#33 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY

Andrew Furmanczyk

13 Aug 201027:16

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this jam-packed music theory lesson, the instructor covers several 20th century techniques including the blues scale and its relation to the minor pentatonic, the highly chromatic 12-tone row system, quartal chords built on fourths instead of thirds, tone clusters notating groups of adjacent notes more efficiently, and polychords layering two contrasting chords. Homework involves exploring these avant-garde concepts through practical written exercises.

Takeaways

😀 The minor blues scale is a minor pentatonic scale with one extra note added
😯 The 12-tone technique eliminates any tonal center and sounds very chaotic
🎹 Chordal chords are built from fourths instead of thirds
😮 Tone clusters shorthand complicated ways to notate groups of notes
🎶 Polychords combine two unrelated chords together
👂 The blues scale originated from African Americans in the southeastern US
📝 Homework involves drawing blues scales, tone rows, chordal chords etc.
🌟 By the end of this level your music theory knowledge will be very good
✏️ The lesson covers blues scales, 12-tone technique, chordal chords, tone clusters and polychords
🎓 The techniques covered are more commonly used in 20th century and contemporary music

Q & A

What scale is the blues scale related to?
-The blues scale is related to the minor pentatonic scale. It is a minor pentatonic scale with one extra note added between the minor third and perfect fourth.
Who developed the 12-tone technique?
-The 12-tone technique was developed by Arnold Schoenberg.
What are chordal chords made of?
-Chordal chords are made of fourths instead of the usual thirds.
Who developed the notation for tone clusters?
-The notation for tone clusters was developed by Henry Cowell.
What does the term "poly" mean in music?
-"Poly" means "many" in music. So polychords refers to using many chords together.
What are some common uses for the blues scale?
-The blues scale is commonly used in blues, jazz, pop, and some classical music.
What is the goal of the 12-tone technique?
-The 12-tone technique aims to eliminate any tonal center in the music.
What intervals are usually used to build chords?
-Chords are usually built using thirds.
What is an advantage of using tone cluster notation?
-Tone cluster notation can shorthand more complicated groups of notes, especially over large ranges.
What is an example of a polychord?
-An example would be playing a D-flat major chord in the right hand while playing a G minor chord in the left hand.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introducing Scales and 20th Century Techniques

The instructor introduces the wide range of topics that will be covered in this advanced music theory lesson, including the blues scale, 12-tone technique, chordal chords, tone clusters, and polychords. He notes that it will likely be a longer and more packed lesson than usual.

05:01

😃 Explaining the Blues Scale

The instructor explains what the blues scale is - a minor pentatonic scale with an added chromatic passing tone. He demonstrates how to build it using a specific interval pattern and notes its origins from African-American gospel and pop music.

10:02

😲 Introducing the 12-Tone Technique

The instructor explains the 12-tone technique developed by Arnold Schoenberg, which eliminates any tonal center by carefully arranging 12 tones with no repetition. He outlines the original, retrograde, inversion and retrograde inversion methods of structuring the tones.

15:02

🎹 Demonstrating Chordal Chords

The instructor introduces chordal chords, which are chords built from fourths rather than the usual thirds. They create an interesting contemporary effect and can be built from perfect, diminished or augmented fourths.

20:03

📝 Introducing Tone Clusters

The instructor explains tone clusters, a notation technique to shorthand groups of notes, developed by Henry Cowell. He demonstrates how they simplify writing large groups of notes compared to standard notation.

25:03

❔ Defining Polychords

The instructor defines polychords as using two unrelated chords together to create a unique sound, often used by 20th century composers like Stravinsky. They can be used randomly or thoughtfully to good effect.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡scales

Scales refer to a set of musical notes arranged in ascending or descending order. Different types of scales like blues scale, minor pentatonic scale are discussed in the video to showcase techniques used in modern music. The teacher wants students to practice building scales using methods he outlines.

💡minor blues scale

The minor blues scale is important for understanding contemporary styles. It adds a chromatic passing tone to the minor pentatonic scale to create a distinct sound. The video explains its formula and relationship to other scales.

💡12-tone technique

The 12-tone or 12-tone row technique is an avant-garde composition method that avoids tonal centers. It arranges the 12 notes of the chromatic scale in specific patterns to remove a sense of key or harmony. The video outlines structures like original, retrograde, inversion.

💡polychords

Polychords involve playing two or more unrelated chords together to produce distinct effects. As the name indicates, poly means many. Composers like Stravinsky used this 20th century technique for more intriguing harmonies.

💡chordal chords

Chordal chords are chords built from fourth intervals instead of the usual thirds. This approach expands harmonic possibilities. They can use different types of fourths and contain multiple notes across octaves.

💡tone clusters

Tone clusters are groups of adjacent notes played together as blocks of sound. The specific notation technique was created by Henry Cowell as a shorthand for writing clusters spanning wide ranges, which would be cumbersome to notate normally.

💡homework/practice

The teacher emphasizes the importance of practice in reinforcing theoretical concepts. The homework incorporates analyzing and building different scales, chords and chord progressions to directly apply the techniques covered.

💡20th century techniques

The video introduces several avant-garde techniques developed in the 20th century to advance tonal harmony into new territory. Composers experimented as prior conventions became exhausted, resulting in approaches like 12-tone and tone clusters.

💡intervals

Understanding intervals, or the distance between notes, underpins concepts like chordal chords built on fourths rather than thirds. The teacher foreshadows coverage of intervals, highlighting how they enable complex harmonic ideas.

💡figured bass

Figured bass is a key harmonic skill mentioned for future lessons. It involves using bass notes and numbers to signify chords, enabling the realization of part writing and chord progressions above a notated bass line.

Highlights

The blues scale originated from African people in the southeastern United States

The blues scale is related to the minor pentatonic scale with one extra note added

12-tone technique eliminates any tonal center and aims to avoid sounding like it's in a key

12-tone technique arranges the 12 chromatic tones in specific orders called original, retrograde, inversion and retrograde inversion

Chordal chords are chords built from fourths instead of the usual thirds

Tone clusters notate groups of notes spanning large ranges more easily

Stem direction rules apply when using tone cluster notation

Polychords use two unrelated chords played together to create an unique sound

Homework includes writing blues scales, experimenting with 12-tone rows, writing tone clusters and chordal chords

Next lessons cover compound intervals and figured bass

This lesson aims to expand into more advanced and creative techniques

Knowledge from this level will exceed many intermediate musicians

The blues scale adds a chromatic passing tone to smooth between separated notes

Inversion flips the interval direction from the original 12-tone row

Polychords can be used randomly or strategically with enough skill

Transcripts

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