AP Music Theory Elements of Music: Pitch

IB and AP This class will get you through the material

you will need to accurately analyze a piece of music in the IB Curriculum especially in Form and Harmony

Please take a moment to read the Syllabus and the Course Planner on Moodle

Please find the Sight Singing Exercises on Moodle as well

Please pay your class fee of $45.00 by Friday ONLINE

If you have questions about anything email me at jsaenz@somersetacademy.com

Keyboard and Octave Registers Pitch refers to highness or lowness of a sound Names for the first 7 letters of the alphabet

(ABCDEFG) C- is the note that we will relate to the

keyboard 7 ¼ octaves on a standard keyboard from A-0

to C-8 From any C up to the next C is called an octave All the notes from one C to another are part of

the same octave register

Keyboard

Notation on a Staff A staff is used to indicate the precise pitch

desired Contains 5 lines and 4 spaces Can be indefinitely extended with ledger lines A clef associates certain pitches with the lines

and spaces: G-Clef – Treble F Clef – Bass Clef C-Clef – Alto or Tenor clef (it is movable) A Grand staff is a combination of the Treble and

bass clef

Clef Signs

The Major Scale Scales form the basis of tonal music The major scale is a pattern of half and

whole steps encompassing an octave Half step is the distance from one key to

the next key either black or white Natural half step is between B and C

and E and F Whole steps skip the next key to the

next key white or black

Tetrachords and Accidentals Tetrachords – four note patern of 1 - 1-

½ A Major scale is made up of two

tetrachords with a whole step in the middle

Accidentals – symbols that raises or lowers a note

Accidentals are written to the left of the note and are vocalized after the note

Accidentals

Major Key Signatures Key – the term that is used to identify

the first degree of a scale Key Signature – is a pattern of sharps or

flats that appear at the beginning of a staff and indicates that certain notes are to be raised or lowered consistently Sharps – G, D, A, E B F# C# Flats – F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb

Key Signatures

Other Key Signature Info Order of sharps – FCGDAEB Order of Flats – BEADGCF Enharmonic – Notes that are spelled

differently but sound the same Transposition – to write or play music in

some key other than the original Circle of Fifths – follows the order of

sharps in a clockwise motion around a circle

Circle of Fifths

Minor Scales Natural minor scales – like a major scale

with a lowered, 3rd, 6th, and 7th degree Harmonic Minor scale – thought of as a

major scale with a lowered 3rd and 6th degree

Melodic minor scale – ascending form is like a major scale with a lowered 3rd degree, the descending form is the same as the natural minor scale

Natural Minor Scales

Minor Key Signatures Relative – share the same key signature Parallel – share the same letter name only

We base the minor key signature on the major key signature but take the name of the 6th scale degree

Relatively speaking – C major and A minor share the same key signature

To create harmonic or melodic you must use accidentals

Scale Degree Names All scales have scale degree names 1st – Tonic 2nd – Supertonic 3rd – Mediant 4th – Subdominant 5th – Dominant 6th – Submediant 7th – Subtonic or leading tone – depends

on whether it is raised

Intervals Interval – a measurement of the

distance in pitch between two notes Harmonic Interval – performing the two

notes at the same time Melodic Interval – performing the two

notes successively

Intervals 2 Two parts of an interval name

Numerical name – how far apart they are Unison instead of 1 Octave instead of 8 2nd instead of two 3rd instead of three Interval smaller than an octave are called simple

intervals Intervals larger than an octave are called compound

intervals Modifier – Perfect, Major, Minor, augmented and

mininished

Intervals Modifiers Perfect refers only to the Unison (P1),

Octave (P8), the 4th (P4), and the 5th (P5) Major or Minor refers to the 2nd

(M2,m2), 3rd (M3, m3), 6th (M6,m6), and 7th (M7, m7)

Augmented – a major or perfect interval that is expanded by ½ step

Diminished – a minor or perfect interval that is contracted by ½ step

Natural Interval Chart

Inversions of Intervals Inversion – putting the top note below the

lower note of an interval 2nd becomes a 7th and the reverse 3rd becomes a 6th and the reverse 4th becomes a 5th and the reverse The Modifier changes as well when inverted

Minor becomes Major and vise-versa Augmented becomes diminished and vice-versa Perfect is always perfect

Consonant and Dissonant Consonant – pleasing to the ear – 3rd,

6th, perfect 5th and octave

Dissonant – not pleasing to the ear

Ear Training/ Sight Singing Go to:

www.musictheory.net Begin practicing on Note Identification in all clefs Key signature Identification Major and Minor Interval Identification in all keys with modifiers Practice Sight Singing Exercise 1 on Moodle

Daily Homework Sing & Play on a keyboard anything

discussed or worked on in class. Practice sightsinging from the AP Music

Theory and Choir Resources webpages on the Somerset Academy website under my name.

Always work in your workbook AHEAD of the lessons the class is on so that you have questions when we go over it.