Theory |
Editorial
For playing any instrument you don't need sheets.
You really don't need a single note!
Our system of written notes arises from the 16th century. But people have
played music long ago, from the beginning of mankind. Tunes belong to things
we remember by ear. Maybe we forget the lyrics of our children songs, but
never the tune, its melody.
Some musicians, among them virtuos players, have never
seen a note - f.i. because they are born blind. On the other hand,
you also have learned talking long before you have learned reading and writing!
If you learn to read music, it can help you understanding what happens, and
it alows you to learn a song by sheets. Once again: it is helpfully but not
nessecarilly for starting.
Now, if you want to understand more abaut music, or
if you just want to learn transpose keys and chords, this little lesson on
theory might help you. However,
if you learn ukulele, guitar, or any other instrument, you need a teacher.
The teacher, a good teacher, knows methodics. The teacher helps succeed with
your own efforts. A good teacher learns himself/herself in every lesson from
students. He/sche knows the most frequently questions - and gives his/her
experiance back to the students.
The Circle of
Quints
|
The Circle of Quints
is a system for understanding the relation from one key to another.
The animation in the left was made from a friend in Germany, therefore it
is in German only. However, you can use it too, just have to know:
"Dur" means "major" and
"Moll" means "minor". There's still another
difference to the American system: German "H" is American
"B", the German "B" is American Bb (B
flat). C-Dur (Major) and a-moll have no sign of signature in the beginning like # (sharp) or b (flat). By clicking the green arrow you can change the key to the next, which is a quint (five steps) higher or a quint (fifth) lower and see which sign of signature the key has. Bluesharp players, f. i., need to know this system for taking the right key of their harmonicas for cross playing technique, which is usually for playing the blues. You can buy a printed circle at your music shop, often with additional details such as chords for guitar. |
One can view these relations
of keys also in the Tabel of
Chords.
Harmonics
Harmonics is the part of music theory which describes
the functional relations of chords belonging to a tune.
Almost every tune (99%) end with the basic chord
(also called: tonic) which is identically
with the key of the tune. Also the first chord of a song is mostly (90%)
identically with the key. However, if you want to know the exact key you
must learn the Sign of Signature
from the Circle
of Quints or from the
Tabel of
Chords.
Old children and play songs, but also some old folksongs, only have two chords,
but nevertheless have a beautiful melody. If a song has only two chords
then one is the basic chord
(tonic),
the other is the dominant
chord. These songs mostly
start with the tonic and always ends with it. In between you have the dominant
chord several times. The dominant chord often has an additional tone on the
seventh step of the tone stair. If so a "7" is added to the chord. For instance,
if the key is C major, then the basic chord is spelled C, the dominant-seven
chord is G7.
Most of all tunes, f.i. blues and country songs, have three chords,
the two chords mentioned above, and the
subdominant
chord, in the key of C major it is F. These three chords
(tonic, subdominant,
dominant) are the main
chords. A usual chord pattern of a tune therefore is: C - F - G7 - C. You
can see the main chords of every key in the light blue columns of the
Table of Chords. Some songs have
minor chords. In the key of C major the most used minor chord is A minor,
spelled Am. This, at least, is the most used spelling in song books with
international content. In German song books only the major chords are in
capitols, minor chords are spelled in little letters. A minor (Am) in German
song books is just spelled as "a". This spelling is used in the
Circle
of Quints (Quintenzirkel).
Now, if you want to change (transpose) the
key of a song, f.i. because of the given key has a hard fingering on the
guitar/ukulele (whatever else), or is to high or to deep for your voice,
you simply exchange the chords from the given key to the wanted key.
In the left column you see the sign
of signature (# or b) of the key which is identically with the basic
chord (tonic) of a tune. The same sign of signature is used for the parallel
minor key which you find in the dark blue column.
1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | 5. | 6. | |
Signature | Tonic | Minor Subdominant | Tonic Counter Chord | Subdominant | Dominant Seven | Tonic Minor Parallel |
C | Dm | Em | F | G7 | Am | |
G | Am | Bm | C | D7 | Em | |
D | Em | F#m | G | A7 | Bm | |
A | Bm | C#m | D | E7 | F#m | |
E | F#m | G#m | A | B7 | C#m | |
B | C#m | D#m | E | F#7 | G#m | |
F# Gb |
G#m Abm |
Bbm (A#m) Bbm |
B B |
C#7 Db7 |
D#m Ebm |
|
Db | Ebm | Fm | Gb | Ab7 | Bbm | |
Ab | Bbm | Cm | Db | Eb7 | Fm | |
Eb | Fm | Gm | Ab | B7 | Cm | |
Bb | Cm | Dm | Eb | F7 | Gm | |
F | Gm | Am | Bb | C7 | Dm |
Sign of
Signature (of the Key)
The sign of signature lets
you know which key is given for the tune. C major (C) and its parallel minor
key A minor (Am) don't have any signature. If you jump from the C major to
the fifth step in the stair of tones (C-D-E- F-G) you come to G major (G),
and there you have the first key with a signature, which is
# for G major and E minor
(Em). If you jump again from G to the fifth step (G-A-B-C-D) you come to
the key D major (D), which has the signature
## - also used for its parallel
minor key B minor (Bm). If you continue this jumping you come to the next,
which is A major (A) and
F# minor, the signature for
both of these keys is
### - and so on.
At row 6 in the Table of Chords
above the sign of signature changes from # to b. At this key you can use
both signatures, F# (speak:
F sharp) as well as Gb
(speak: G flat). There is a simple reason
to change the sign at this point: Even if you read music sheets every day,
you won't be able to recognize quickly how many # you see. You would have
to count them. So it is more practicable to read a single
b instead of something
like this:
#######.
