Barron's AP Music Theory Chapter 3 - Scales, Keys, and Modes

scale

an ordered collection of pitches in whole- and half-step patterns

etymology of "scale"

latin scalae; stairs, or ladder

chromatic scale

a symmetrical scale with all pitches spaced a half step apart

when writing an ascending chromatic....

use sharps

when writing a descending chromatic....

use flats

major scale pattern

w, w, h, w, w, w, h

tetrachord

Series of four notes having a pattern of whole step, whole step, half step

major tetrachord

having a pattern of whole step, whole step, half step

key

a specific set of pitches based on a pattern of whole and half steps that define tonality

tonality

the principal of organizing a composition around a key note, or tonic

tonic

a key note, not necessarily the key

modality

the category of mode that a key falls into (major, minor, or other)

key signature

shows which pitches are to be sharp or flat consistently throughout the piece, helps determine tonal center

order of sharps

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

order of flats

Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father.

exception to the down-up rule is....

when the sharp would land on a ledger line

the three forms of the minor scale

natural, harmonic, melodic

relative

major and minor scales that have the same pitches/key signature

minor pentachord

All three forms of minor(natural,harmonic,and melodic) begin with the same first five notes

parallel

major and minor keys with different key signatures but the same tonic

harmonic minor

the 7th scale degree is raised both ascending and descending,but leaves the other notes the same as natural minor so that the 7th scale degree once again leads to tonic.

melodic minor

start with the minor pentachord, then raise both the 6th and the 7th scale degrees when the melody is ascending. the descending melodic minor scale reverts back to the natural form.

scalar variance

the use of all three forms of minor in the same piece

the signals of a minor mode

the occurrence of sharps (or naturals) in a flat key

scale degree

each step of the scale, usually use scale degree number, name,and solfege syllable to identify scale members.

scale degree name

tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading tone

scale degree number

1,2,3,4,5,6,7, with a caret above the number

tonic

1, the tone on which the scale is built

supertonic

2, above the tonic

Mediant

3, halfway between tonic and dominant

Subdominant

4, a fifth below the tonic, or the lower dominant

Dominant

5, dominating the tonality. it is a perfect fifth above tonic

Submediant

6, in-between the lower dominant (subdominant) and the tonic

Leading tone

leads upward toward resolution to the tonic

subtonic

the 7th scale degree in natural minor, meaning a whole step below tonic, the term leading tone is not used in natural minor.

the strongest most stable pitch

tonic

active tones

have the most musical energy to resolve

examples of active tones

Fa, La, Ti

most active tone, and what it resolves to

Ti, Do

second most active tone, and what it resolves to

Fa, Mi

third most active tone, and what it resolves to

La, So

fourth most active tone, and what it resolves to

Re, Do

resolution tones

what the most active tones move to

examples of resolution tones

Do, Mi, So

pentatonic scales

scales that has five tones (not including octave)

number of tones in a whole tone scale

7 tones (including octave)

heptatonic scales

scales that have seven tones (not including octave)

how many tones do diminished scales have?

eight tones (not including octave)

composition of a diminished scale

alternating whole and half steps

number of tones in a blues scale

six tones (not including octave)

composition of a blues scale (tone numbers)

1-b3-4-b5-5-b7-1

what are the flatted notes called in a blues scale?

the "blue" ones

mode is a synonym for...

scale

ionian mode identification

major scale

dorian mode identification

the natural minor, with the La raised

phyrigian mode identification

the natural minor, with the Re lowered

lydian mode identification

the major, with the Fa raised

mixolydian mode identification

the major, with the Ti lowered

aeolian mode identification

the natural minor

locrian mode identification

the natural minor, with the Re and So lowered

mnemonic for ordering the modes

I Don't Play Loud Music At Lunch

the two modes identified with the major

lydian, mixolydian

the three modes identified with the minor

phrygian, aeolian, dorian