₦airaland Forum

MUS 102(General Musicology)


excerpts from ReHearsal House Programme 1 lesson notes.


WHAT IS MUSIC
According to the RH Philosophy of music, music is the most
sublime blending of sounds, in a manner that pleases the
ear-tickles its admiration; entertains by muse, feeds love,
feeds the soul and glorifies God. Now to expound further on
this definition, lets pick the high points of the definition.
THE MOST SUBLIME BLENDING OF SOUNDS
It begins with sounds, various levels(called frequencies) of
sounds exist; but only sounds that can be detected by the
human ears are recognized as 'sounds', there are sounds
which cannot be detected by the human ears.
Now for the sounds detected by the ear, we may rightly
summarize them into: d r m f s l t
Others exist of course, but may be found just between any
two of these 7 notes. Now Music firstly must involve
mixtures of notes (i.e 'blending' any two or more notes),
even a single note may be blended in certain forms to make
up music, for instance
d d m m r d f m r m l t...
Now for the blending of sounds there are a couple of ideas
that must be in place, what is the time value or beats for
instance, d d m m r d... may be fast, moderate or slow; very
fast, moderately fast, or moderately slow, e.t.c.
Before a composer,or musical sound interpreter should say
''we have a musical sound mix'', the first consideration
ought to be, IS THIS THE MOST SUBLIME MIX POSSIBLE?
our next discussion on RH's MUS 102(General Musicology)
would center on considering the most sublime mix...
also see SOL 110(Solmization and sound mastery)

ReHearsal House Nigeria is a research Academy of applied music, lyricology, composition and scriptwriting... We hold that Music is the most sublime arrangements of sounds, in a manner that pleases the ears, entertains by MUSE, feeds love, feeds the soul and glorifies God...

In RH, we say...MUSIC PERFECTED.....

This thread would serve as a platform to share some of our musical classroom lessons with others, we hope it serves as an "online classroom" for those who do not have the opportunity to take part in our various classes... Plus serve as class reviews for those who attend our classes or take part in our MCSNUP TEACHES PIANOFORTE whatsapp sessions.

ReHearsal House Nigeria is a subsidiary of the PPICOMPANY, and owners of the ReHearsal House Record Company and MCSNUP TEACHES PIANOFORTE sessions.

Welcome...

More about ReHearsal House Nigeria... Visit www.rehearsalhouse..com, www.rehearsalhousenigeria.org

Where are you located? I know of a good musical Academy (Institution) ... And also, a couple of producers who could help out... It'll depend on your location, anyways... You can reach me on 08037302976...

In the continued session on this thread... We'll be discussing the 15 major keys and what accounts for them: the key signatures, arising from enharmonic principle...

We'll also be looking at the Law of the diatonic major scale, as well as defining the following terms:

Tone

Semitone

Sequitone.

Thank you for following.

Don't forget, to join the Mcsnup Teaches Pianoforte whatsapp forum, reach me on 08037302976.

Assignment...
How come we have 15 major keys from 12 keys?

THE 15 MAJOR KEYS:
C maj G maj D maj A maj E maj B maj F#maj C#maj F maj Bb(flat) maj Eb maj Ab maj Db maj Gb maj Cb maj

Now these notes played across any key following the same principle would immediately form the major diatonic scale of the played key. Remember that there are twelve keys in music, and these notes could be played from any of the keys, forming the major diatonic scale of the key of reference. For instance, playing the notes from key C as reference, would mean the formation of the scale of C major, comprising of the keys C D E F G A B C' for d r m f s l t d' respectively.

From top to bottom the notes are assigned degrees in the respective order...
1°=d 2°=r 3°=m 4°=f 5°=s 6°=l 7°=t 8°=d'

THE NOTES OF THE MAJOR (DIATONIC) SCALE.
Sound Note Name doh d tonic re r supertonic mi m mediant fa f subdominant soh s dominant lah l submediant te t leading note doh' d' uppertonic

MORE EXCERPTS FROM MCSNUP TEACHES PIANOFORTE

INTRODUCING THE MAJOR (DIATONIC) SCALE

There are various major scales, the commonest which is the most important of all the musical scales however is the diatonic major scale. The diatonic scale is a scale of 7 degrees, some would argue that it's 8. However those who say 7, would insist on that with the reason being... That the 8th degree is just the 1st degree on a new/higher pitch...

VACANCY:

*MUSICAL EDUCATORS
*PIANO INSTRUCTORS
*GUITAR INSTRUCTORS
*SOUND/STUDIO ENGINEERS
*TRUMPET/BRASS INSTRUCTORS
*VIOLIN INSTRUCTORS
*WOOD WIND/SAXOPHONE INSTRUCTORS
*COMPUTER OPERATOR

**Offers available on Full time & Part-time basis...


apply at ReHearsal House Nigeria. # 1 Okpoko Avenue off adolor college road, Ugbowo Benin city, Edo State Nigeria.

+234 8037302976, +234 8067690849.

**salary attractive.

VACANCY:

*MUSICAL EDUCATORS
*PIANO INSTRUCTORS
*GUITAR INSTRUCTORS
*SOUND/STUDIO ENGINEERS
*TRUMPET/BRASS INSTRUCTORS
*VIOLIN INSTRUCTORS
*WOOD WIND/SAXOPHONE INSTRUCTORS
*COMPUTER OPERATOR

**Offers available on Full time & Part-time basis...


apply at ReHearsal House Nigeria. # 1 Okpoko Avenue off adolor college road, Ugbowo Benin city, Edo State Nigeria.

