EPISODE 02

THEORY BASICS PT. 1- MELODY AND HARMONY

HOSTS-Jeremy Burns

GENRE-Music Theory

DURATION- 9:00

BUMPER MUSIC- "String Quartet in Modes- Dorian" (Matthew Scott Phillips) 

ANNOUNCER- Mike Cunliffe

LISTEN

DESCRIPTION

This, our first theory podcast, is elementary but crucial. In this episode, part 1 of a 2 part series, we will have a brief discussion on melody and harmony. We will also touch on scales, intervals and triads. In part 2, we will cover rhythm.

KEY WORDS

MELODY- A succession or arrangement of notes forming a distinctive sequence or theme, often repeated or revisited through out the piece. This is the horizontal aspect of music.
SCALE- A pattern of notes, arranged in whole steps and half steps, that span an octave.
TONIC- The root or foundation of a key or scale. This is scale degree 1. The ultimate directional goal of harmony.
HARMONY- Occurs when two or more notes occupy the same space in time. This is the vertical aspect of music.
INTERVAL- The difference in pitch between two notes.
TRIAD- A basic three note harmony consisting of the root, the 3rd and the 5th of the scale. There are 4 main types of triads: major, minor, augmented and diminished.
CHORD- Any combination of three or more notes that occupy the same space in time.

EXAMPLES

MELODY

THE C MAJOR SCALE (KEYBOARD)

Below, we can see the notes of the C major scale on the standard keyboard.

THE C MAJOR SCALE (NOTATION)

Below, we can see the notes of the C major scale writen in standard notation.
On top of the staff, see where we have applied numbers to the scale degrees (C=1, D=2, E=3, etc..).

LET'S WRITE A MELODY

Here is a simple melody we came up with.
Again, we will show the scale degree letters (on the bottom) and the scale degrees (on the top).

HARMONY

C MAJOR SCALE + A HARMONY A 3rd ABOVE

Here is the same C major scale with an added harmony of a 3rd. Notice the collection of pitches that follow above the scale, in parallel motion, as it rises and falls again. These two melodies, together, create a HARMONY. In this case, the harmony is that of a THIRD.          

HARMONIC ELEMENTS

An INTERVAL, the distance between two notes, is the most basic harmonic element. Add a thrid note, and you have a CHORD. The examples, "INTERVAL", in measure 1 and "CHORD" in measure 2 are both played in "block form" (all the notes simultaneously).The ARPEGGIO, seen in measure 3, is when a chord is played out with all the notes in succession (on after another).
             

MELODY+ A HARMONY A 3rd ABOVE

Here is our melody with a harmony based on the interval of a 3rd. Again, notice how these melodies move together. These two melodies, together, create a HARMONY. In this case, the harmony is mainly based on the interval of a THIRD, although there are a few FOURTHS in measure 2.          

MELODY WITH BASIC CHORDS

Listen to how this melody sounds when accompanied by the chords C major and G major.

MELODY WITH DIFFERENT CHORDS

Now listen to how this melody sounds accompanied by the chords C major, E minor, G major and A minor.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

-Most of our discussions, at this stage, will be based on tonal, or Western European, music. These concepts are based on Jean-Philippe Rameau's "Treatise on Harmony", published in 1722.

-Try to sing along to the notes and melodies you play while you're doing these exercises.

-Know all the notes by name, of course. But when learning and playing scales, start thinking about them as numbers or scale degrees.

-Try to create your own melody. Sing it out in scale degrees and in solfège. Play it on your instrument and notate it on stave paper.

-Take that melody and put chords to it. Then, find alternate chords that fit the same melody.