#25 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY

Andrew Furmanczyk
30 Mar 201016:55
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe transcript describes a music theory lesson on transposition, which refers to changing the key of a piece of music. The instructor provides background on why transposition is useful, such as moving pieces to fit different instruments. They explain the information needed to transpose: the initial key, the target key, and the interval between. The core steps to transpose are: identify the interval, apply the new key signature, check the new note for the first note, and compare/apply the intervals between the other notes. Accidentals require extra care. For practice, students are tasked to write out key signatures, identify intervals between keys, and transpose short original pieces. The aim is developing skills to transpose music into different keys.

Takeaways
  • 😀 Transposition is changing the key of a piece of music while maintaining the same melody and harmony
  • 👍🏻 Knowing intervals, key signatures and the circle of fifths is important for transposing music
  • 🎹 Transposition allows playing a piece on different instruments with different ranges
  • 🎵 Transposition can add variety and flavor when composing music
  • ✏️ The first step of transposition is identifying the starting and target keys to determine the interval
  • 🔢 The next steps are rewriting the key signature, checking the first note, and comparing intervals
  • ⚠️ Accidentals need special attention during transposition
  • 📝 Homework involves transposing key signatures, identifying intervals between keys, and short musical passages
  • 🎼 Transposition is used by composers and can create effective transitions in songs
  • 😊 Transposition seems difficult but just requires learning some simple steps
Q & A

  • What is transposition and why is it useful?

    -Transposition is changing the key of a musical piece while keeping the intervals between notes the same. It's useful for adapting pieces to different instruments' ranges, adding variety and interest to compositions, and facilitating modulation.

  • What three pieces of information do you need to transpose a piece of music?

    -You need: 1) the original key, 2) the new key you want to transpose to, and 3) the interval between those two keys.

  • What is the first step in transposing a piece of music?

    -The first step is identifying the interval between the original key and the new key you want to transpose to.

  • How does the key signature help make transposition easier?

    -The key signature automatically applies the correct sharps and flats for the new key, so you don't have to manually alter each note.

  • How do you determine the first note when transposing?

    -Take the starting note of the original piece and transpose it by the interval you previously determined between keys. This gives you the new starting note.

  • What do you need to pay special attention to when transposing accidentals?

    -You have to consider each accidental independently based on its relationship to the new key signature. An accidental may need to be double sharpened/flattened to maintain the right interval.

  • When transposing, when might you need to change stem directions?

    -If a note ends up in a much higher or lower register after transposing, the stem direction may need to be flipped to follow standard notation rules.

  • What is an example of a popular music composing technique that involves transposition?

    -Many modern songs transpose into a new key near the end of the piece to create a sense of lift and restart just when the listener starts expecting closure.

  • What instruments can have trouble playing in certain sharp/flat keys?

    -Instruments with fixed tuning like ocarinas may not be designed to play well in keys with lots of sharps/flats, so transposition helps adapt pieces to their range.

  • What does the homework ask you to transpose?

    -The homework asks you to: 1) transpose 20 key signatures, 2) figure out the intervals between 20 different key pairs, and 3) write and transpose 5 short musical excerpts.

Outlines
00:00
😀 Introducing Transposition Concepts

The paragraph introduces the concept of transposition - changing the key of a musical piece to fit different instruments and ranges. It discusses reasons for transposing like changing instruments, extending musical ideas by using themes in different keys, and building intensity and drama in songs.

05:01
😃 Steps for Transposition

The paragraph provides the step-by-step process for transposing music. This includes: 1) Identifying the interval between current and new key; 2) Changing the key signature; 3) Finding the new first note; 4) Maintaining intervals between notes.

10:02
😁 Considerations when Transposing

The paragraph notes additional considerations when transposing more complex music - changing stem direction based on note placement, and properly handling accidentals which alter the key signature.

15:04
😆 Homework Assignment on Transposition

The paragraph provides a homework assignment to practice transposition skills. This involves: 1) Writing out 20 key signature transformations; 2) Identifying intervals between 20 key pairs; and 3) Transposing five 4-bar musical excerpts to different keys.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡transposition
Transposition refers to rewriting a piece of music in a different key from the original while maintaining the same melodic and harmonic relationships. As explained in the video, it allows adapting music across different instruments and ranges and adds variety by enabling the reuse of themes and motifs in multiple keys. Examples of transposition are moving a piece from F major to A major or taking a theme in G major and reusing it in E major.
💡interval
An interval refers to the difference in pitch between two musical notes. Understanding intervals is critical for transposition, as you need to know how much to shift notes up or down when changing keys. The video emphasizes intervals in the process of figuring out how much transposition is required between an original and target key.
💡key signature
The key signature defines the notes that form the scale of a musical key, indicating which notes are sharpened or flattened. When transposing, you must apply the new key signature to automatically adjust accidentals like sharps and flats suitably for the new key.
💡accidentals
Accidentals refer to symbols that temporarily raise or lower the pitch of a note, like sharps, flats and naturals. The video warns that accidentals require special attention during transposition since they are not automatically adjusted by changing the key signature.
💡melodic relationships
This refers to the patterns of intervals between notes in a melody. Transposition maintains these relative intervallic patterns between notes even when shifting their absolute pitches to a new key.
💡harmonic relationships
The harmonic relationships between notes refer to the chords and vertical sonorities formed. Like melodic relationships, these are preserved during transposition even though the notes take on new names in the target key.
💡theme
A theme in music is a melody or tune that serves as the basis for musical development, variation and elaboration. As described in the video, transposition allows reuse and variation of a theme by moving it into multiple keys.
💡motif
A motif is a short musical idea or pattern. Similar to themes, motifs can be transposed throughout a piece into different keys as a compositional technique for creating variety by building on the same motivic material.
💡modulation
Modulation refers to the change or transition from one key or tonal center to another within a composition. The video mentions how transposition is often used towards the end of popular songs to modulate up a whole tone, creating a sense of lift and renewed energy.
💡score
A musical score encodes a composition through musical notation, often with parts for multiple instruments. As noted in the video, for lengthy scores the transposition process by hand can be very labor-intensive.
Highlights

Transposition is changing the key of a piece of music while maintaining the intervals.

Transposition allows playing a piece on different instruments with different ranges.

Step 1 is identifying the interval between the starting and target keys.

Step 2 is rewriting the key signature for the new target key.

Step 3 is finding the new first note by applying the transposition interval to the original first note.

Step 4 is preserving the intervals between notes when rewriting.

Stem direction of notes may need to change based on register in new key.

Accidentals must be treated individually when transposing.

Transposition is used in many popular songs, often modulating up a whole step near the end.

Transposing themes in compositions adds interest and flair.

Knowing intervals and key signatures makes transposition easy.

Transposition from major to major is simpler than to/from minor keys.

Transposition is perceived by some to be difficult but is very useful.

Practice transposing short musical excerpts as an exercise.

Transposing for friends and family demonstrates music theory skills.

Transcripts

Browse More Related Video

#39 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY

Transposing a Melody into Another Key - Music Theory

#14 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY

#46 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY

The Most Effective Way to Transpose Music - Music Theory

Grade 2 Music Theory - Major Keys & Scales

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Thanks for rating: