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General Theory U all probably know
the Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do thing from childhood, or in some cases
C D E F G A B. These
are two ways of saying the same thing, just that some people prefer one
in favour to the other, so :
Do = C
Re = D
Mi = E
Fa = F
Sol = G
La = A
Si
= B
These are the 7 basic notes.
Now if u take these 7 notes and play them consecutively, u got a scale, all common scales have 7 notes, but for the scale to be complete, u must add the note from wich u started in our case "C" at the end, so u'll have:
C D E F G A B C
That's the most common
scale of all and it's called C major.
The chain of notes
beween two same notes, from C to C as u can see above is called an octave.
U may ask then, hey man why C major and not F major, or D major how do u know it's C?
U'll find that out soon enough, first though, u gotta know that there are not just 7 possible notes, there are 12 possible notes........
OOOOOPPPSSS where did that came from???????
Well between these 7 basic notes there are empty spaces, like this:
C _ D _ E F _ G _ A _ B C
Notice that between
E and F, and also, B and C there are no empty spaces, the notes are consective.
The distance between
two consecutive notes is called a half-step ex.( E F, B C ), while
the distance between any other two notes wich are one space apart is called
whole-step or full-step ex. ( C_D, D_E, F_G, G_A, A_B ). So a scale is
basically a chain of step, half-step combinations, u may call it the DNA
of the scale, each scale having it's unique DNA if i may use that term.
If u were wondering, yes
A FULL-STEP IS MADE OUT OF TWO HALF-STEPS,
and don't u ever forget that.
Let's use some shortcuts for these two terms so: half-step will be "HS", and full-step will be "FS".
If u look carefully u'll be able to see/deduce by yourself the shape/DNA of a major scale:
C _ D _ E F_G_A_B C
C _ D what is it HS or FS?, i don't think it's difficult at all, it's a full- step of course, so whenever there's a space between two notes there's a full-step.
E F ? a half-step naturally.
So the shape/DNA for this scale is FS FS HS FS FS FS HS.
Let's put those two one next to the other so that u'll understand better:
C _ D _ E F _
G _ A _ B C
FS
FS HS FS FS FS HS
So that's the DNA for ALL MAJOR SCALES.
U might say now, hey dude if i start on the E, it won't fit the shape, it won't fit the FS FS HS FS FS FS HS pattern. U're right , it won't fit, but u can make it fit if u use some tools, these tools are called alterations.
Huh?
Remember those empty spaces between the notes that make a full-step?, also remeber that i told ya, that there are 12 possible notes?, now it's time to reveal them.
Early i've told u that one full-step is made out of two half-steps, so:
C _ D is a full-step
right
then what is C _ ?............................................................
a half- step, of course
and _ D another half-step
So these two half-steps
( C _ ; _ D ), make the full-step C _ D, it's easy , u just
have 2 know how to count really..................
The same goes for every other possible full-step, no matter where.
So what's this mysterious
" _ " ?
it's a note of course,
but it's shown as a " _ " , because it wasn't place for her in the scale
( i hope she isn't sad )
So let's take that scale again:
C _ D _ E F _ G _ A _ B C
we want to see how many notes exist, so the scale doesn't concern us anymore so we drop the last C because it's just the same note repeating itself, & we need no two notes alike, so we're left with:
C _ D _ E F _ G _ A _ B
Now count the notes and also the " _ " , how many u got ?
Oh my, there are exctly 12 of them.............
Here u go again REPLAY, if u didn't understood:
C _ D
_ E F _ G _ A _ B
1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112
Got it now?
Now let's get back to alterations:
These notes that are represented by " _ " don't have a specic name as C D E....etc, they just borrow the name from theyr neighbours.
So if u wanna call
the note between C and D after the C , u call it C sharp ( written like
this C# ), if u wanna call it after the D u call it D flat ( written like
this Db ) same goes any of the other notes.
Now what do we do
with the E F and B C wich are one half-step apart so they have no other
note between them?
can we sharpen or faltten those to? Shure the only thing
is that a Fb(flat) is the same thing as an E and a E#(sharp) is the same
thing as an F, same with B and C: Cb=B & B#=C.
Another fact about alterations is that they can be double. That means double sharp ( written like this " x ", ex. Cx = D ), or double flat ( written like this " bb ", ex. Dbb = C )
There is also a sign wich erases the alterations that looks like this:
U put it in front of a note & if it was altered before it isn't anymore.
U might ask, why do i need all these alterations stuff for?
Well if u don't use them u'll be stuck to the same 7 notes all ur life instead of 12 ( & that's a big difference ), u won't be able to build but a handfull of chords & scales, so u'll be pretty limited......imagine that u have a really cool sports car & u know how to change gear 1 and 2, the rest is a mystery, & the others pass by u leaving u behind............
