Music Theory Day 1 – Handouts

Review and checking of the assignment

Enharmonics
Answers:
C# or Db
D# or Eb
F# or Gb
G# or Ab
A# or Bb

Optional:
E or Fb
B or Cb

Nashville Number System

Topics:
Reading notes in a music sheet
The Scale Degree note names
The Intervals

A. Reading and familiarizing reading notes in a music sheet

I. Reading notes
II. Proper writing of notes

B. The Scale degree names?

- Also called as technical names

I. What are the scale degree note names?

- 1st degree – The Tonic
o Also known as the keynote or root. The first note of any diatonic scale
o It is where the ‘tonic triad’ or triad chord is based from.
nd
- 2 degree – The supertonic
o The word ‘super’ means above in latin and so you can think of it as being the note
‘above’ the tonic.
- 3rd degree – The mediant
o Comes from a latin word meaning ‘middle’
o Why middle? Because it is the middle note when we form a triad chord
 When we build a chord we use 1st, 3rd and 5th degrees of a scale.
th
- 4 degree – The subdominant
o The word ‘Sub’ means below
o It is under or before the dominant that’s why it is called subdominant

- 5th degree – The dominant

o Second most important chord is the dominant
o It always wants to resolve to the tonic
o A lot of harmony revolves around the dominant chord

- 6th degree – The submediant

o How did it get its name? It’s the same reason with the subdominant
o The 6th degree of the scale is a 3rd (mediant) below the tonic
 - 7th degree – The Leading note (or leading tone)
o If you try playing a major scale, you’ll noteice that the 7 th note sounds like it wants to
lead us back to the tonic.
th
- 8 degree – The octave or going back to the tonic.

C. The Intervals
I. What are the intervals?
o The inclusive distance between one tone and another, whether sounded succesively
(melodic interval) or simultaneously (harmonic interval). In western tonality,
intervals are measured by their relationship to the diatonic scales in the major-minor
system, by counting the lines and spaces between the given notes (always upward
from the lower note).
o Distance in pitch between two notes.
o What are the semitones and tones?
 Semitone is best described as the ‘half-step’ lower or higher from a note
 Tone is a ‘whole’ step lower or higher from a note.
- The Standard Intervals
o The Perfect prime or unison – P1
o The major 2nd – M2
o The minor 2nd – m2
o The Major 3rd – M3
o The minor 3rd – m3
o The perfect 4th – P4
o The augmented 4th or diminished 5th – Tritone or devil’s note - 4× or 5°
o The perfect 5th – P5
o The major 6th – M6
o The minor 6th – m6
o The major 7th – M7
o The minor 7th – m7
o The perfect 8ve or octave – P8