tpetplyr

This may sound like a heinous crime, but Wikipedia works fairly well. I am studying Theory I on my own this semester so I can skip it and jump into Theory II next semester (This is Georgia Tech, remember), and the book we use...isn't great. There was a really poor explanation of both figured bass and modes in the book, both of which wikipedia helped clear up (and had way way more info than this poor textbook). Just a thought.

Stuart

ecarroll

Stuart,

Bravo for undertaking this on your own and any port in a storm, my friend.

Best,
EC

Hags888

Jimi-
Nice one! Didn't think of that one.

Lara-
Say hi to Umlah from "Scott". He should remember me from Yale. If Bennett is still around, say hi to him too. ;)

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brian moon

Hummel

or reverse M3 is Ding Dong

Great link. Thank you

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Revelation 3:20

highbrass

I second the musictheory.net as well as the Practica Musica (I used this when I taught 8th grade band). Is Practica Musica still around?

Just wanted to add some tunes that helped me with intervals:
m2: Dvorak 9th, Mvmt 4 intro
m3: "Impossible Dream" (Man of La Mancha)
M3: "O Mio Babbino Caro" (Gianni Schicchi)
M6: My Bonnie Lies over the ocean (as opposed to "body" -- that's a little too Al Capone-ish..)
m7: "Somewhere" (West Side Story)
M7: "Bali Hai" (South Pacific)

Have fun in Music Theory! It can be a bear, but it's definitely a necessity!

Liz

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silverstar

I don't think I know Umlah or Bennett...but if I meet them, I'll be sure to say hi!

Thanks for all the help, everyone! I spent a good...6 hours on my homework last night, and another 1 1/2 this morning. The link really helped a lot, and made the actual writing out of the chords pretty easy, but what was really confusing, time consuming, and hard to do was the second part of the homework-basically, we were given excerpts from well known pieces of music (with both the bass clef and treble clef parts) and told to look at the notes that were 'boxed in' and tell what kind of chord they were. There were so many repeats of notes and other notes not in the chords that it took forever....I'm pretty sure I didn't do too well on that assignment.

I hope that this gets easier. I think a lot of my problem is the fact I learned my major scales with fingering patterns, not with the number of sharps or flats in the key signature. I can play all my major scales no problem, but if you were to ask me how many sharps the F#major scale has, I would be at a loss.

Lara

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trpt2345

Just bear with it, it will get easier. A lot of music theory is just being able to put names to what you already know. For key signatures, check out the circle of fifths, it helps.

Michael McLaughlin

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_TrumpeT_

Thank you so much for that solfege site! I had been looking for something like that for ages. And wow there is so much to learn; all those chords, cadences, and scales. Ed, I would like to know what approach you recommend for learning intervals. As many have suggested on this thread, I use certain songs to remember certain intervals like the opening of "I Sometimes Feel Like a Motherless Child" for major third. However, it kind of distracts me when I'm trying to write down what I hear. I guess you'll have to internalise the interval within yourself at sometime or another so that you'll instantly and almost innately recognise the interval without any reference to a song.

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Bach Stradivarius 180/37
Bach 7C

"I built my staccato like the piano; low register with the warmth of the cello; lyrical melodies like the violin; running notes like the clarinet" - Maurice André

robertwhite

It does. Expend ALL of the energy you need to now to get this stuff down, and eventually you won't have to work so hard.

You should ask about tutoring, also. I'm sure that there's at least one grad student there that can explain this stuff better than your prof. Like trpt2345 said, it sounds like the "labels" of things are what's confusing you. Remember, it's all stuff you're already familiar with. A C Major chord is still C Major whether it's spelled C-E-G, E-G-C, or G-C-E.

beartrumpet74

Lara -
nothing to mention on theory in my post,, but bravo for asking the questions. too often music students neglect asking questions about theory when they are confused.
you rock
Matt