View Trail
|
Introduction to Music Theory - Notation and Keys
Music theory concerns the analysis and comprehension of the relationships between the notes that appear in musical compositions. While this quickly becomes a very complex subject, this trail will help you understand the basics. As a student of music, analyzing your favorite compositions will help you gain a better understanding of how the song was constructed and the principles behind it. Applying this knowledge to your songwriting is sure to both improve your instincts and take your work into new directions. This is the first in a series of trails to guide you on your journey of musical discovery. In it, we will learn how to read music notation and how to construct key signatures. |
Links 1-10 of 14 in this trail
- The Staff, Clefs and Notes
The first step in understanding music is learning to read it, and the first part of that process is knowing how to identify notes on the staff. This article introduces the grand staff, common clefs, note names and memorization techniques.
- Do-Re-Mi and Solfège
You may run across literature that uses the solfège notion, which you probably have heard as "Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do". This article describes the relationship of solfège to the notes on the staff.
- Music Intervals
An interval describes the tonal relationship between two notes on the staff. Understanding intervals is the first step towards building chords and melodies.
- Music Intervals Tutor
Once you understand intervals, this site can help you in your identifying them both by sight and by ear. This includes a few tests to help gauge your performance.
- Measures, Time Signatures, Note Duration and Rests
Measures divide a composition into regular sections. The time signature indicates how measures are subdivided into beats. The note duration, indicated by the note symbol, indicates how long a note is to be played. Lastly, a rest tells the musician when not to play-- sometimes the most important aspect of all!
- Accidentals
In addition to the seven natural tones, there are an additional five tones that fall in between certain natural tones. These are identified by the sharp and flat symbols, which are known as accidentals.
- Key Signature
The key signature generally appears as a series of sharps or flats between the clef and time signature. It defines the overall tonality of a piece by specifying its key. The key is determined by what notes are played flat or sharp. Thus, an F in the key of G is always played as F
- The Circle of Fifths
The circle of fifths is a device used to demonstrate how keys are related to one another, and also for constructing key signatures. Eventually, you will know what notes are in a given key by memory. However, understanding how to construct a key signature is an important exercise.
- Key Signature Calculation
This site explains a numerical method for calculating the sharps or flats in a given key signature.
- Key Trainer
An online application to help you identify key signatures by sight.
