The study of music theory dates back to ancient Sumeria, where tunings and intervals were studied. The ancient Greeks developed knowledge of rhythm, notation and scales. Music theory is a topic within musicology, the study of music. Music theory pertains to the observation and measurement of sound. Some topics that are studied are rhythm, notes, chord, and pitch. These topics are initially taught in music classes. They are the basis of learning music theory and can be applied to other topics as one continues their study of music theory. These topics also are essential elements in the formation of music.
Rhythm in music is very important to the song itself. Rhythm is what makes music move forward (Miller 55). If one does not …show more content…
keep rhythm when playing an instrument, the song will not sound good. Rhythm can also be called the beat, which is “a pulsation that divides time into equal lengths” (Pilhofer 16). Metronomes are used to stay on tempo, that is, to it ticks to keep equal time. Notes and rests must be in conjunction with the beat to sound good. “A measure (sometimes called a bar) is a segment of written music contained within two vertical lines. Each measure in a piece of music has as many beats as is allowed by the time signature” (Pilhofer 38). Measures help musicians keep track of the beat (Pilhofer 40). A medium that helps musicians keep track of the beat are time signatures, which are at the beginning of the staff there are a pair of numbers, which is one written over the other. As stated:
The pair of numbers is called the time signature… The time signature tells you two things… The number of beats in each measure: The top number in the time signature tells you the number of beats to be counted off in each measure… The bottom number in the time signature tells you which type of note value equals one beat… (Pilhofer 37)
Music can be measured by the frequencies, but notes were developed to name musical pitches.
“The accepted way of naming musical pitches uses the first seven letters of the alphabet—A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. While the numbering method is relative (the number 1 can be assigned to any pitch), the letter method is absolute. This means that A always refers to a specific frequency” (Miller 8). According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory, the vibrations are calculated in cycles per seconds, which is known as the frequency. Musicians usually name this as pitch (Miller 5). In regards to tuning, string instruments are set to a certain pitch. These pitches are tuned to fixed frequencies (Vogl 6). A standard tune, such as the note A has a frequency of 440 Hz, “For example, the note A that we typically tune to in the U.S. has a frequency of 440 Hz and is often referred to as A 440. This means this note A vibrates 440 times per second. The next A we come to is one octave higher and would vibrate twice as fast…” (Vogl …show more content…
6).
Notes are placed on a staff. The staff consists of five lines and four spaces. Each line and space are given letters, from A to G, and stands for a certain note. At the same time, the notes on the staff indicate how long a sound is played. These note values lasts a specific duration that have relation to the rhythm of the song (Miller 58). It is shown by a head, stem, and flag. The note head is ovular shaped and can be bolded out to indicate the note value. The stem is a straight line that protrudes out the head -straight up or straight down, depending on the position of the note on the staff. The flag is a line that sticks out the stem at an angle, the number of flags on the stem indicates the value of the note. Furthermore, a whole note only has one unfilled head. A half note has an unfilled head with a stem. A quarter note has a filled head with a stem and a flag. An eighth note also has a filled head, a stem, and 2 flags. “The most basic note is called the whole note, which is called a whole note because, in 4/4 time, it lasts a whole measure” (Miller 59). Furthermore, “each shorter note [value] is exactly half of the previous value” (59). Therefore, one whole note equals two half notes, one half note equals two quarter notes, one whole note equals four quarter notes, one whole note equals eight quarter notes, et cetera. As to notes, rests are opposite from notes. “In music, when you’re not playing, you’re resting-- so any note you don’t play is called a rest” (Miller 62). Similar to the durations of the note values, rests also have durations. That means, there are whole, half, quarter, eighth (etc) rests in music. What would you call a note that is split in three durations instead of two? A triplet. “The most common division other than two is dividing by three; this is called a triplet” (Miller 64).
One may ask that what makes distinguishes one note from another, that is where intervals play a role:
An Interval is the distance between two notes. We measure intervals by counting the number of letters involved, including the names of the two notes of the interval. In order to know the interval from C to E, count the letter names C, D, and E. Since there are three letters, the interval is a third. From D to A is a fifth, because there are five letter names… (Zeitlin and Goldberger 47)
One may think of a chord as a strum on a guitar or pressing multiple piano notes at the same time. As stated, “The definition of a chord is two or more notes in a certain interval away vertically. To be a tonal harmonic chord, the root and the 3rd are essential” (Honshuku 8). The structure of a piece of music is interpreted by a series of chords. These chords are played at the same time rather than separately. (Miller 111). “When we strike several notes at one time, we are playing a chord. A chord made up of three notes arranged in thirds is called a Triad. This word is easy to remember if you keep in mind that a tricycle has three wheels and a triangle has three corners. Tri, the first part of all these words, comes from a Greek word meaning three” (Zeitlin and Goldberger 53). “If all the notes of a chord are played at one time, it is called a Solid or Block chord. If the notes are played one after another, it is called a Broken Chord or Arpeggio. Triads can be also called chords. According to Pilhofer:
The term triad refers to chords that contain three different pitches and are built of thirds. The bottom note of a triad is called the root… Chords carry the letter name of the root note, as in the root of a C chord… The second note of a triad is the third. The third of a chord is referred to as such because it’s a third interval away from the root of the chord… The third of a chord is especially important in constructing chords, because it’s the quality of the third that determines whether you’re dealing with a major or minor chord… The last note of a triad is the fifth… (Pilhofer 134)
Additionally Miller states:
A major chord consists of a root, a major third, and a perfect fifth... A diminished chord is like a minor chord with a lowered fifth… You build a diminished chord with a root note, a minor third, and a diminished (lowered) fifth… An augmented chord is like a major chord with a raised fifth… The main difference between a major chord and a minor chord is the third. Although a major chords utilizes a major third, a minor chord flattens that interval to create a minor third. The fifth is the same. (Miller 113-115). The value in having basic knowledge of music theory is for people to comprehend the world of music and evaluate what they hear from their perspective. Music can affect the emotions of people. If played a certain way, music can make people feel angry, happy, depressed, confused, et cetera. Understanding music theory is a way to decipher the world of music to understand how certain mixes of rhythm, notes, chords, and tunes affect how people think. For example, Greek philosopher Plato says that music is powerful, therefore dangerous. It can stir people’s emotions up and make them think a certain way, which makes is ideal republic weaker. His method to solve the problem was to censor certain types of music (such as sad music), leaving only music and other art to promote good. (Plato 401c). On the other hand, Plato’s student, Aristotle, says that sad music is good for the audience. Any art that strikes the audience up as terrible or pitiful can cause catharsism, which is an emotional cleansing (Aristotle back cover). In conclusion, with the use and knowledge of pitch, note, chord, and rhythm, one can begin to develop a basic understanding of music.
In a song, pitch is used to distinguish intervals, then notes, and then chords -all in which are in rhythm with each other. As stated, “The more you know about music theory, the better your comprehension of music, and the better you will play and compose (if that’s your cup of tea). It’s like learning to read and write: these skills can help you communicate better. Are they absolutely necessary? No. Are they tremendously helpful? Yes” (Pilhofer 227). Learning music theory is like learning another language, it takes practice and patience, and also contributes to overall inner enrichment and
expression.