Eastern Kentucky University Department of Music EASTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY Serving Kentuckians Since 1906 Music Theory Study Guide for Prospective Music Students Compiled by Dr. Richard Byrd TO THE PROSPECTIVE MUSIC STUDENT: We are excited to know that you are considering Eastern Kentucky University as your choice for musical training. While preparing to enter your particular field of interest in music, whether it be in teaching, performing, composition, arranging, administration, business, instrument design, instrument repair, therapy, or in any other music-related area, every music student should have a basic understanding of music theory. With that in mind, we believe that it is to your advantage to prepare yourself before you begin your college studies. Before you begin your musical studies at EKU, you will need to take a theory diagnostic exam to help determine your placement in the theory program. The EKU music theory and composition program is one of excellence. The music theory and composition faculty are nationally recognized educators, composers, and performers. Many of our students have participlated in national conferences and composition symposiums. After completing an undergraduate music degree, many of our students attain graduate degrees at prestigious colleges and universities, while others serve as music educators, work in the music industry, and perform professionally. The Bachelor of Music Theory and Composition degree (B.M.) is designed to prepare students for career in teaching at the college and university level. This degree also prepares students to successfully enter a graduate program in music theory or composition. At EKU students will be exposed to a wide variety of compositional styles, and will have the opportunity to compose music for a variety of instrumental and vocal combinations. Advanced study on piano is an asset. Students are requried to declare a major instrument for additional applied study. Music theory and composition majors are required to give an additional recital of their original compositions as well as a theory paper presentation. EKU currently uses the Kostka and Payne theory text and workbook, Tonal Harmony, and the Berkowitz musicianship text, A New Approach to Sight Singing, for their four-semester sequence of music theory courses. Our music theory and composition faculty have diverse backgrounds in music theory and composition. They have written articles for professional journals, made presentations at professional conferences, composed music for various organizations, and had several works published. Additionally, each member of our music theory and composition faculty has an extensive background in performance and performs professionally. EKU Music Theory Facutly: Dr. Thomas Couvillon, Ph.D. E-mail: [email protected] Web page: Thomas Couvillon Dr. Richard Byrd, Ph.D. E-mail: [email protected] Web page: Richard Byrd Dr. Kristen Kean, DMA, flute E-mail: [email protected] Web page: Kristen Kean Dr. Nathan Jasinski, DMA, cello E-mail: [email protected] Web page: Nathanael Jasinski About our Music Department: The EKU Department of Music provides aspiring students with the training and education they need to succeed as professionals in the field of music. Students learn the historical, stylistic, and theoretical fundamentals of music and apply this knowledge through performance and scholarship. EKU music students have the unique opportunity to perform with award winning ensembles that are regularly invited to perform at national and international festivals and competitions. EKU music students study with nationally recognized, award winning faculty, guest artists, and clinicians. The degree programs offered by the EKU Department of Music are accredited by The National Association of Schools of Music, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Our music program offers several undergraduate degree options including the Bachelor of Music in Music Education, Bachelor of Music with an Emphasis in Music Industry, Music Performance, and Music Theory and Composition. In addition to preparing students for careers in music, the discipline acquired in meeting the demands of musical performance may also serve as an excellent background for persons desiring to pursue careers in other fields. The Department also offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Performing Arts to prepare students for a career in musical theatre. This degree program is jointly administered by the Department of Music and the Department of English and Theatre. The Department offers a music minor consisting of piano, music theory, music theory, music history, and electives. Other degree options including current curriculum guidelines are also available upon request. The music program also offers graduate degree options in Performance, Choral Conducting, Theory/Composition, Music Education, and Instrumental Conducting. All applicants must be accepted by the Graduate School and the EKU Department of Music. All MM candidates must register for the Music Theory Entrance Exam. Applicants need to contact Dr. Thomas Couvillon to schedule this exam and are also encouraged to download the Study Guide for the EKU Graduate Entrance Theory Examination. Please feel free to contact our Music Department at EKU to answer any questions you may have about our music programs. We invite you to visit our web site at www.music.eku.edu to acquaint yourself with our university, music programs, and faculty. How to use this study guide: This guide is designed to be a self-help tutorial to help prepare the prospective music student for their first semester of theory at EKU. Through diligent study and careful practicing of the materials in this guide you will have a solid foundation upon which you can strengthen your music skills in your desired music program. Please study each lesson thoroughly before proceeding to the study questions. All of the answers to the questions are provided in the back so that you can check your answers. Be sure not to neglect the important lesson on ear training and sight singing. If you have questions about the material or if you do not understand the material in any the lessons, please refer to the selected bibliography in the back of this study guide. The titles