BASIC MUSIC THEORYHOW TO READ, WRITE, AND UNDERSTAND

WRITTEN MUSIC

Sol-Ut Presswww.sol-ut.com

http://www.sol-ut.com

Basic Music Theory: How to Read, Write, and Understand Written Music

Published by Sol-Ut Press A Music Education Business www.sol-ut.com

Copyright 2001 Questions, Ink. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design, and icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Questions, Ink and the Q.I. logo are trademarks of Sol-Ut Press.

send E-mail regarding this book to BMT@QuestionsInk.com

LCCN: 2001086279

ISBN: 0-9707512-9-X

For general information about this book or Sol-Ut Press, visit our web site at www.QuestionsInk.com or www.sol-ut.com.

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication(Provided by Quality Books, Inc.)

Harnum, Jonathan.

Basic music theory : how to read, write, and understand written music / Jonathan Harnum. -- 1st ed.

p. cm.Includes index.LCCN 2001086279ISBN 0-9707512-9-X

1. Music Theory. 2. Conducting. 3. Musical notation. I. Title.

MT6.H37 2001 781QBI01-700378

http://www.sol-ut.comhttp://www.sol-ut.com

Read what folks have to say about the Music Theory book versatile enough to be used by middle schools, universities,

and adults!

Whats New in Basic Music Theory 2nd ed. New Chapter on the Guitar Fingerboard Change in sequence of material. Rhythm before pitch. Larger format (8.5 x 11) for easier reading Updated web references More scales included More Practical Use exercises More blank staves to practice on Revised Chapter and Part Reviews Links to helpful information on Sol-Ut.com Fully hyperlinked TOC, Index, cross-references, and web addresses

$14.95 Click to order

The best-seller has been completely revised and expanded!The best-seller has been completely revised and expanded!

BasicBasicMusic TheoryMusic Theory

2nd edition2nd edition

Jonathan Harnum

Fun and engaging. A real winner! Terrie Lyons, PhD, P.C.

Jonathan Harnum has taken an overly complicated subject matter and made it learnable for anyone. And I do mean anyone! Harnum de-cryptifies all that is involved with music theory for the non-musician. But this book is not just for the non-musician. I have been a student of music for more than 13 years and a teacher for 3 and I found myself finding new and interesting (and humorous) facts about music theory. This book can teach anyone music theory and keep a smile on their face the entire time. Robin Gibelhausen, music teacher, Illinois

Basic Music Theory by Jonathan Harnum is an excellent book for people of all levels. I have played various instruments over 24 years and because of Harnum's matter of fact, conversational tone, this book has lent more to my understanding of basic music theory than all my private instructors combined. Solstice 1221, Anon. reader in LA

http://www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/cart.cgi?jonharnum_09707512-6-6http://www.ccnow.com/cgi-local/cart.cgi?jonharnum_09707512-6-6

I appreciate the clever and humorous ways that you introduce many of the concepts. The illustrations and pictures are very helpful. Can't wait to get to the bookstore to get a copy for myself. Dave Larsen, elementary teacher, Hawarden, IA

Basic Music Theory is an ideal and highly recommended text for anyone of any background wanting to become proficient in the reading, composing, and performance of written and notated music. Midwest Book Review (5 stars, highest rating)

This is a book that covers lots of ground without ever appearing "difficult." It is written in a breezy, conversational manner, so one "talk" naturally drifts into the next. KLIATT Library Review Service

EVEN LISTENING TO MUSIC IS PROVEN TO MAKEYOU SMARTER! NO JOKE.

One important center of this research has been the University of California at Irvine, where Drs. Gordon Shaw and Fran Rauscher have found that active music making improves childrens math skills. Shaw is a physicist who found that the inner working of the human brain operates in patterns that resemble musical structures, and he suspects that music may be the key to understanding intelligence.

Other research supports similar conclusions: at McGill University in Canada, researchers found that kids who take piano lessons showed improved general and spatial cognitive development, and studies at a Miami Veterans Administration hospital indicate that music making may improve the brains natural production of regulatory hormones like melatonin. And most amazingly, an experiment by Rauscher showed that listening to the first ten minutes of the Mozart Concerto for Two Pianos in D Major (K. 448) improved the listeners spatial-temporal reasoning!

In the days of the New England singing-schools, people believed in teaching and learning music because it was good for the soul. Weve learned a lot since then.

If music really can make a person better at math, science and engineering, and if just listening to music can make you smarter, why wouldnt anyone want to benefit from music?

As we begin a new century, there is proof about the power of music education.

And its still good for your soul.

For more information about music and the brain visit:

www.QuestionsInk.com/brain

JUST AS THERE CAN BE NO MUSIC WITHOUT LEARNING, NO EDUCATION IS

COMPLETE WITHOUT MUSIC.

T H I S B O O K I S D E D I C A T E D T O A L L M Y T E A C H E R S , A N DT O M Y S T U D E N T S , W H O A R E

A L S O M Y T E A C H E R S .

T H A N K Y O U .

Click on a subject to jump to its corresponding page

Basic Music TheoryTable of Contents

0 The Chapter Everyone Skips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Welcome to Basic Music Theory! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Why Basic Music Theory? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Whats Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3The Icons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Basic Music Theory: Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6How to Use the Special Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

PART ONE: START ME UP

1 An Ultra-brief History of Musical Notation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Hear, There, Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Music Performed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

2 Lines, Lines, Everywhere Theres Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23The Staff. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Chapter 2 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

3 More Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27No Holds Barred. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28What? More Lines? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Chapter 3 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

4 The Wind-up and the Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Spaced Out and Lined Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32The High and the Lowly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Chapter 4 Study Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Home, Home on the Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

5 A Note by Any Other Name Would Sound as Sweet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Whats in a Name? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38Moving On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Basic Music Theory

vii

Chapter 5 S