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Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

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Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#81

Post by Timpy »

zozbot234 wrote: post #58
fxtentacle wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would agree with this approach for pop music, but strongly disagree for classical music. In the context of an electronic synth or keyboard, C# and Db are perfectly the same. In almost all traditional music, though, instruments are almost never tuned to equal temperament, so that C# and Db then mean different things. As a famous example, Bach was very fond of his well-tempered clavier, which was a tuning method that…

Tuning is a very messy subject, though. For instance, I think you're not strictly correct in your third paragraph - pythagorean tuning does theoretically admit of modulating to a different (at least "nearby") scale, since it is based on repeatedly applying the 3:2 perfect fifth interval! The actual problem is that it has bad thirds - hence "tempering", where basically, some of the 3:2 intervals are adjusted to move s…

I agree, discussing the benefits of Just Intonation when somebody asks for an intro to music theory is like starting a programming student off with building their own compiler.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#82

Post by coldpie »

jdmoreira wrote: post #44

I'm reading the book at https://www.howmusicreallyworks.com It has been really helpful to me

I'll throw in a 2nd recommendation for this. It's a great starting point to learn the basics and the terminology, which will then unlock a lot of other resources.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#83

Post by ses1984 »

zozbot234 wrote: post #35
LessDmesg wrote: post #33

Here's how I approach it: forget about all the historic naming like "perfect fifths" and just think in terms of the modern 12-note equal temperament. Every note is a number, e.g. 440 Herz = 69, the standard guitar tuning has strings from 40 to 64, etc. Every interval is an integer, up an octave is +12, major chord is a triple of {x, x+4, x+7}, minor seventh chord is {x, x+3, x+7, x+10} etc. Then, as a the second game…

> Here's how I approach it: forget about all the historic naming like "perfect fifths" and just think in terms of the modern 12-note equal temperament. You actually want to learn these names, because they characterize the diatonic scale. Basically, pick seven contiguous notes on the circle of fifths, you get the pitch-class set of a diatonic scale. Then put the notes in the set in pitch order, and pick a tonal center…

Why does sharp or flat want to step up or down?

I took a few years of music lessons (granted light on theory) but I never heard this idea.

Is this exclusive to notes that are not in the current key? For example the f# in Gmaj doesn't want to step up to G any more than B wants to step up to C in Cmaj.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#84

Post by swiley »

If you want something structured like a math book, I learned from Walter Piston’s “Harmony.” I can’t find a place to pirate it (actually I did find an incredibly low quality scan somewhere after a week of searching) but it’s not an expensive book. I found it used (signed by “dean Howard” I think) while wandering around in my favorite book store in Lynchburg (Lynchburg and Charlottesville both have amazing small bookstores if you live in VA I would totally recommend checking them out.)

I think the only thing you’ll need to know going into it is how to read sheet music.

It doesn’t really go too much into counterpoint or melody if I remember correctly, for those there are couple YouTube channels I ended up watching that are pretty much just a narrator analyzing other people’s music:

1) 8bit music theory

2) Richard Atkinson

There are others but those are my favorites.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#86

Post by Merrill »

wazoox wrote: post #40

I recommend that you follow Kent Hewitt (piano), Adam Neely (bass) and Rick Beato (guitar) on Youtube. They all talk about various aspect of music theory, composition, etc. Kent Hewitt is providing more of a full-blown online jazz course, Rick Beato makes incredibly interesting analyses of songs of all style (mostly rock) but also talks a lot about scales, harmony, improvising, etc. Adam Neely is all over the place :…

"Music Theory Everyone Should Know" by Rick Beato and many additional videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9d26tpvA4U

He also publishes a book on music theory, but I've not reviewed it.

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#87

Post by zozbot234 »

ses1984 wrote: post #83
zozbot234 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Here's how I approach it: forget about all the historic naming like "perfect fifths" and just think in terms of the modern 12-note equal temperament. You actually want to learn these names, because they characterize the diatonic scale. Basically, pick seven contiguous notes on the circle of fifths, you get the pitch-class set of a diatonic scale. Then put the notes in the set in pitch order, and pick a tonal center…

Why does sharp or flat want to step up or down? I took a few years of music lessons (granted light on theory) but I never heard this idea. Is this exclusive to notes that are not in the current key? For example the f# in Gmaj doesn't want to step up to G any more than B wants to step up to C in Cmaj.

Because historically, a "sharp" note was thought of as a leading tone (Ti), whereas a "flat" note was thought as a fourth scale degree (Fa), tending to step down to the third (Mi).

(Actually, this was thought of most often in terms of hexachords, where there is no Ti and one would always use Mi-Fa for a half-step interval. I rewrote it in terms of scale degrees to avoid confusion.)

I.e. the F# in Gmaj does "want" to step up to G, in basic structural terms. We call the places where this happens most properly "cadences", and they are among the main structuring elements in a piece of music. (This Ti-Do - F#-to-G or B-to-C motion is then called a "cantizans", since it appears most prominently as a "canto" or "sopran" cadence. It's most typically seen as Do-Ti-Do, where the first appearance of Do is first "prepared" in a context that makes it a consonance, but then sounds as a dissonance as the other parts shift to a dominant chord (Sol and Re), so it's allowed to resolve to the leading tone.)

Re: Ask HN: How Can I Learn Music Theory?

#89

Post by GistNoesis »

I'd like to expand on the complementary facet that has not yet been approached here. The physics/signal theory behind of it. It's a great way to learn for scientifically inclined people. Try looking at how instruments are made, and where does sound come from. Look at experimental instruments like waterphone, bells, violins, strings, drums, winds, animal noises, natural sounds, electronic music...

Try looking at the way the waves propagate and interfere, learn about acoustics and how physical objects respond to incoming sounds by vibrating themselves at specific frequencies which depend on their geometries.

This approach will give you the basis blocks upon which generations of musicians have built a language and cultural norms that also take into account understanding the listener and its emotions.

Try to find something which interests you and dig as deep as you like.

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