Basics of Tertian Harmony

KEY CONCEPT: PITCHES Western Music has 12 pitches. Each of those 12 pitches has a major scale, a minor scale, a chromatic scale, a major triad, and a minor triad, as well as augemented and diminished triads. Every major scale and minor scale use seven of the 12 pitches.

Example: The C Major scale is C D E F G A B C. These notes are diatonic.

Diatonic = within the key.

Numbering each pitch of the scale, we have:

C D E F G A B C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do

APPLICATION: Write Major Scales. Recite major scales. Finger major scales. Play major scales.

1 (do) 2 (re) 3 (mi) 4 (fa) 5 (sol) 6 (la) 7 (ti) 8 (do) C G D A E B F# or Gb C# or Db Ab Eb Bb F C

G

D

A

E

B

F#/ Gb

C#/ Db

Ab

Eb

Bb

F KEY CONCEPT: THIRDS Western Music is built upon tertian harmony meaning that it is built using thirds. To build thirds, start on a note of a major or minor scale, skip over the next note to the third note.

Example: C to E [C-skip D-E] D to F [D-skip E-F] To make a third, one letter is always skipped.

APPLICATION: Build thirds in the C major scale.

KEY CONCEPT: TRIADS A triad is made of three notes. The three notes must each be a third apart, or two thirds stacked on top of one another.

Example: The notes in a C Major triad are C E G which are 1, 3, and 5 in the C Major scale. C is 1, or the root C to E is the first third E is 3, or the third G is 5, or the fifth E to G is the second third

APPLICATION: Build triads in C major starting on each note of the scale. You will always skip one letter between the three notes when building the triads.

APPLICATION: Build triads from the following major scales

D E F# G A B C# D

G A B C D E F# G

C D E F G A B C F G A Bb C D E F

Bb C D Eb F G A Bb

Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb KEY CONCEPT: TRANSPOSITION Seeing and Hearing

C-pitched instrument - sounds what you see on the page (Perfect Prime) i.e. written C sounds C: Flute, oboe, bassoon, trombone, euphonium, tuba, xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, timpani Piccolo - sounds one octave (Perfect Octave) higher to what you see printed

Bb-pitched instrument - sounds one diatonic step lower (Major Second) to what you see printed i.e. written C sounds Bb: Bb trumpet, Bb clarinet Bb bass clarinet and Bb tenor saxophone - sounds one diatonic step plus one octave (Major Ninth) lower to what you see printed

Eb-pitched instrument - sounds six diatonic steps (Major Sixth) lower to what you see printed i.e. written Eb sounds C: Eb alto saxophone Eb baritone saxophone sounds six diatonic steps plus one octave (Major Thirteenth) lower to what you see printed.

F-pitched instrument - sounds five diatonic steps (Perfect Fifth) lower than what you see printed i.e. written F sounds C: Horn

APPLICATION: Transpose given pitches