Fundamentals of Music Theory - Exam 1 Material

Jan 13 - Feb 12 Material: Articulations,

staccato

play the note short and detached; space between notes

accent

play the note louder, with a special emphasis

sforzando

a sudden, strong accent

tenuto

somehow make that note special, whether it is shorter, softer, stronger, emphasized

fermata

hold thhe note longer than its normal value (approx. twice the normal duration)

marcato

accented legato (connected but emphasized)

legato

smooth, connected

major scale formula

W W H W W W H

ties

curved line that connects two notes of the same pitch, indicating that they should be played as one note.

slurs

legato line that indicates notes should be played smoothly without re-articulation

whole note

4 beats

half note

2 beats

quarter note

1 beat

eighth note

½ beat

sixteenth note

¼ beat

duple

two beats per measure/ or divides the measure into two beats

triple

three beats a measure

whole rest

4 beats rest

half rest

2 beats rest

quarter rest

1 beat rest

eighth rest

½ beat rest

sixteenth rest

¼ beat rest

translating to alto/tenor clef

middle c in the middle of the staff

common time

time signature where each measure has four beats, with a quarter note receiving one beat (4/4)

perfect 5th (P5)

an interval between two notes that are seven half steps apart (only one that doesn’t apply is B to F (which is a diminished 5th))

diminished/flattened 5th (C°)

an interval also called a tritone, consisting of six half steps (or 3 whole)

augmented 5th (C+)

an interval that is made up of eight half steps (or 4 whole stels)

tritone

diminished 5th used interchangeably

enharmonic equivalent

refers to two notes that sound the same but are written differently. (C# and Db)

major 2nd

an interval consisting of two half steps (one whole step)

minor 2nd

an interval consisting one half step

major 3rd

an interval consisting of four halfsteps (two whole steps)

minor 3rd

an interval made up of two notes consisting of three half steps

major chord construction

take the root note, then add a major third interval above it, and finally a perfect fifth interval above the root,

minor chord construction

start with a root note and then add a minor third and a perfect fifth

diminished chord construction

start with your root note, then add a minor third above it, and finally, add a flattened fifth to complete the triad

augmented chord construction

take the root note, then add a major third interval above it, and finally a augmented fifth interval above the root

triad

A chord with three notes that can be set as thirds because their pitches work together

bar line v. double bar line

single vertical line in music that separates measures and tow bar lines placed close together indicate a significant change in the music like the end of a section or a key change

root note

The fundamental pitch that establishes the key, scale, or chord's tonality

key signature pneumonic

sharps: father charles goes down and ends battle (and flipped for flats)

key signature

a set of sharp, flat, or natural symbols that indicate the key of a piece of music

courtesy accidental

are used to remind the musician of the correct pitch if the same note occurs in the following measure.

presto

very fast

allegro

fast

moderato

moderate

andante

slowish but moving along

adagio

slow

grave

extremely slow, somber

assai

enough

ma non troppo

but not too much

fortissimo

very loud - ff

forte

loud - f

mezzo forte

moderately loud - mf

mezzo piano

moderately quiet - mp

piano

quiet - p

pianissimo

very quiet - pp

cresc./crescendo

growing (louder)

dim./diminuendo

diminishing, getting quieter

sforzando

forcing it

chromatic scale

composed of minor seconds w/ 12 pitches

whole tone scale

composed of major second w/ 6 pitches

D.C.

Da Capo

D.S.

Repeat from the sign

Fine

the end

Coda

an added ending

1st (first) ending

A section of music played the first time through a repeated passage. It is usually marked with a bracket and a number "1" above the measure. After playing the first ending, the musician returns to the beginning or a repeat sign.

2nd (second) ending

The alternate ending played after repeating a section of music. Instead of going back to the first ending, the musician skips it and plays the measures under the bracket marked with a number "2," continuing forward in the piece.

perfect fourth (P4)

5 half steps and is made up of four staff positions

tonic

(1st scale degree) – The "home" note of a key

supertonic

(2nd scale degree) – One step above the tonic

mediant

(3rd scale degree) – Midway between the tonic and dominant;

subdominant

(4th scale degree) – One step below the dominant

dominant

(5th scale degree) – The second most important note after the tonic

submediant

(6th scale degree) — Midway between the subdominant and tonic;

leading tone

(7th scale degree in major and harmonic minor scales) – A half step below the tonic; creates tension that resolves to the tonic

compound meter

6,9,12 on top