+234 8037302976, +234 8067690849.

**salary attractive.

RHF FINGERING EXERCISES(count semibreves)
RHF: 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1
RHF: 5 4 3 2 1 2 3 4 5
RHF: 1 2 3 4 5 2 3 4 5
RHF: 5 4 3 2 1 4 3 2 1
RHF: 1 3 2 4 5 2 4 3 4
RHF: 4 2 1 5 3 2 4 3 5

COUNTING SEMIBREVES

To play semibreve, you play one note in your duration of 4 counts...

For effective practising, you should work with note values, it helps your practice and ReHearsals to have defined directions... For instance, in the following fingering exercises you could play strictly on semibreve values...

RHF: 1 2 3 4 5 4 3 2 1. (10times)

Remember the finger that corresponds to the various numbers...

** I deliberately decided not to include "keys", just numbers, because the first series of our exercises are to be performed away from the piano(keyboard)...

**there is the BREVE... but like we said.... There are 7 "relevant" ones.... So BREVE is.... Hmmmmm.... "irrelevant", especially in modern music...

This diverse "durations" has been grouped into "seven" relevant kinds... Thus we refer to them as the KINDS OF NOTE VALUES...

1. Semibreve
2. Minim
3. Crotchet
4. Quaver
5. Semiquaver
6. Demisemiquaver
7. Hemidemisemiquaver

NOTE VALUES

Musical sounds are referred to as NOTES. Every musical note(sound) has a definite value(lasting duration of the sound). These "values" are measured by a time duration of 4. Thus count 1 2 3 4... Be careful don't be TOO FAST.

The goal is to prepare the fingers for synergy...


Next...

Practising effectively: use note values.

It could be more... But work at this independent exercises for say 3 days...

Repeat the process independently, at least for 30minutes... 10 minutes morning, 10 minutes afternoon and 10 minutes evening...

Get to any surface, move your RHF starting with 1 2...5, then your LHF starting with 5, 4...1.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BB0AZ6sFE5U/ (check out this demo)



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw6Qk9sVGfo.... Just a short piano Demo...

NOTE BY

Learning to use your fingers in correspondence is vital... And let me add do not require the PRESENCE OF A KEYBOARD... Whether you already play or not you should as much as possible always TRAIN YOUR FINGERS... The video I shared involves some bits of advanced techniques... But, the essence of the whole thing is to show the RHF & LHF CORRESPONDENCE... That is the ROOT FROM WHICH the so called advanced techniques in the video ORIGINATES...

Fingers and correspondence...
RHF 1=LHF 5 RHF 2=LHF 4 RHF 3=LHF 3 RHF 4=LHF 2 RHF 5=LHF 1.

Thus in the right hand region, where a RHF 1(thumb) is placed on C, the LHF will place a finger corresponding to the RHF 1 on C of the Bass...

Further more in exercises for both hands fingers, whatever is assigned to any RHF is performed by a different LHF, thus we discuss finger correspondence... For example when RHF plays with 1, LHF plays with 5....

However, to understand this we have to remember that there are two main parts in the piano keyboard/music

1. The treble part
2. The Bass part

These parts are represented by the treble & bass clefs of pianoforte (explanations later). The division is from the MIDDLE C... That is, from middle C to the right forms the treble.... From middle C to the left forms the bass.... The bass is particularly the "region for the left hand" or say the left side.... While the treble is the right hand region...

Before we explore the Sharp and Flats... Let's explore some Exercises on white(natural) keys...

There are 10 fingers of the hand, 5 on right and 5 on left. The right hand fingers we usually designate as RHF & the left as LHF. Now beginning with the thumb fingers whether RHF or LHF are assigned numbers....

Thumb=1
Fore finger =2
Middle finger =3
Ring finger =4
Small finger =5.

SHARPS, FLATS...

In music as we ascend up, moving from left to right keys ascend, and increase in pitch, any increase thus by any key to the key just above it is said to be the sharpening of the key of origin. For instance C is the key just above B, with B as the key of origin (reference) a movement from B to C, is a sharpening of B, therefore we say that C is B sharp... Similarly, as we descend from "right to left" keys descend in pitch, and are said to be "flattened". The key just below the reference key becomes the flat of the reference, for instance, moving from C backwards, we descend in pitch to B, the key just below C... Thus B is now referred to as C flat...

In Pianoforte however, the idea of sharps and flats are usually used to speak of increased or decreased pitch from a white (natural key) to a black Key [sharp(increased)/flat(decreased)]. Thus the black key just above C is referred to as C sharp... And that just below D as D flat....

# details still coming...

*Remember you're free to ask your questions...

#MTP.

A B before C...

You'd have noticed the absence of the first two letters of the English Alphabets, A B, don't worry.. They're a part of the mix. Remember that musical keys are named after the first 7 letters of the English Alphabets... Beginning from A... And closing on G. Now A and B comes before C, so they're placed just before C, or to use a more musical term "below C"...

Note we've been describing the Natural keys of pianoforte...

From the above "reference keys" other pianoforte keys follow... Just follow your English language alphabetical order, for instance from C... D E F G.

CAUTION!

THERE'S NO "H"...

2. Key F.
Simply the white key that is just before the group of three blacks.

Still on Key C...

Key C is arguably the most "important" key on the keyboard, for a number of reasons. The most important being the "magical" middle C. We'll disect the middle C much more later in the MTP series. The middle C is musically defined as the C that is just above the A440Hz. Well don't worry about that... Just sit on the keyboard, at the center of the keyboard, the C key just facing you, is very much most likely, the middle C...