This system "of jumping" to the next fifth step in the stairs of tones is
in fact a circle, because if you jump up from one key to the next you will
come back to the first key which is C (major) and its parallel minor key
Am. This system is called Circle of Quints
(Circle of Fifth)
Major
and Minor
Every tune can have major and minor chords mixed. But
if a song beginns or ends with a minor chord the tune is in a minor key,
if it beginns or ends with a major chord (f.i. "C") it is in a major
key. Each major key has a parallel minor key, but it is not like C
major and C minor! To C major belongs A minor. Which other minor keys belong
to which major key you can learn with the Circle
of Quints or with the Table of
Chords.
A chord is a sound of at least three different tones, f.i. C major
sounds if you hear the notes C, E, and G together (at the time). Instead
of the tone E in the C major, C minor has a deeper tone, exactly a half tone
deeper, which is Eb (E flat).
Minor chords sound a kind of melancholical. Therefore sad songs are often,
but not always, written in minor keys.
Major chords are the most used chords, therefore it is not nessecary to call
them major chords. Chords in song books are given in capitols, a C means
C major. But to differ minor chords from major chords a little "m" is added:
Cm = C minor. In Germany, mabe in other countries too, minor chords are given
in small letters, f.i. Cm = c.
Notes on
Piano
|
c d e f g a b c |
In the left you see how the notes are placed in the system of notes. These are the eight tones of the octave of C major). You can split this octave into two parts, each called quart (four tones). The last step in every part is only a half tone higher, so "e" to "f", "b" to "c". |
On instruments with frets like
ukuleles or guitars every fret higher is only a half tone higher. For a whole
tone higher you have to move your finger two frets up - and not to forget
that there is only a half tone from "e" to "f" and from "b" to "c"! Finally
you must understand this system by transposing the key from C major to D
major. The octave of D major is:
d-e-f#-g-a-b-c#-d. Now this is the system of notes we use in the Western world. There are different systems in Africa or Asia. There have been different systems in ancient times, some are still used performing classical music. If you want to learn more about old music you should study for that's more than a hobby... |
Intervals
Interval is the distance from one note to another.
The distance from "c" to "d" is called second, because there are two
tones. From "c" to "e" is called terz (third), from "c" to "f" is a quart
(fourth), to "g" a quint (fifth), to "a" a sext (sixth), to "b" a septime
(seventh), from low "c" to high "c" an octave (eight). But as you can see
on the keyboard there are some more tones in between, the black keys on the
keyboard. These intervals are called f.i. miner terz, major seventh). The
last is important for chords in Jazz tunes. Along the seventh chords (such
as G7) Jazz ballads often use major seventh chords (spelled: Gmaj7) - the
difference between G7 and Gmaj7 is only a half tone of one of the four tones
belonging to this chords, but it sounds veryy differently. You will never
hear a seventh chord at the end of a tune - they are reserved for dominant
chords in the middle of the song or before the last, which is usually the
basic chord. However, Jazz ballads often use the major seventh of the basic
chord, in case of C it is Cmaj7. It sounds wonderful, melancholic. - See
also the part about Harmonics - Table
of Chords.
c# |
d# |
|
g# |
|
notes on piano |
||||||||||||||||||
c |
d |
e |
f |
g |
a |
b |
c |
||||||||||||||||
interval (distance, steps) |
name of the interval based on the key of C major) | half tone stepes from c to... | |||||||||||||||||||||
1 | prime | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1 | second | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | major second | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | minor terz | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | major terz | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | (true) quart | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | major quarte = minor quint | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | (true) quint | 7 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | major quint | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | (true) sext (sixth) | 9 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | major sext = septime (seventh) | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | major septime (seventh) | 11 | |||||||||||||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | octave (eight) | 12 |
Chords are sounds built
up from three basic tones sounding together (at the same time).
The C major chord, f.i., is the
together of the tones c - e - g. The relation from one tone to the next in
this example is a "terz". A terz is the distance between tones, the
interval. From "c" to "e" is a terz as
well as from "e" to "g". Major chords have always this relation, they are
based on the terz. In C minor chord there is a "d#" instead of the tone "e",
which is just a half tone deeper. It sounds very different, minor chords
sound somehow melancholic.
All chords, no matter major or minor, can be added by extra tones.
