Fundamentals of Music Theory: W2

Question 1

circle of fifths: To get the number of sharps in a key. How do you move around?

Answer 1

Clockwise. Always move 5 notes up.

C G D A E B F# C#

Question 2

circle of fifths: To get the number of flats in a key. How do you move around?

Answer 2

Counter-clockwise. Always move 2T and 1ST up.

C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb

Question 3

circle of fifths: How do you which notes are sharp?

Answer 3

Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket

Question 4

circle of fifths: How do you which notes are flats?

Answer 4

It’s the same as the sharps, but in reverse?

Blanket Explodes And Dad Gets Cold Feet

Question 5

MT: what is an accidental?

Answer 5

When you use a sharp or flat note that is not available in a scale.

Question 6

MT: When can you use accidentals?

Answer 6

When it sounds right. Whenever..

Question 7

MT: on a stave, how long is an accidental valid?

Answer 7

As long as the bar.

Question 8

MT: How can you determine the number of flats/sharps of a minor key?

Answer 8

Every minor key is a relative (natural) minor key to a major key. And it has the same sharps/flats.

Question 9

MT: What is the natural minor?

Answer 9

A natural minor has exactly the same sharps/flats as the major is it relative to.

Question 10

MT: Why are there different minor scales?

Answer 10

If we use a natural minor (e.g. Bminor) we could resolve to a B , but also to a D. Both sound right to our ears.

Question 11

MT: What is the seventh note of a scale called?

Answer 11

A leading Note

Question 12

MT: Wat is a harmonic minor scale? Why do we use it?

Answer 12

We raise the leading note (the 7th). When we do this, we have to resolve to the tonic of the minor. Unlike the natural minor, where we could also resolve to the tonic of the major it is relative to.

Question 13

MT: What is the melodic minor scale? Why does it exists?N

Answer 13

Because when we have a harmonic minor scale. There is a big gap between the 6th and the raised 7th. (very hard for singers). So we smooth out this interval and create a melodic minor. Ascending we raise the 6th. But when we come down, our ears care less about the leading tone to tonic interval, because it is not ‘leading’ anymore to the tonic, it is just a seventh now. Therefore we revert the raised 6th and 7th back to the natural minor form.

Question 14

MT: what is unison?

Answer 14

two notes without distance between them.

Question 15

MT: When is an interval called perfect?

Answer 15

when the interval is the same in a major or a minor key.

Question 16

MT: What are the perfect intervals?

Answer 16

4
5
8

Question 17

MT: What are the interval types?

Answer 17

Perfect
Major
Minor
Augmented
Diminished

Question 18

MT: When do we have augmented or diminished intervals?

Answer 18

Take an interval and flatten or raise it. This can be done on any type of interval.

Question 19

MT: Why do we have different clefs?

Answer 19

Because we want to write down notes on different octaves and not use ledger lines all the time.

Question 20

MT: How can you ‘join’ a bass and a treble clef?

Answer 20

Draw a line between the top 5 (treble) and bottom 5 (bass) lines. On this line we can draw an imaginary middle C.