Commerical Music Theory

Catalog description

This course is a foundation of music theory underlying commercial/popular music. Samples of commercial/popular music are used throughout the course as models for discussion and analysis. The course includes the study (written, aural, and performed) of bass and treble clefs, relationships of tonal centers, key signatures, and construction. Students study the formulas for constructing major, minor, and modal scales. Basic rhythmic skills including syncopation are explored. Students construct intervals, triads, and seventh chords (and their inversions) and apply the circle of fifths. Special applications include writing form charts, lead sheets, chord charts and transpositions. Students play melodies and chords in all keys at the piano from written symbols commonly used amongst commercial/popular musicians.