Table Of Contentewinensep MU TC
THIRD EDITION
PERRY GOLDSTEIN
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PERRY GOLDSTEIN
Cover artwork by Benjye Troob, www.benjye.com
Kendall Hunt
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Copyright © 2005, 2010, 2018 by Perry Goldstein
ISBN: 978-1-5249-7279-0
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Published in the United States of America
Contents
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 PITCH
CHAPTER 2 RHYTHM, TIME, AND METER
CHAPTER 3 EXERCISES IN RHYTHM
CHAPTER 4 SCALES AND KEYS
CHAPTER 5 INTERVALS
CHAPTER 6 MOTIVES AND THEMES
WRITING Major KEY MELODIES
CHAPTER 7 WRITING MINOR KEY MELODIES
CHAPTER 8 TRIADS AND CHORDS
CHAPTER 9 CHORDS IN MAJOR Keys HARMONIC ANALYSIS:
ROOT POSITION CHORDS IN Major KEys
CHAPTER 10 CHORDS IN MINOR Keys HARMONIC ANALYSIS:
ROOT POSITION CHORDS IN MINOR KEyYs
CHAPTER 11 INVERSIONS, CADENCES, AND HARMONIC ANALYSIS
CHAPTER 12 FINAL COMPOSITION
INDEX
iv
101
109
117
137
149
Machlon
Rudiments of Music: A Concise Guide to Music Theory is written for the beginner who has an interest
in reading and writing music as well as the desire to understand the rudiments of tonal music
theory. It will also be useful for the student who has experience of music notation and the desire
for a stronger foundation in the rudiments of music. This book covers basic notation of pitch and
rhythm, major and minor keys, intervals, triads, and the tonal context of harmony. Students will
also learn how to compose short rhythm examples, melodies in major and minor keys, and a
24-measure piece for piano, exploring the principles of melody and harmony. This book is intend-
ed to supplement the classroom experience. The study of music theory requires two basic compo-
nents: the study of theory and the application of theory through the listening experience. This
book supplies the former, the basics of music theory. The application of theory through listening
will be provided in the classroom. It is the hope of the author that the merely theoretical will be
brought to life in the experience of music, and for this the work of the instructor in a beginning
theory class is crucial. Understanding how chords, intervals, meters, key signatures, and melodies
work can only be meaningful when they explicate the listening, performing, and composing expe-
rience of music. The study of theory is a desiccated endeavor when it does not answer questions
about how we listen to, and experience, music.
I have over twenty years of experience teaching non-majors at Stony Brook University to thank
for the impetus to write this book, which attempts to teach the essentials of theory in a systematic
way. After completing this rudimentary course in theory, the student will be ready to move on to a
course in tonal harmony such as those typically taught to college freshmen in music programs. This
book will supply students with all the fundamentals necessary to begin such a course with confi-
dence. In addition, the knowledge gained through this book will provide students with the founda-
tion necessary to go on to more advanced courses for non-majors in music history, theory, and
musicianship. Students wishing to improve their skills in musicianship (sight-singing and ear-
training) are encouraged to take a rudimentary course in the subject simultaneously or after
finishing a course in fundamental theory.
This book would not have been possible, nor would I have desired to write it, without the
dozens of teaching assistants who have taught the Elements of Music course at Stony Brook
University under my supervision. It is my hope that this book will make the teaching of the course
easier for them, just as their boundless enthusiasm and energy in teaching the course has made
the writing of this book easier for me.
» 8)
I would also like to thank my editors at Kendall/Hunt, Billee Jo Heffel and Kimberly Terry, and
acquisitions editor Sue Saad for making the production of this book such a pleasant experience.
For the third edition, thanks are due to Author Account Manager Sydney Decker and Project
Coordinator Paige Timm, who were as efficient as they were pleasant. I appreciate the willingness
of Kendall/Hunt to make this book available to students at a reasonable cost. I am also grateful for
the cheerful help of Joseph Bartolozzi in preparing this manuscript.
Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my wife, Dawn, for her enduring patience
and support for this and so many other projects.