U don't want that, so get those alterations going.
One more thing about alterations is that allthough some notes are written diferently on paper, they are exactly the same when u play them..., so Cx same as D & E# same as F & so on...........
So here are the 12 notes revealed:
U can sharp the " _ " , u can flat them, or u can use both flats & sharps ( not recomended, cuz u'll get soooo confused )
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A# B B#
C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B
If u play all the half-step notes consecutively like shown above , or any combination, but consecutively and one half-step apart, it is called that u play them chromatically.
On the other hand ,
if u play only notes that form a scale,that are proper for that scale
ex. C D E F G A B
C, it is called that u play them diatonically.
U can put the flats and sharps as u wish for now, but u'll see later that there are pretty strict rules about using them, wich is not necesarilly a must, but it'll be much easyer to understand & use music if u do it like that.
NOW
IT'S TIME FOR A BRAKE!!!
Go refresh yourself
and stuff.
I'll be waiting right
here, i won't go anywhere...... honest .
Time signatures , Note values, Sheet music:
As u can see, above are all the possible note values.( please excuse graphic quality but it's done in paintbrush :)
Now the values subdvide as follows:
1 whole note = two
2nd notes = four 4th notes = eight 8th notes = sixteen 16th notes &
so on
1 2nd note = two 4th
notes = four 8th notes = eight 16th notes = sixteen 32nd notes & so
on
Time signatures:
The most common is pobably 4/4, let's take that as an example.
What duz 4/4 mean?
Well, the first number counts how many beats per bar are in that composition & the second number shows the note value.
Now if u gonna have a 4/4 , u're going to have 4 beats per measure & the notes will have the value of a 4th. Now if the song calls for it , or u want to make it more interesting u can put in instead of a four two eights or 4 sixteenths or instead of a two fours one 2nd note & so on.
Uneven notes can also be played per beat, these are known as triolets, cvintolets, septuplets?????????? ( am i right ).
In this case, when playing a triolet, in a 4/4 time signature, u gotta play in 3 even notes in the place of a 4th note, that means u gotta play 3 notes between 2 beats, ( 4 example between the tic & tac of the metronome u gotta play 3 EVEN notes ) same with cvintolets and others, just that u gotta play that figure between the 2 beats ( 5 for qvintolets, 7 for septuplets & so on ).
Ok, here's an example for even & uneven notes to clear the fog for ya:
First bar, u got a regular 4/4, secaond bar, the 2nd four is replaced by 4 16th notes ( notice that they are grouped toghether by a double line, the stmbol of the 16th note value ) & finally the 3rd bar , where also that 2nd four is replaced by a cvintolet, u can see the number 5 above it. ( a bar is the space between two of the vertical lines )
So u know the note values, now learn that there are also pauses in music, so u gotta write them down on a piece of paper too right?
So here u go:
U can see each pause
that is designed for wich note.
Also the three simbols
at the bottom, they all work with the 4th type of note.
Hmmmmm, how do u use
them?
Like this!
First bar a 4th with a pause instead of the other 4h, second bar, the 2nd 4th is replaced by two eights, one being replaced by the pause.
If u're interested in time signatures u can find HERE a lesson by Steve Vai himself, but they're not at all pieces of cake like these at my site :) I WARNED YA!!!
Now u know time signatures, & note values ( or u should :P
So let's see how u can read music too...........
Now, u see the WEIRD symbol at the begining of the sheet? that's called thw treble clef, or the G clef, and it's called G clef, because it starts on the G note, see the dot on the 2nd line ? conting from down to up, on that line u got the note of G & all the other lines are the other notes, all u have to do is to calculate wich one they are, it's easy, what follows G? A shure, so the space between the 2nd & 3rd line is A & so on, the full-step, half-step is not shown on the sheet music , u gotta know it, so if u forgot, go back and read again, so good luck in learning the notes.............
ah, ok here u got them, but u gotta lear them right.......
Also there is the bass clef or F clef and, and also the tenor and the alto clef i believe, but i dunno to read music in those , just the treble clef, so if u seek knowledge in that area u won't find it here :(
Time legato:
So here's the catch:
The point at the right
of the note, makes it longer with half it's value, u can see that in the
1st & 2nd examples.
When u got more than
one point, each point makes the note longer with half the value of the
note before it, u got that pictured in the last two examples.
And now to conclude here's two awesome pieces knowledge my old classical teacher gave me:
The 4 steps to play sheet music:
1. Recognizing the
notes
2. Rhytmic reading
3. Finding the notes
on the instrument
4. Choose your fingers
( which u put where )
The 4 properties of the sound:
1. Pitch
2. Value ( how long
it lasts )
3. Intensity ( volume
)
4. Tone
That's it for now :)
