chronologically to make up a Interval/Melody

Minor, Diminished and Augmented Intervals

– the names in Chromatic Scale are: Prime/Root, Min2nd, Maj2nd, Min3rd, Maj3rd, Perfect 4th, Augm4th or Dim5th, Perfect 5th, Augm5th, Dim6th or Min6th, Maj6th, Min7th, Maj7th, Perfect Octave

– when played Gb in a C Major Scale – because Gb is not in the Scale by default it´s called a Dim5th (Gb because you flatten the 5th)

– you can also call it a Augm4th which is the exact Midpoint of a Octave and makes up the Tritone

– same when played G# in a C Major Scale – because G# is not in the Scale by default it´s called a Augm5th (G# because you raise the 5th)

Inverting to add up to a 9

– if you play the C of a Maj3rd a Octave higher (1st Inverse) – you also make up a Min 6th (viceversa a Min3rd inverts to a Maj6th)

– when you invert a Interval it always adds up to a 9 (Augm to Dim, Major to Minor, Perfect 5th to a Perfect 4th and viceversa)

Harmonising

– basically play / move a bunch of other notes in a Scale parallel together – to make a Melody more harmonious, nicer and richer

– for example add the 6th below C which is a E and play E,F,G parallel with C,D,E

– or the 3rd above which happens to be also the 6th below but a Octave higher – C,D,E parallel with E,F,G

– or adding a “Static Note” (doesn’t move) on top or underneath of the Original Melody – for example G plays along with C,D,E

– or by adding Octaves of course

Chords / Triads

– there are 5 Triads in a Scale – Major, Minor, Diminished, Suspended, Augmented

– in Pop Diminished and Augmented are rarely used

– Suspended (kind of “Hanging”) Triad tend to fall down to either a Minor or Major Triad

– Augmented Triad tend to go up to either a Minor or Major Triad

– Diminished (kind of “Friction”) Triad tend to fall anywhere

Inversions

– C,G,E is Root Position (or 1st Position) – E,G,C is 1st Inversion (or 2nd Position) – G,C,E is 2nd Inversion (or 3rd Position)

– Inversions allow you to move smoother between different Chords

Diatonic Triads in a Major Scale and their Inversions

C Major Scale 

I   = Major

II  = Minor

III = Minor

IV = Major

V  = Major

VI  = Minor

VII = Diminished

C Major Scale 1st Inversion

E,G,C (I)

F,A,D (II), 

G,B,E (III)

A,C,F (IV)

B,D,G (V)

C,E,A (VI)

D,F,B (VII

C Major Scale 2nd Inversion

G,C,E (I)

A,D,F (II)

B,E,G (III)

C,F,A (IV)

D,G,B (V)

E,A,C (VI)

F,B,D (VII)

Diatonic Triads in a Minor Scale and their Inversions

– the lowered 3rd, 6th and 7th are Diatonic Triads as we usually find in a Minor Scale  (E=Eb, A=Ab,B=Bb)

C Minor Harmonic Scale 

I (C) = Minor,

II (D) = Diminished

III (Flat 3 E=Eb) = Major

IV (F) = Minor

V (G) = Major or Minor (classically speaking more Major but in Dance more Minor 5 Chord)

VI (Flat6 A=Ab) = Major

VII (Flat7 B=Bb) = Minor

– in a Harmonic Minor the 5th is automatically a Major Triad (B instead of Bb)

C Minor Scale 1st Inversion

Eb,G,C (I)

F,Ab,D (II)

G,Bb,Eb (III)

Ab,C,F (IV)

Bb,D,G (V) in Dance Music or B,D,G in Classical

C,Eb,Ab (VI)

D,F,Bb (VII)

C Minor Scale 2nd Inversion

G,C,Eb, (I)

Ab,D,F, (II)

Bb,Eb,G, (III)

C,F,Ab, (IV)

D,G,Bb, (V) in Dance Music or B,D,G in Classical

Eb,Ab,C, (VI)

F,Bb,D, (VII)

Chords Harmonic Progression & Deceptive Cadence

– Cadence = A Harmonic Progression of 2 or 3 Chords that come to an obvious Conclusion – usually landing on the I Chord (I -V – I)

– Deceptive Cadence = if you go somewhere else than a expected (I -V – VI – I)

– VI (6) is a very nice place to go in Major (its the Relative Chord) – Cmaj to A Minor

– most used Progressions in Major are I, IV, V, VI, followed by II and III, rarely used is VII, 

– V Chord is often Suspended in Pop – play I – VI – V Susp – then anywhere or V Normal or IV – I

– for any Key there are over 50 Chord Possibilities that Support that Note – means beneath all C Chords (Min, Augm, Susp etc) a Am, F, G# or even Dm (cause available in a CMaj Scale) etc. support the Key C

– I – VI – II -V – I is also a very often used Progression

Intro to 7th Chords & Diatonic 7th Chords

– where as a classic 3 Note Chord is “clean” 

– when we add a fourth Note we double the Content of Harmonic Information hitting our Brain in Terms of Relationship and the Chord itself

– basically you add the 7th Note of a specific Scale up from the Root

C Major 7th Scale 

I   = Major 7th

II  = Minor 7th

III = Minor 7th

IV = Major 7th

V  = Major Dom7th, (only one of its Kind)

VI  = Minor 7th

VII = Diminished Min7th/b5 (or Half Diminished Chord)