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theory

May 10, 2021 By Aron Bernstein 5 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge 5/10/21

Show off your music theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question posted here every Monday, and you can comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

How should you spell the note names for this A flat half-diminished seventh chord (for you jazz cats and rock hounds, that’s an A flat minor 7 flat 5). Then, respell the chord as a G sharp half-diminished seventh!

Check back on Friday, May 14th for the answer. Fear no harmony!

Want to Learn More?

I have an entire series of video lessons on chords in the Chord Module!  Sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys. I created Breaking Barlines with one thing in mind: making music theory effective and FUN!

ANSWER for 5/10/21

A Flat Half-Diminished Seventh Chord
G Sharp Half-Diminished Seventh Chord

Chords are always spelled in thirds, which means their notes have to skip letter names. When you write a chord, always start with just the bare letter names, and add the accidentals later. For an A flat half-diminished seventh chord, the letter names are A–C–E–G. That’s what we’re stuck with, and the letter names can’t be changed. So the correct spelling is A flat, C flat, E double flat, and G flat.

Obviously, no one much cares for this spelling! That’s why you’ll more commonly find this chord spelled enharmonically as a G sharp half-diminished seventh. Keep in mind, B and C flat might be the same pitch, but they’re not the same note. Think of homonyms like their and there: two different words, with two different meanings, that happen to sound the same.

Want to Learn More?

Come visit the Chord Module and become an expert with chords!  Sign up for a monthly subscription for full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: breakingbarlines, chords, harmony, music, musictheory, theory

April 12, 2021 By Aron Bernstein 2 Comments

Weekly Music Theory Challenge: 4/12/21

Show off your music theory chops with my weekly challenge! You’ll find a new question posted here every Monday, and you can comment to post your reply.

This week’s challenge:

What is the correct time signature for a measure with five beats and the dotted eighth note as the beat?

CHECK BACK on Friday, 4/16 for the answer!

ANSWER for 4/12/21

The correct time signature is 15/16. This is compound quintuple meter: five beats in the measure, and the dotted eighth note is the beat. The problem with compound meter, of course, is that the bottom number shows the division of the beat (the 16th notes, in this case), rather than the beat itself.

Want to learn more?

Sign up for a membership and get full access to all video lessons, worksheets, and answer keys!

Filed Under: music theory challenge Tagged With: beat, meter, music, musictheory, rhythm, theory, timesignature

February 18, 2020 By Aron Bernstein Leave a Comment

Not Every Good Boy Does Fine

If you’ve had piano lessons before, there’s a good chance your teacher taught you to read music with “Every Good Boy Does Fine” for line notes, and “F-A-C-E” for space notes.  I used these mnemonic tools for a long time as a teacher, and with surprisingly limited success.  The reality is, students who stop to consider the name of every note end up being very slow sight-readers.  I should know––that’s how I read music for years!  Here are some reasons why it doesn’t work well.

[Read more…] about Not Every Good Boy Does Fine

Filed Under: Learn music theory Tagged With: aronbernstein, breakingbarlines, lessons, music, musiclessons, musictheory, piano, pianolessons, reading, sight, sightreading, theory

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