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AP Music Theory Non-Aural Year Long Course Notes
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36 page, easy to understand document covering all non aural elements of AP music theory course.
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What does music theory cover?Music theory covers everything that makes music work.
● How we organize pitch
○ Scales - groups of pitches that are used in pieces that make
specific characters of music.
● Rhythm
○ Turning notes and rhythms into harmony using chords
● Form - how music is put together
● Timbre - the sound an instrument makes
● Texture - how simple or complex a piece of music is.
Acoustics is the science of the properties of sound. All things can be
scientifically and precisely measured.
Style Periods
Early music
Before 500 A.D.
Music before 500 was not written down, so we can’t study it. It was an
important part of their culture.
Medieval
The Medieval era lasted from 500 A.D. to 1400 A. D. It included gregorian
chants, Hildegard von Bingen, and Guido d’Arezzo. Medieval music didn’t
have instruments, mostly just chants.
Renaissance
The Renaissance era lasted from 1400 A.D. to 1600 A.D. It included Tomas
Luis de Victoria, William Byrd, and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
,Common practice
Baroque
The Baroque era lasted from 1600 A.D. to 1750 A.D. It included J.S. Bach,
George Handel, Francesca Caccini, and Claudio Monteverdi.
Classical
The Classical era lasted from 1730 A.D. to 1820 A.D. It included Joseph
Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven.
Romantic
The Romantic era lasted from 1815 A.D. to 1910 A.D. It included Franz
Schubert, Fredric Chopin, Richard Wagner, and Johannes Brahms.
Aspects of sound
Pitch
The waves are all traveling at about the same speed, so this is the number
of each wave that will reach the ear in a hundredth of a second.
Short wavelength means lots of waves, high frequency, and high sound.
Long wavelength means fewer waves; low frequency, and low sound.
The musical alphabet is the first seven letters of the alphabet.
Middle C is C4 on the piano. There are 8 octaves on a piano. The number
for a chosen octave includes all the pitches from C to B. The three notes
lower than C1 are A0 Bb0 and B0.
● Sharp: raises the pitch of a note
● Flat: lowers the pitch of a note.
● Enharmonic: pitches with the same sound but different names.
● Accidental: sharp and flat symbol.
● Natural: cancels a sharp or flat.
● Double flat: lowers a pitch two half steps
, ● Double sharp: raises a pitch two half steps.
An interval is a distance between two notes.
● Half step(semitone): space between a pitch and the nearest pitch
● Whole step(whole tone) There is one note between the notes or two
half steps.
Amplitude
Amplitude is the height of the waves. The amplitude gives sound
volume(dynamics). The higher the amplitude, the higher the waves are,
and the louder the sound is. The dynamis are PP(pianissimo(very soft)),
P(piano(soft)), MP(mezzo piano(medium soft)), MF(mezzo forte(medium
loud)), F(forte(loud)), FF(fortissimo(very loud)). To crescendo means to
gradually get louder. To decrescendo means to gradually get softer.
Duration
Duration is how long a note or silence lasts. Silence is just as important is
sound.
Timbre
Timbre is the quality of the sound, determined by the overtone series.
Overtone(harmonic) Series
● Fundamental is the first note of a harmonic series.
● Partials are notes above the fundamental, also called harmonics or
overtones.
● The overtone series is inherent to the nature of the vibrating strings of
musical instruments.
● The overtone series is the basis of sound that is produced by
woodwind and brass musical instruments.
● The overtone series is what defines timbre.
, Envelope
The envelope is how sound is engaged, sustained, and
released(articulation). Envelope is the style(march, balled, sonata, etc.).
A tie connects two or more notes of the same pitch. A slur connects two or
more notes with different pitches.
Staff and Clefs
The staff is five lines and four spaces where music is written. The two types
of staffs are gregorian staffs and modern staffs. The gregorian staff has four
lines and three spaces. Ledger lines are added to the top or bottom of the
staff to add notes. The grand staff is the treble and bass clefs connected by
a curly brace. On a staff there is a key signature, then a time signature,
also known as a meter signature.
For notes on the middle line and above, the stem will go down and to the
left. For notes below the middle line the stem will go up and to the right. If
there are multiple notes, go by whichever one is further from the middle
line.
Treble clef
The treble clef is used for higher range notes, it is the piano's right hand. It
is also called the G cleff. The lines are EGBDF the spaces are FACE. The
numbers of the lines go from the bottom to the top.
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