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Music Theory Contents Music theory Contents 1 Music theory 1 1.1 History of music theory ........................................ 1 1.2 Fundamentals of music ........................................ 3 1.2.1 Pitch ............................................. 3 1.2.2 Scales and modes ....................................... 4 1.2.3 Consonance and dissonance .................................. 4 1.2.4 Rhythm ............................................ 5 1.2.5 Chord ............................................. 5 1.2.6 Melody ............................................ 5 1.2.7 Harmony ........................................... 6 1.2.8 Texture ............................................ 6 1.2.9 Timbre ............................................ 6 1.2.10 Expression .......................................... 7 1.2.11 Form or structure ....................................... 7 1.2.12 Performance and style ..................................... 8 1.2.13 Music perception and cognition ................................ 8 1.2.14 Serial composition and set theory ............................... 8 1.2.15 Musical semiotics ....................................... 8 1.3 Music subjects ............................................. 8 1.3.1 Notation ............................................ 8 1.3.2 Mathematics ......................................... 8 1.3.3 Analysis ............................................ 9 1.3.4 Ear training .......................................... 9 1.4 See also ................................................ 9 1.5 Notes ................................................. 9 1.6 Sources ................................................ 10 1.7 Further reading ............................................ 13 1.8 External links ............................................. 14 2 Musical notation 15 2.1 History ................................................. 15 2.1.1 Ancient Near East ....................................... 15 2.1.2 Ancient Greece ........................................ 15 i ii CONTENTS 2.1.3 Byzantine Empire ....................................... 16 2.1.4 South West Asia ....................................... 16 2.1.5 Early Europe ......................................... 16 2.2 Modern staff notation ......................................... 17 2.2.1 Specialized notation conventions ............................... 18 2.3 Notation in various countries ..................................... 18 2.3.1 India .............................................. 18 2.3.2 Russia ............................................. 19 2.3.3 China ............................................. 19 2.3.4 Korea ............................................. 19 2.3.5 Japan ............................................. 19 2.3.6 Indonesia ........................................... 19 2.4 Other systems and practices ...................................... 21 2.4.1 Cipher notation ........................................ 21 2.4.2 Solfège ............................................ 21 2.4.3 Letter notation ........................................ 21 2.4.4 Tablature ........................................... 21 2.4.5 Klavar notation ........................................ 21 2.4.6 Piano roll based notations ................................... 22 2.4.7 12-note non-equal temperament ............................... 22 2.4.8 Chromatic staff notations ................................... 22 2.4.9 Graphic notation ....................................... 22 2.4.10 Simplified Music Notation .................................. 22 2.4.11 Modified Stave Notation ................................... 22 2.4.12 Parsons code ......................................... 22 2.4.13 Braille music ......................................... 22 2.4.14 Integer notation ........................................ 22 2.4.15 Rap notation ......................................... 23 2.5 Music notation on computer ...................................... 23 2.6 Perspectives of musical notation in composition and musical performance .............. 23 2.7 Patents ................................................. 23 2.8 See also ................................................ 23 2.9 References ............................................... 24 2.10 Further reading ............................................ 25 2.11 External links ............................................. 25 3 Pitch (music) 27 3.1 Perception of pitch .......................................... 27 3.1.1 Pitch and frequency ...................................... 27 3.1.2 Theories of pitch perception ................................. 28 3.1.3 Just-noticeable difference ................................... 28 3.1.4 Aural illusions ......................................... 28 CONTENTS iii 3.2 Definite and indefinite pitch ...................................... 28 3.3 Pitch standards and Standard pitch .................................. 29 3.4 Labeling pitches ............................................ 29 3.5 Scales ................................................. 29 3.6 Other musical meanings of pitch ................................... 30 3.7 See also ................................................ 30 3.8 References ............................................... 30 3.9 Further reading ............................................ 31 3.10 External links ............................................. 31 4 Pitch circularity 32 4.1 See also ................................................ 32 4.2 References ............................................... 32 5 Interval (music) 34 5.1 Size .................................................. 34 5.1.1 Frequency ratios ....................................... 34 5.1.2 Cents ............................................. 35 5.2 Main intervals ............................................. 35 5.3 Interval number and quality ...................................... 35 5.3.1 Number ........................................... 35 5.3.2 Quality ............................................ 36 5.3.3 Example ........................................... 37 5.4 Shorthand notation .......................................... 37 5.5 Inversion ............................................... 37 5.6 Classification ............................................. 38 5.6.1 Melodic and harmonic .................................... 38 5.6.2 Diatonic and chromatic .................................... 38 5.6.3 Consonant and dissonant ................................... 39 5.6.4 Simple and compound .................................... 39 5.6.5 Steps and skips ........................................ 39 5.6.6 Enharmonic intervals ..................................... 39 5.7 Minute intervals ............................................ 40 5.8 Compound intervals .......................................... 40 5.8.1 Main compound intervals .................................. 41 5.9 Intervals in chords .......................................... 41 5.9.1 Chord qualities and interval qualities ............................. 41 5.9.2 Deducing component intervals from chord names and symbols ............... 41 5.10 Size of intervals used in different tuning systems ........................... 42 5.11 Interval root .............................................. 43 5.12 Interval cycles ............................................. 43 5.13 Alternative interval naming conventions ............................... 43 iv CONTENTS 5.13.1 Latin nomenclature ...................................... 43 5.14 Pitch-class intervals .......................................... 43 5.15 Generic and specific intervals ..................................... 44 5.15.1 Comparison ......................................... 44 5.16 Generalizations and non-pitch uses .................................. 44 5.17 See also ................................................ 44 5.18 Notes ................................................. 44 5.19 External links ............................................. 46 6 Note 47 6.1 Accidentals .............................................. 47 6.2 12-tone chromatic scale ........................................ 48 6.3 Note designation in accordance with octave name .......................... 48 6.4 Written notes ............................................. 48 6.5 Note frequency (hertz) ........................................ 49 6.6 History of note names ........................................ 49 6.7 See also ................................................ 50 6.8 References .............................................. 50 6.9 Bibliography ............................................. 51 6.10 External links ............................................. 51 7 Semitone 52 7.1 Minor second ............................................. 52 7.2 Augmented unison ........................................... 53 7.3 History ................................................. 54 7.4 Semitones in different tunings ..................................... 54 7.4.1 Meantone temperament .................................... 54 7.4.2 Equal temperament ...................................... 55 7.4.3 Well temperament ...................................... 55 7.4.4 Pythagorean tuning ...................................... 55 7.4.5 Just intonation ......................................... 56 7.4.6 Other equal temperaments .................................. 57 7.5 See also ................................................ 57 7.6 References ............................................... 57 7.7 Further reading ............................................ 58 8 Octave
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