In Western tonal Music, the concept of scale, key, and mode form the structural basis of pitch organisation. In this article, we will explore the difference between these terms and use practical examples to make each concept easy to understand. What is a Scale? A scale is a sequence of musical pitches arranged within one…
Category: Music Theory
Chapter 2: Understanding Enharmonic Scales, Theoretical Keys & the Circle of Fifths
After learning about major scales with sharps and flats, it is time to explore enharmonic scales. Understanding these scales is essential to fully grasp the Circle of Fifths and how all key signatures relate. Enharmonic Scales Now that we have analysed major scales and their key signatures with sharps and flats, let’s talk about enharmonic…
Chapter 1: Understanding Key Signatures in Major Scales and the Circle of Fifths
Key signatures inform the performer about the scale and key in which a piece of music is written. They are a set or series of sharps or flats and they appear at the beginning of a musical staff, right after the time signature. Each key signature defines a specific tonality and indicates which notes stay…
1. What is Music?
What is Music? Ever tapped your foot to a song or hummed a tune stuck in your head? That’s music at work! But what is music, really? It’s more than just noise – it’s sound with a purpose, organized using the elements of music to make is feel something! Defining Music For centuries, people have…
2. How to Write Music – The Staff, Clefs, Note & Rest Values Explained
Music is a universal language that brings rhythm and melody to life. We write music using a system of signs and symbols called musical notation. The staff is the base of musical notation. Bar lines divide the music into smaller sections, making it easier to read. Time Signature show how the beats are grouped and…
3. How to read Music? Treble and Bass Clefs Explained
Ready to Crack the Code of Sheet Music? Let’s Start with Treble and Bass Clefs If you’re beginning to learn how to read music, understanding treble and bass clefs is the first step in building a strong foundation. Before diving into time signatures and measures, which we’ll explore in a later post, this guide will…
4. Keeping Time – Pulse, Tempo, Meter, Measures & Time Signature
Understanding Time Signatures and Measures in Music The time signatures and measures in music are essential for organizing rhythm. They define how beats are grouped and how music flows. In this post, we’ll break down pulse, tempo, measures, and time signatures – everything you need to read and play music with more confidence. Pulse: The…
4.a. Transposing Melodies: Keep Pitch Across Clefs
How to write a melody in different clef without changing the pitch of this melody. Pitch is a fundamental element of sound. It plays a crucial role in music when organized within a musical context, as we discussed in an earlier post. It is a perception of how high or low a note sounds. This perception…
What Are Accidentals in Music?
Accidentals in music are symbols that change the pitch of a note. When you place an accidental before a note on the staff, it either raises or lowers the pitch compared to its natural version. Understanding the 12 Notes in an Octave To understand accidentals better, let’s look at the piano keyboard. An octave on…
5c: Beaming Notes for Clear Rhythm
Beaming Notes in Music: A Guide to Rhythmic Clarity When we talk about beaming notes in music, we’re talking about how to group notes like quavers (eights notes) and semiquaver (sixteenths notes). These notes have flags (or called tails) attached to their stems. When these notes come together in groups, we don’t draw each flag….