LO1- to know about pitch and intervals


LO1 to know about pitches and intervals

Intervals

Intervals are the distance between two notes, which can be called various different names for how many semitones they are apart (half steps). 

-Major
You can determine whether an interval is major or not by the amount of semitones between the two notes (Semitones are half steps for instance going from a c to a c# is a semitone):
-2 s/t = major 2nd
-4 s/t = major 3rd
-5 s/t = perfect 4th
-7 s/t = perfect 5th
-9 s/t = major 6th
-11 s/t = major 7th
-12 s/t = (perfect) octave

Major Intervals

-Minor

MINOR INTERVALS

1 semitone LESS THAN a major makes it a minor. So the following intervals have 3 semitones (and three letter names), and are therefore are MINOR 3rds.

G-Bb

Minor Intervals

-Perfect

Perfect Intervals
When a perfect interval is raised by a half step, it becomes augmented.
When a perfect interval is lowered by a half step, it becomes diminished.

A 4th interval (ie 4 letter names) is Perfect if it has 5 semitones, as you can see in the list above. A 5th interval (ie 5 letter names) is Perfect if it has 7 semitones. 

-Augmented
1 semitone more than a major makes it Augmented.

So Gb-B, having 5 semitones (and three letter names), is an Augmented 3rd.

-Diminished

As explained above, 1 semitone less than a major makes it a minor. A further semitone less makes it Diminished. 

So G#-Bb, having 2 semitones (and three letter names), is a Diminished 3rd.

Diminished Sevenths
Diminished sevenths are the tonic chord with a minor 3rd on top.

-Simple
Simple intervals are intervals less than an octave. (for instance a major 2nd or a perfect 4th).

-Compound

Compound Intervals
Compound Intervals are intervals which are greater than an octave.

Compound and Simple intervals are however related:

Major 9th / Major 2nd	Major 10th / Major 3rd
Perfect 11th / Perfect 4th	Perfect 12th / Perfect 5th

Each compound interval is related to a simple interval. By subtracting 7 from the compound interval you get the related simple interval. For example 9 - 7 = 2, so a 9th is related to a 2nd.


Pitches
-Degrees of the scale
There are different degrees of the scale which are referred to as:

1. Tonic
2. Supertonic
3. Mediant
4. Subdominant
5. Dominant
6. Submediant
7. Leading Tone

Degrees of the scale.

-Tones
Tones are made up of two semitones, so two half steps ( a whole tone).
A whole tone scale:

The whole tone scale has no leading note and because all tones are the same distance apart, no single tone stands out, the scale creates a blurred, indistinct effect. This effect is especially emphasised by the fact that triads built on such scale tones are augmented. Indeed, one can play all six tones of a whole tone scale simply with two augmented triads whose roots are a major second apart. whole tone scales do not give a strong impression of the tonic or tonality.

-Semitones
Semitones are half steps, going up or down chromatically one step. Two half steps make a tone. for instance a chromatic scales is a scale which goes up in just semitones.
Chromatic scale:

The right hand shows chromaticism upwards and the left hand shows chromaticism downwards.

Advance Note Reading.

Enharmonic note equivalents.

Scales

L04- know about harmony and tonality

L02- know about chords and chord progressions

Types of chords



Major

 



A major Chord is made up of three notes ( triad) the chord is made up of the Root, a major third above that and a perfect fifth above that. A major triad can also be described as a major third interval with a minor interval on top or as a root note, a note 4 semitones higher than the root, and a note 7 semitones higher than the root.

Diminished
 

~Diminished chords are chords which have got smaller by a semitone ( opposite of augmented) . In this example it has gone from an f minor chord to a F diminished chord because of the c Flat, making hte chord smaller by a semitone.

Augmented.

 

An augmented chord is a chord where it has got bigger by a semitone ( where as dimisnhed is where the interval gets smaller b a semitone). In this example it is augment because the semitone has been added to the chord ( the E flat).


Minor 7th

A sevenh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chords root. In this example it is a minor 7th. 

Minor

A minor chord is made up of three notes (triad) where the third is flattened. For example , C,E,G would be the major version but if you flatten the third it becomes minor C,Eb,G.

Dominant Chords.

Dominant chords are chords where the tonic note is the 5th of the scale you are in ( chord 5). so in this example Aminor the Dominant of the chord would be E major.

Chord progressions (standard progressions)
-Diatonic

Diatonic.

Diatonic means musical elements derived from scales and whole tone scales. for example C,Am,F,G7 because they all center around the chord of C.

Chromatic.

 

-Chromatic
C, C#, D, D#,E
Chrommatic means accesding or deccending by a semitone at a time. this is an example of a chomatic chord progression.