Pitch and rhythm are two of the most important elements of Western music. The scientific term
for pitch is “frequency,” indicating the speed at which the object making the sound—string, reed,
larynx, etc.—is vibrating. The slower the vibration, the lower the sound; conversely, the faster the
vibration, the higher the sound. The human ear can perceive a wide range of sounds, from very
low to very high, and instruments have been created to take advantage of that capacity.
Most systems of Western music only make use of twelve distinct pitches. Although there are
eighty-eight keys on the piano, for example, there are only twelve different actual pitches, and this
set of twelve pitches is reproduced at various levels from low to high along the spectrum of possi-
ble sounds on the piano. Looking at a replica of the keyboard, represented below, you will see
seven complete sets of twelve notes. As you look from left to right, you will see that each set con-
tains twelve notes and is duplicated exactly as your eyes travel “up” the keyboard, which is
arranged from lowest to highest notes.
A|B}C|D[E| F|G]A|B|C|D]E| F|G]A]B[C|D]E] F{G|A|B]C{D|E] F|G|A|B|C|D|E| F|G|A|B|C|D] E| F|G|A]B|C|D] E] F|G|A|B}C
Middle C
== EXAMPLE 1-1 Keyboard
Fortunately for the student of music, the system designed to describe pitch in Western music is
a simple one, based on the Latin alphabet. There are only seven note names, the first seven letters
of the alphabet:
a b c d e f g
These letters correspond to the seven white notes on the keyboard. To name the remaining
five notes, the letters have accidentals added to them. Before treating these accidentals, however,
it is necessary to describe how pitches are notated.
CLEFS
Just as the system of using the first seven letters of the Latin alphabet as the basis for describing
pitches is simple, the method for notating pitch is also straightforward. Five lines, called a staff
(plural staves), and lines added above or below the staff, called ledger lines, suffice to represent
notes from very low to very high. The way this is accomplished so compactly is through the use of
clefs, which are symbols, on the far left side of the staff, that tell the player or singer in what part
of the sound spectrum—low, middle, or high—to play or sing. While notes from the various clefs
overlap, the different clefs “specialize.” The treble clef is effective for higher sounding instruments
or voices. The two most commonly used C clefs are useful for middle register music. The bass clef
is ideal for the representation of low sounds.
Treble or “G” Clef
The mid- to upper-register treble clef is also called the G clef, because the curlicue at the bottom
right of the clef surrounds the note “g,” specifically middle “g.” Looking at the keyboard below,
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you'll notice that “g” is on the second line from the bottom. Using the alphabet, we always count
from “a” to “g,” then return to “a” and start the process over again. Note the names of the pitches
and where they lie on the staff. The treble clef is used for many instruments including flute, oboe,
clarinet, trumpet, French horn, violin, among others. Tenor, alto, and soprano voice also read the
treble clef.
middle g
a
te} o_o e—®
—— EXAMPLE 1-2 Treble Clef
Bass or “F” Clef
The low- to mid-register bass clef is also called the F clef, because the two dots at the upper right
corner of the clef indicate the note “f,” specifically the “f” below middle “c.” Notice on the key-
board in Example 1-3 where “f” is. Once again, the sequence of notes is the first seven letters of
the alphabet. Instruments with deeper sounds use this clef, including bassoon, bass clarinet, tuba,
trombone, stringed bass, cello, among others. The bass clef is also used to notate the bass singing
voice.
2 ®): CHAPTER 1
v
=
== EXAMPLE 1-3 Bass Clef
“C” Clef
Unlike the treble and bass clefs, which are always found in their same positions on the staff, the
“c” clef moves to different lines to represent the note middle “c.” In past times, the “c” clef could
be found on any line of the staff. In more recent times, the clef is used in two positions, on the
third line from the top of the staff, and on the second line from the top of the staff.
“C” Alto Clef
When placed on the middle line of the staff (third from top or bottom), the “c” clef is called the
alto clef. This is the predominant clef of the viola. Note that the prongs on top and bottom of the
clef clear a space for and thus indicate the note “c.”
Zz
ac
= EXAMPLE 1-4 Alto Clef
