Music Theory 
Review of the theoretical elements of music including sound and pitch, rhythm, melody, harmony, and notation.
Music and Mathematics
Study of Sound Music and mathematics, can they be classified into the same category? To make music, you must know how to break “sound” into elements of pitch, rhythm and tempo (1). Science teaches us that sound is vibration, and the frequency of vibration is what makes different sounds. Music then is the study of… Read More ›
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Inventions and Fugues
What are They Inventions and fugues are compositional forms dating back to 16th century. They are novel compositions that don’t fit established categories. It is thought that Clement Jandquin first used the term invention in Premier livre des inventions musicales (1555; “First Book of Musical Inventions”) (1). Today the terms are associated with Bach and… Read More ›
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Introduction to Intervals
Melodic and Harmonic Intervals Scales Understanding intervals begins with an understanding of scales. Benjamin Hollis defines a scale as a group of pitches (scale degrees) arranged in either ascending or descending order. These pitches span an octave (1). In Western music a major scale consists of seven different pitches. There are half steps between the… Read More ›
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Overview of Non-Western Music
Comparing Western Music With Non-Western Music One of the first things you will probably note when researching Non-Western Music is the scarcity of information. Unlike Western music, Non-Western music grew out of environments or cultures that did not require the development of commonly accepted standards for tuning. The Western tuning agreements developed over time… Read More ›
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Need for Music Staves and Clefs
Reading Music Using Clefs Have you ever wondered how a musician knows what notes to play? While it isn’t necessary to read music it helps if you want to play a composition written by someone else. If you take a look at a piece of sheet music you will see the notes are notated… Read More ›
