Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Key Signature Chart


Section 1 -- here is a list of all the key signatures in both tremble and bass clef.  As we discovered in class, minor scales have a flatted third, sixth and seventh meaning that those key signatures may require additional sharps or flats.  It also means that every major key has a corresponding minor key with the same key signature -- what we call the relative minor.

For the moment, though, you only need to concern yourselves with major keys in the treble clef.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Bransle - Part 2

You try the reverse here. Play the top part of the Bransle against this second part

Bransle - First Part

Here is a recording of the top part of Bransle. Try playing the second part along with it.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

D Major Scale

Diatonic major scale in D on the piano

C major scale

Diatonic major scale in C on the piano

More About Major Diatonic Scales

C Major Diatonic Scale (including octave)

As discussed in class, all major diatonic scales have the same relationship of whole steps and half steps.  A half step is the distance between any two ascending and descending notes.  On a keyboard that could be any key, white or black.  Whole steps are two consecutive half steps.  Many of the white keys on the piano are a whole step apart -- in other words they are separated by a black key.  E & F and B & C are not.  Therefore, we say that they are a half step apart.

In order to play the C major diatonic scale (all white keys on the piano) we follow a pattern of whole step-whole step-half step-whole step-whole step-whole step-half-step.   You can try this on the key board posted below and observe it on the video posted above.

When transposing the C scale into a different key that starts on a different home note, the pattern of whole and half steps is the same.  Look at the video of the D scale above.  You can see that to maintain the pattern of whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half, it is necessary to play and F# and a C# instead of F and C.

Section One's assignment for Wednesday, 1/21 is to figure out how to construct a diatonic major scale is F, G and one other key of your own choosing (not C or D) and write them down using notation on staff paper indicating the correct accidentals. 

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Online Keyboard Link

Here is a link to an online keyboard that works.  This will help you with various assignments involving pitch and transposition including the section one (Professor Lawton) assignment due January 21 (week 3).

Click keyboard

Those of you who have access to a piano or other keyboard are encouraged to use them as well.  Remember, it's music -- if it sounds right, it probably is right.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Link to Compound Meter Site

Here's a link to an interactive website that will illustrate the principles of simple and compound meter.  It is part of Professor Weidema's lecture this week, but my students may find it interesting as well.

Click here

Monday, January 12, 2009

Track 11 - "Mary Had A Little Lamb" rock

Here's a third version to play along with. How would you characterize the differences in the three versions?

This version corresponds to track 11 on your CD. Again this is posted for temporary practice purposes only. DO NOT DOWNLOAD.

Track 10 - "Mary Had A Little Lamb" reggae

This track is of the same song in the same key with a different rhythmic flavor. It corresponds with Track 10 in your CD.

Again, for temporary practice purposes only. DO NOT DOWNLOAD.

Track 9 - "Mary Had A Little Lamb" bluegrass

This track corresponds with #9 on your CD and page 6 of your textbook.

This track is for temporary practice purposes only. DO NOT DOWNLOAD.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Staff Paper Link

For a link to a site with free staff paper downloads click here

Music 160 W/S 2 - samples 4-6


Music 160 W/S 2 - samples 1-3


This audio sample and the one above it correspond to homework worksheet #2

Music 160 W/S 1 - samples 5-8


Music 160 W/S 1 - samples 1-4


This audio sample and the one above it correspond to homework worksheet #1

Rest equivalent chart


These are the rests used in music as placeholders when musicians are expected to be silent.  The above symbols are equivalent to the corresponding notes.  In other words, they have the same durational value.

Music Note Tree


The above note tree shows the relative notational values of whole notes (1) half notes (2) quarter notes (3) eighths (4) and sixteenths (5).  Notice that a half note is half the value of the whole note, that a quarter is a quarter of the value of a whole note and half the value of a half note...and so on.