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Music Theory: Notes, Scales, Chords & Rhythm

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The fundamentals of music theory.

musictheory

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Music theory

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  1. 1Music theory
    The study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music, including rudiments, historical perspectives, and processes that define music
  2. 2Pitch in music
    The lowness or highness of a tone, such as the difference between middle C and a higher C
  3. 3What frequency is concert A typically tuned to?
    440 Hz (the A above middle C)
  4. 4Interval in music
    The difference in pitch between two notes
  5. 5Most basic interval
    The unison, which is simply two notes of the same pitch
  6. 6Octave
    An interval where two pitches are either double or half the frequency of one another
  7. 7Pitch class
    A grouping of pitches of the same letter name that occur in different octaves, ignoring the octave difference (e.g., all C's belong to the same pitch class)
  8. 8Semitone
    The interval between adjacent tones in a chromatic scale, also called a half step
  9. 9Chromatic scale
    A scale consisting of twelve pitches within an octave, with each adjacent tone separated by a semitone
  10. 10Major scale
    A seven-toned scale with a specific pattern of whole and half steps, commonly used in Western music
  11. 11Name three types of minor scales.
    Harmonic minor, melodic minor, and natural minor
  12. 12Pentatonic scale
    A five-tone scale commonly used in folk music and blues
  13. 13Octatonic scale
    An eight-tone scale alternating between whole and half steps
  14. 14Key signature
    A symbol at the beginning of a composition that designates the pitches that make up the scale used
  15. 15Transposition
    Moving music from one scale to another, raising or lowering the overall pitch range while preserving intervallic relationships
  16. 16Circle of fifths
    A diagram that conveniently shows the interrelationship of keys most commonly used in Western tonal music
  17. 17Equal temperament
    A tuning system that divides the octave into equal intervals, allowing fixed-pitch instruments to sound acceptable in all keys
  18. 18Consonance in music
    A feeling that an interval or chord is stable, harmonious, or complete
  19. 19Dissonance in music
    A feeling that an interval or chord is incomplete, clashing, or unresolved
  20. 20Which intervals are considered consonant in Western music theory?
    Perfect fourths, fifths, octaves, and all major and minor thirds and sixths
  21. 21Rhythm
    The sequential arrangement of sounds and silences in time
  22. 22Meter in music
    A system that measures music in regular pulse groupings called measures or bars
  23. 23What does a time signature specify?
    How many beats are in a measure and which note value is counted as a single beat
  24. 24Syncopation
    Rhythms that contradict conventional meter by accenting unexpected parts of the beat
  25. 25Polyrhythm
    Playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature at the same time
  26. 26Melody
    A group of sounds in succession forming a tune or arrangement
  27. 27Basic elements of melody
    Pitch, duration, rhythm, and tempo
  28. 28Chord
    Any harmonic set of three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously
  29. 29Triad
    A chord consisting of three distinct notes
  30. 30Four types of triads
    Major, minor, augmented, and diminished triads

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