The elements of music made understandable for the casual folkie or the weekend warrior. Maybe you are self-taught, or you locked yourself in a room at age 12 with “Roy Clark’s Big Note Songbook.” Or you had horrible piano lessons as a child taught to the tune of a hickory stick? Or maybe you have just lately been getting into music and are finding some of the terms bewildering. You hate memorizing a bunch of stupid rules — you are more of a “why is that?” kind of person? In all these cases, you likely have some holes & gaps in your musical knowledge. (Join the club!) This is the class for you!
DAY 1: SCALES AND SUCH
We’ll start with a look at the major scale – the familiar DO-RE-MI. What is the secret formula for making that scale starting on any note as “DO” — using “steps?” What happens if you start on the LA instead of the DO? Do I really need to memorize the name of every note on my guitar? (The answer is probably no.) What does “the KEY” really mean? And then what is a mode, anyway?
DAY 2: CHORDS AND SUCH
What makes a major chord different from a minor chord? What do those numbers and funny words mean? Is this chord augmented or demented? What chords belong together in any given key? How do you know that? How do you switch a song to a new key and figure out the new chords?
DAY 3: RHYTHM AND SUCH
What is a time signature and what does it mean – can’t I just ignore all that? Is a bar the same as a measure? (spoiler alert: yes!) What is a shuffle rhythm? What is a jig? What makes 2/2 time different than 4/4? Isn’t 3/4 the same as 6/8?
DAY 4: ANSWERS AND SUCH
Last call for your lingering mysteries! Let’s clear some things up on our last class together. Music Theory is better thought of as “music grammar.” It gives us a language to talk about tunes, write them down, and share them with other musicians. But one music culture (say, Jazz) might have a whole different lingo than another (say, Bluegrass). Why can’t we all just get along?