AQA GCSE Music: Harmony and Tonality

Tonal

Music arranged wherein all the tones and semitones used relate to a tonic.

Major

Music based on a major scale, where the tones (T) and semitones (S) come in this order TTSTTTS

Minor

Music based on a minor scale. In a melodic minor scale, the order is T-S-T-T-T-T-S going up, and T-T-S-T-T-S-T coming down.

Modal

Music based on one of the scales of seven pitch classes commonly found in western music, but excluding the major and minor scales.

Modulation to the Dominant (what, give bog standard basic key example)

Where the music changes to the key of the 5th note of the scale (e.g., in the key of C major, it would go to G major).

Modulation to the Subdominant

Where the music changes to the key of the 4th note of the scale (e.g., in the key of C major, it would go to F major).

Modulation to the Relative Major/Minor (include examples)

Where the music changes to the key that shares the same key signature (e.g., C major to A minor, or G minor to Bb major).

Atonal

Music that is unrelated to a tonic note and therefore has no sense of key.

Diatonic

Music written using the major and minor keys; a major or minor scale, or the notes from such a scale. (Using the notes of the prevailing key, usually major or minor)

Chromatic

Where notes in the scale of the prevailing key are altered (e.g., G sharp in the scale of C major).

Consonant

Sounds which fit well together (though the range of these chords or combinations of sound is not fixed).

Dissonant

Sounds which clash when played together.

Pedal

A sustained or repeated note, usually but not necessarily in the bass, sounding against changing harmonies. ( Sustained or repeated note played whilst harmonies change, usually in the bass)

Drone

A continuous, sustained sound. (Sustained or repeated note, often with another note, whilst harmonies do not change)

Cadence

A cadence is formed by 2 chords that come at the end of a musical phrase. Cadences are like “musical punctuation”, like full stops or commas.

Perfect Cadence

Chord V-I (dominant-tonic), like a musical full stop.

Plagal Cadence

Chord IV-I, like a weaker musical full stop, “amen” cadence, used at the end of hymns

Imperfect Cadence

Typically Chord I,II, or IV - Chord V (always ends on dominant chord V), acts like a musical comma

Interrupted Cadence

Chord I-VI, often called the “surprise cadence”, acts like a musical comma

What’s so special about Chord VI?

In a major key it’s a minor chord and in a minor key it’s a major chord!

Tierce de Picardie

When the final chord of a piece or movement in a minor key is a tonic major chord instead of the expected minor chord.

C minor example of Tierce de Picardie

If a piece or movement is in C minor, the last chord, unexpectedly would be C major.

Key Signature

Sharps/flats at the start of the stave that indicate what key a piece is in.

Relative minor

A minor key with the same key signature as a major key.

Modes

Ancient Scales, sound like a mixture of major and minor, there’s a tone between the 7th and 8th notes of these scales. Not major/minor

Modulation

When the music changes key.

How to work out a relative minor from a major key:

they are always a 3rd lower than their relative major, so transpose the tonic of the relative major a 3rd lower to get the relative minor.

C Major

G Major

D Major

A Major

E Major

F Major

Bb Major

Eb Major

Ab Major

Rule for Sharp Keys

Look at the last sharp and go up one

Rule for Flat Keys

Look at the 2nd to last flat - that's the key

Rule for Relative Minor

Go down 3 semitones

Accidental for minor scales

Sharpen the 7th note

Tonic

1st note of a scale

Supertonic

2nd note of a scale

Mediant

3rd note of a scale

Subdominant

4th note of a scale

Dominant

5th note of a scale

Submediant

6th note of a scale

Leading note

7th note of a scale

Octave

8th note of a scale

Interval of a 2nd

Distance between note 1 and note 2 of a scale

Interval of a 3rd

Distance between note 1 and note 3 of a scale

Interval of a 4th

Distance between note 1 and note 4 of a scale

Interval of a 5th

Distance between note 1 and note 5 of a scale

Interval of a 6th

Distance between note 1 and note 6 of a scale

Interval of a 7th

Distance between note 1 and note 7 of a scale

Interval of an octave

Distance between note 1 and note 8 of a scale

What harmony involves

Combining more than one note

Two factors to consider when combining multiple notes to make a pleasant sound

Chords and keys

Three of many different types of compositions a chord sequence can be the starting point for

Song, instrumental piece or film track

Two things a chord sequence can evoke

A particular mood or atmosphere

Semitone

smallest interval between 2 notes; a half step

Chromatic Scale

When semitones are played one after another in order, up and down

Number of semitones between root and third in a minor triad

3

What augmented and diminished chords sound more than major and minor triads

Unstable (augmented: eerie sinister moods)

Order for Sharps (very important!)

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

Order for flats

Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father

What diminished and augmented chords add can be used to add to your music

Harmonic interest and tension

Augmented triad

Major triad with the fifth moved up by a semitone

Notation for augmented triad with root R

R aug

Three ways an augmented chord can be used:

As a 'stepping note' between other chords, a substitute for chord V and to add a sense of ambiguity or unpredictability

Root

note that is the basis for a chord, regardless of its inversion(root position is the strongest position and most common for a chord, 2nd and 3rd inversions of a chord are less used)

Inversion

Chord with notes rearranged so that a different note is in the bass

Purpose of inversion

Makes a chord sequence easier to play and can give a smoother bass line which can be more pleasant to listen to

What you do to a minor scale to make it melodic minor when ascending

Sharpen 6th

What you do to a minor scale to make it melodic minor when descending

No sharp 7th like in harmonic, so effectively flatten it

Accidentals

An accidental is a symbol in music notation that raises or lowers a natural noteby one or two half steps.

Dorian mode

Flattened third and seventh compared to major scale starting on the same root

Phrygian mode

Flattened 2nd compared to natural minor scales beginning on the same roo

Aeolian mode

Same as the natural minor with the same root! (e.g A minor)

What the tone interval between 7th and 8th notes in a mode gives the music

A distinctive character which you should listen for

Mode

Very distinctive ancient scale, each with a different structure of tones and semitones, unlike major and minor scales - though they sometimes sound like a mixture of the two

Tonal Centre

Specific note around which a piece of music is organized

What you need in the new key when you modulate

A perfect cadence

Notes when adding seventh to the dominant in key of C. This is great to use in compositions

G, B, D and F

Notes in a dominant seventh chord

Root, third, fifth and minor seventh

Pretty much all (except maybe atonal) pieces of music are based on:

A scale!

Chromatic writing

When other notes as well as notes belonging to a prevailing key or scale are used