WHAT IS MUSIC THEORY?
Music theory is a practice musicians use to understand and convey the language of music.
Music theory explores the foundations of music. It also provides a system to interpret
musical compositions.
For example, basic music theory defines the elements that make up harmony, melody and
rhythm. It identifies compositional elements such as song form, tempo, notes, chords, keys,
intervals, scales, and more. It also recognizes musical qualities such as pitch, tone, timbre,
texture, dynamics and others.
HOW DO YOU LEARN MUSIC THEORY?
Music theory is a complex and extensive subject. There are different practices, disciplines
and concepts.
It is best to learn the basics of music first before exploring advanced music theory. The
building blocks that make up musical compositions include:
Harmony
Melody
Rhythm
Understanding these three core elements will help you learn basic music theory.
WHAT IS HARMONY IN MUSIC?
Harmony is when several notes or voices play at the same time to produce a new sound.
The combined sounds in harmonies complement each other and sound pleasant.
Chords and chord progressions are examples of harmony. A chord has three or more notes
playing simultaneously. The chords and chord progressions in a piece of music support or
complement the melody.
Combining vocals also creates harmony. The combined voices of a choir are a perfect
example of this. The multiple voices that make up a choir merge into a harmonious sound.
However, not all harmonies are pleasing to our ear. There are two main types of harmony:
dissonance and consonant.
Dissonant harmony adds notes that do not sound pleasant when played together. The result
adds tension and makes the chord unstable. This tension is released by resolving into
consonant chords. Examples of dissonant intervals are seconds, sevenths, and ninths.
Consonant harmony sounds stable and pleasant. All notes in a consonant chord have
intervals that play nicely together. Constant chords also transition smoothly with each other
in a progression. Examples of consonant intervals are unison, thirds, fifths, and octaves.
Musicians combine consonant and dissonant harmonies to make the music more exciting
and intriguing.
WHAT IS MELODY IN MUSIC?
Melody is a sequence of notes or voices arranged in a musical phrase. The melody of a
song is often the most memorable and recognizable part.
Melodies can be created with instruments or vocals. They have two or more notes in an
order that sounds musically pleasing. Most compositions consist of multiple melodies that
repeat themselves.
The two main elements of a melody are pitch and rhythm:
Pitch is the sound vibration produced by an instrument or voice. It's how high or low a note
will sound. Arranging these pitches in a series creates a melody.
Rhythm or duration is the length that each pitch will sound. These durations are divided into
time divisions such as whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, triplets, etc.
Melodies also have two types of melodic movement: conjunct or disjunct.
Conjunctive movement is when notes move in whole or half steps. Conjunct is also the most
natural and comfortable way to play and sing. There are shorter jumps between notes.
Disjoint movement has larger jumps between notes. Large interval jumps between notes can
make the melody difficult to play or sing. Disjoint movement is also less memorable and
sounds smooth.
Musicians combine conjunct and disjoint movement to give melodies more variety and
interest.
WHAT IS RHYTHM IN MUSIC?
Rhythm is an essential element of music with more than one meaning. For instance:
Rhythm is a recurring movement of notes and rests (silences) in time. It is the human
perception of time.
Rhythm also describes a pattern of strong and weak notes or voices that are repeated in a
song. These patterns can be created using drums, percussion, instruments, and vocals.
The basic elements that make up musical rhythm include:
Beat - A repeating pulse underlying a musical pattern
Meter – A specific pattern of strong and weak pulses
Time Signature – The number of beats per measure
Tempo (BPM) – Indicates how fast or slow a piece of music is playing
Strong and Weak Beats - Strong beats are the downbeats, and weak
beats are the offbeats between the downbeats
Syncopation – Rhythms that accentuate or emphasize the unusual accents
Accents - Refers to the intensity or emphasis on notes
If you understand rhythm, you can create great harmonies and melodies.
Also propels the rhythm section