listed in this bibliography are excellent resources to help you further understand the concepts and principles taught in this study guide. Many of these sources are texts that are currently being used by many college and university music theory programs. Lesson One: Musical Symbols Staff—a set of five parallel horizontal lines and four intervening spaces that each represents a musical pitch. Grand staff—the combination of the treble and bass clefs joined together by a brace. Middle C—the name given to the pitch C which is near the middle of the piano keyboard. Bar line—a symbol used to organize music into groupings or patterns. Double bar line—a symbol used to mark the end of a composition or the end of a major section of a composition. Ledger lines—short lines equidistant from each other used to extend the staff above or below the written staff. Clef—indicates where the pitch letter names are placed on the staff. Treble clef—also called the G clef, it designates the pitch g with a lower loop. Bass clef—also called the F clef, it designates the pitch f with two dots. Alto clef—a specific kind of C clef, it designates the Middle C pitch with an indention. Tenor clef—a specific kind of C clef, it designates the Middle C pitch with an indention. (Middle C is circled on each of the scales above.) Accidentals—chromatic alterations placed directly before the affected note and on the same line or space as the note head (flat, sharp, double flat, double sharp, double flat, natural). Note: It is important to make sure that you carefully notate each accidental so that the middle of each accidental is centered on either the line or the space that it is marking. Lesson One: Musical Symbols Practice Questions 1) Write one of each of the four clefs (treble, bass, alto, tenor) on the staff below. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2) Write one of each accidental (flat, sharp, double flat, double sharp, natural) on the staff below. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3) Identify the following pitches in various clefs by placing the correct pitch letter name below each pitch. 4) Notate the requested pitches in the various clefs on the staff below. Lesson Two: Key Signatures & Scale Degree Names Key signature—accidentals written at the beginning of a composition (which can be changed throughout the work) used to designate the key or tonality of a work. The order of flats is always: Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb The order of sharps is always: F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B# v Circle of fifths—a diagram that illustrates the order of keys from the least to the greatest number of sharps (clockwise), and the least to the greatest number of flats (counterclockwise) Note: It is best to just memorize both the major and minor key signatures! There are just 15 major keys and 15 minor keys to learn for a total of 30 keys. While there are all sorts of clever methods to use to figure out the keys, it is in your best interest to have all the keys memorized without using aids to “figure out the keys.” For example, when you see a key signature of 4 sharps, 2 keys should IMMEDIATELY pop into your head—E major and c# minor. Using tricks and other clever methods will ultimately slow you down and potentially increase the possiblity for error for more complicated theory problems. Note: The flats and sharps appear in the same order and pattern for key signatures written in both the alto and tenor clefs). Relative Keys—the pair of major and minor keys that share the same key signature (e.g., G major and e minor both share the same key signature of 1 sharp). Parallel Keys—the pair of major and minor keys that share the same tonic note (e.g., C major and c minor both share the same c tonic pitch). Enharmonic Keys—the pair of major keys or pair of minor keys that share the same tonic note in sound, but are written with a different key signature. (e.g., C# major and Db major both share the same tonic note in sound, but are written as 7 sharps and 5 flats respectively). Scale degree names—the traditional names given to the pitches of a scale as represented by their order. 1st scale degree—tonic 2nd scale degree—supertonic 3rd scale degree—mediant 4th scale degree—subdominant 5th scale degree—dominant 6th scale degree—submediant 7th scale degree—leading tone or subtonic (The term leading tone is used for a raised 7th and the term subtonic is used for a lowered 7th) Lesson Two: Key Signatures & Scale Degree Names Practice Questions 1) List the correct order of flats: _________________________________________ 2) List the correct order of sharps: ________________________________________ 3) What is the relative key of f minor? __________ 4) What is the relative key of B major? __________ 5) What is the parallel key of c# minor? __________ 6) What is the parallel key of Eb major? __________ 7) What is the enharmonic key of B major? __________ 8) What is the enharmonic key of F# major? __________ 9) Name the following keys with both a major and minor key for each key signature: 10) Write the key signature for the requested keys: 11) Name all 7 scale degrees in order: 1 ______ 2 _______ 3 _______ 4 _______ 5 _______ 6 ________ 7 ________ Lesson Three: Major and Minor Scales Half step—the shortest interval traditionally used in Western music, represented by two adjacent keys on the piano (e.g., B—C, D—Eb, F—F#, etc.). Whole step—the combination of two half steps (e.g., G—A, B—C#, D—E, G#—A#). Major scale—a series of seven consecutive letter-name pitches found diatonically in its major key with a pattern of whole steps and half steps as follows: W W H W W W H. Natural minor scale—a series of seven consecutive letter-name pitches found diatonically in its minor key with a pattern of whole steps and half steps as follows: W H W W H W W. Harmonic minor scale—a natural minor scale with the seventh scale degree raised one half step. Note that this scale creates the interval of an augmented 2nd between the 6th & 7th scale degrees. Melodic minor scale—a natural minor scale with the sixth and seventh scale degrees raised one half step in the ascending part of the scale, and a return (or re-lowering of the sixth and seventh scale degrees one half step) of the natural minor scale in the descending part of the scale.