Music Theory is a very broad term to describe music. Music Theory can include harmony, chords, melody, analysis, etc. But which topics should you first as a beginner? Every topics are very essential to any musicians.
Have you ever wondered about either melody or rhythm that usually a child can pick up easily?
Beginner Music Theory
Let’s begin the journey with Rhythm.
In Music, we need to know some basic rhythm notations. We usually begin with Semibreve, Minim, Crotchet, Dotted Minim, etc. As time goes, we include some smaller values of rhythm notations which are a quaver, semiquaver, demisemiquaver, etc.
Table of Contents
Time Signature
Time Signature, also known as meter signature. It always appears at the beginning of the piece to let the players know how many beats are in a bar.
The upper numeral indicates how many beats are in a bar. (1, 2, 3, 4, etc)
The lower numeral indicates what types/kind of beats are in a bar. (2,4,8,16). It can be counted in minim (2), crotchet (4), quaver (8), or semiquaver (16).
Compound Time Signatures are usually a subdivision of the main beat split into three, not two.
Pitch
In music, we only have 7 alphabets which are A, B, C, D, E, F, G. No matter where you start from, it will go back to the origin. Once it completes 8 alphabets, it is called an octave.
For example, if you start on
- C > D > E > F > G > A > B > C
- F > G > A > B > C > D > E > F
Intervals
After you understand the pitches, you have to know the relationship between the two notes, and this is what we call intervals in music. There are 7 main intervals in music, which start from 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th. We will discuss the individual types of intervals in depth later.
Always REMEMBER, the interval has to count from the bottom note to the top.
Scales
A scale is any set of musical notes that consists ranges from 5 notes and above, each of them are formed by different intervals in between. If the scale is increasing pitch is an ascending scale, and a scale that is decreasing pitch is a descending scale.
Two common scales that beginners usually learn are the Major and Minor scales.
To construct a major scale, you need to know the interval pattern
which is T > T > S > T > T > T > S.
There are three types of minor scales, Harmonic, Melodic and Natural Minor.
Harmonic scales are the same interval pattern when it’s ascending and descending, which is T > S > T > T > S > T > S.
The Melodic Scale is slightly tricky in the way that the ascending and descending patterns are different. When it’s ascending, you need to raise the 6th, 7th degree, and when it’s descending you have to lower the 6th, 7th degree.
Ascending = T > S > T > T > T > T > S , Descending = T < T < S < T < T < S < T
Natural Minor is a scale that follows the key signature itself either ascending or descending. It doesn’t affect anything at all.
Chords
Chords consisting of multiple notes that sound simultaneously. The most basic and frequently used chords are triads. Triads consist of three distinct notes, which are formed by the root note, intervals of a third, and a fifth above the root note.
The most commonly used chords are Major and Minor as well.
Major chords are formed by a Major 3rd (1st and 2nd note) and a Minor 3rd (2nd and 3rd note).
Minor Chords are formed by a Minor 3rd (1st and 2nd note) and a Major 3rd (2nd and 3rd note).
*Side note* Don’t be confused, there are two different terms when you are learning music.
Hope you learned something from it and let’s kickstart with these basics! =)
Hope you learned something from it and let’s kickstart with these basics! =)
wow好難唷！！！我本人的音樂細胞超級缺乏，感謝版主詳細介紹
不客气！希望能够帮助你！=)
I always wanted to learn music but I don’t know where to start. It is really a great article to help me learn sth as a beginner. Thank you so much
Thanks for reading it, hope this article helps you in your music journey! =)