If you add the tone "bb"
(which is same as a#) you
create a so-called septime chord (seven chord) because the additional tone
is on the seventh step of the tone system. This chord is spelled C7. Such
seven chords sound more exciting. Therefore they are used as dominant chords,
never as basic chords. Basic chords (tonic) must dissolve the exiting of
all other chords. Therefore they always finish a song. There is just one
exception. Jazz ballads often finish with a major seven chord, which includes
a higher tone on the seventh step of our note system. Instead of the
"bb" in C7 it has the tone
"b". To differ it from C7 it is spelled Cmaj7. Thes major seven chords sound
beautiful. Finishing with such a chord keeps the end a little open, so the
listener can finish the tune in his phantasy... There still are more tones
you can add to chords. You will learn them sooner or later from tables of
chords, not nessecarilly to explain all here.
There are only three main chords for a major key.
It is, f.i., in C major the chord C as basic chord (tonic), F as
subdominant chord, and G or G7 as dominant chord. With these three chords
most of all songs can be played. In the great era of Jazz, from 1920 to 1950,
the harmonics of songs have won more complexity. The popular songs of the
1960s still have their roots in this development, f-i. the songs of the Beatles.
These songs have more chords than the main chords. But also these additional
chords have a certain relation to the main chords. To understand these relations
a Circle of Quints that gives all main and side chords is helpfully. You
may check out my Ukulele Circle on this website and get an idea that way
- or go to your music shop and ask for any detailed Circle of Quints.
Understanding of chord names - and the practice of
chord fingering - is, in fact, all you need for accompanying a song on guitar
or ukulele. If you ever would start writing your own songs, you better
don't use all chords you can play in one song. A lot of beautiful tunes have
only two or three chords. Less is sometimes more!
The most important chords for ukulele you can find on the
Ukulelelzirkel
Rhythm
Rhythm is a pattern of beats characterizing the whole
tune. Walzes, f.i. have 3/4 beats, it means three quarter notes within a
section (bar), the first tone of each bar is accented. Since this pattern
is typically for the whole song it is announced in the beginning of the note
system. If this changes somewhere in the middle of the tune it is
signed at the beginning of that part. However, there are less songs with
changing rhythms. In my opinion rhythm is the most important aspect of perfoming
music. If you play a wrong tone, it will be forgotten soon if you don't play
wrong tones again and again..., but if your rhythm has "potholes" your auditorium
runs away, no matter if they are musicians themselves or never sung a song
- everybody feels there's something bad. Therefore always take much care
on rhythm. A riight tone at the wrong time is more
awfully than a wrong tone at the right time!
The two most important rhythms are based on 4/4 and
3/4 beats. Anything else is a slower or faster variation. You can play "Tom
Dooley" as a slow ballad in 4/4 beat or faster as a 2/4 beat. Polkas are
typically for 2/4 beats. So this is more or less a question of
speed.
How long a tone sounds -
how long the syllabels of a word sound, we usully remember by the melody
we listened to once before. If we don't know the his melody we can see it
by the form of the notes on sheet music.
Whole notes sound the
whole time of a section (bar).
Half notes sound the
half time of a bar.
Quarter
notes sound the fourth time of a bar.
Eight notes sound the
eight time of a bar.
Sixteenth notes sound
the 16th time of a bar.
Dots after notes
indicate that the tone should sound a half time longer than the note
says,
f.i.
.
means ist sounds like a
and
together. This brings
a special kick into the rhythm.
The silent pendent to the note is the pause - no tone
is sung at this part, but the rhythm runs further.
half
pause, quarter
pause, eight
pause
The together of beats and breaks, is in fact just a kind of mathematics.
With some practice you will make music of it...
Chords are mostly, but not always, changed at the first position of
a bar, it is the accented note (or sung syllable). In the example
below this syllable is red. The notes among the lyrics only let you know
how long the syllable has to be sung. Since there are no lines for the notes,
you can't see how high the tone should sound. I think it isn't nessecary
here, guess you know this traditional song anyway.
2/4-beat | 1st bar | 2nd bar | 3rd bar | 4th bar |
chords | A | - | - | - |
notes and lyrics | Hang down your | head, Tom | Dooley | |
- | - | E7 | - | |
Hang down your | head, and | cry | ||
- | - | - | - | |
Hang down your | head, Tom | Dooley | ||
- | D | A | - | |
Poor boy you're | bound to | die |
Conclusion
This is all you need for accompanying songs on guitar
or ukulele, it is, at least, all I can explain for the moment. If
you feel as you would like to play fireworks of virtuose music, then you
have to start with practice early in morning, every day. And if you go to
bed, you better take your guitar along, or your ukulele, and keep the cat,
or the dog, out.
Last Note: This page is written for my own students.
Anybody else who finds it helpfully may use it, too. If there is sombody
who thinks there was something explained wrong or bad may email and tell
what I should explain differently. If you just have questions about some
topic on this page, please understand that I can't answer because I won't
have enough time for a correspondence.
Have
fun to learn - and keep in practice!
Alex
The following links might be useful:
alles-uke.de
- Lyrics and chords to all tunes I performed
myself
alles-uke.de
- Learning ukulele, included some of my original
tunes
www.blue-stage.de
- Lessons for small or big instruments - Musicians
for small or big events.