Comprehensive introduction to basic knowledge of music theory

Music theory is referred to as "music theory", including relatively simple basic theories-reading music, intervals, chords, rhythm, beats, etc. There are also relatively advanced contents - harmony, polyphony, musical form, melody, orchestration, etc. Below I have collected and organized the basic knowledge of music theory for you. I hope it will be helpful to you!

There are many ways to record music. In ancient China, there were several categories such as Chinese notation and Gongchi notation. When used for different musical instruments, there were also Guqin score and pipa score. Similar to writing, music score is a system of symbols prescribed by people. No matter what kind of notation is used, the purpose is to accurately record the music so that it can be disseminated and reproduced (performed) based on this record. Staff notation is a modern and internationally accepted notation method. After mastering staff notation, learning simplified musical notation will be very easy.

Music score classification method

Music score classification method 1

1. In ancient China, there were "gong, shang, jiao (jue), levy (zhi), and feather". "The five tones correspond to 1 2 3 5 6 in the simplified musical notation. They are the basic notes of the music score. These five tones are used in ancient music when composing music. When composing music, one of them is used to determine the key. Only in the music will the length of the syllables, quarter notes and notes be reflected. For example, the Yunnan folk song "Little River Flowing Water" was composed in this way. There are no two tones 47 in the whole song, and it is a traditional folk song.

2. Simplified musical notation refers to a simple notation method. There are two types of alphabetical notation and number notation. Generally speaking, simplified musical notation refers to digital musical notation. The digital musical notation is based on the movable solfa method, using 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 to represent the 7 basic sound levels in the scale, which are pronounced as do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si , rest is represented by 0. The duration name of each number is equivalent to the quarter note of the staff.

The prototype of digital musical notation first appeared in Europe in the 16th century. In the 17th century, French Franciscan priest J.J. Suati improved it and used it to teach religious songs. In the mid-18th century, the famous French thinker J.J. Rousseau made further improvements, vigorously advocated it, and included it in his "Music Dictionary". In the 19th century, after the continuous improvement and promotion of P. Garland, A. Paris and E.J.M. Scheve, it became widely used among the masses. Therefore, this kind of simplified notation is called "Jia-Pa-Xie's notation" in the West.

At the end of the 19th century, simplified musical notation spread to Japan and then to China. In 1904, Shen Xingong compiled and published "School Singing Collection", which was the earliest self-compiled collection of simplified musical notation in China. Later, it gradually spread to schools all over the country. In the 1930s, with the development of the national salvation singing movement, simplified musical notation was widely circulated among the masses.

Since the notation of simplified musical notation is quite close to that of China’s Gongchipu (a written musical notation popular in Chinese folk), Chinese simplified musical notation has achieved unprecedented development. On a global scale, China is the The country that has best absorbed and promoted simplified musical notation. The five-line notation, through the Western-centered music education system, has basically become popular in all countries and is one of the compulsory items in schools. It provides the basis for the unification of world music into one notation.

3. Staff notation is a common notation method in the world. It is a method of recording music by marking notes and other symbols with different time values ??on five equally spaced parallel horizontal lines. Each line of the staff and the space between the lines are called the first line, the second line, the third line, the fourth line, the fifth line and the first room, the second room and the third room from bottom to top. , the fourth room. If the lines and spaces are not enough, you can add lines and spaces above or below the staff. The added line and the added space are respectively called the upper plus first line, the upper plus first room, the lower plus first line, the lower plus first room, etc., each representing a sound level. The fixed height of these steps is determined by the clef used. There are three types of clefs: treble clef, also known as G clef, bass clef, also known as F clef, and alto clef, also known as C clef. In order to adapt to the needs of human voices and musical instruments in different ranges and to avoid excessive addition of lines, there are many kinds of staffs, among which there are five commonly used ones: treble clef (with G clef): bass clef (with G clef) F clef), soprano clef, alto clef, lower alto clef (the latter three use C' clef).

The soprano staff is no longer commonly used, the alto staff is only used for viola, and the tenor staff is often used in the higher registers of cello, bassoon, and trombone. In addition, there are alto clefs, mezzo-soprano clefs, etc.

4. Braille notation is a notation method suitable for blind people. There are two types of music notation: six-point music notation (current) and 12-point music notation (innovation). The six-point musical notation was invented by Louis Braille, the father of French Braille. One dot symbol can only express the note name and duration of the musical note (whole note to 64th note), and the sound group requires another dot symbol. The 12-point music notation was invented on the basis of the "12-point three-piece braille". Like simplified music notation, one square dot notation can express a complete note (duration, note name and pitch), making the music notation more expressive.

Instructions:

1. Three dot symbols form a 12-point musical note. The first column of dot symbols expresses the note value, and the second column of dot symbols expresses the note name.

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The third column expresses the sound group; it can realize note and.

2. The beat number (X0Y) is located at the beginning of the whole song. The first column of dots represents the duration of each beat, and the third column of dots represents the number of beats.

3. Tuplet (X0Z), the first column of dots represents the duration of each beat, and the third column of dots represents the duration of the tuplet.

4. For chord notes (XX0), the root note remains unchanged, and the note group dots for non-root notes are omitted.

5. The grace note mark (D00) indicates the front grace note, and the grace note mark is placed in front of the grace note; it indicates the back grace note, and the grace note mark is placed in front of the main note

, the back grace note is placed behind the main note.

Music score classification method two

More targeted music scores that record the playing methods of different types of musical instruments, such as: piano scores, guitar scores, guzheng scores, pipa scores, etc.

Classification and characteristics of music

According to parts and status of parts:

1. Mono-part music - music with only one melody, such as without accompaniment Solo, solo, chorus, etc.;

2. Polyphonic music - it is a kind of music in which several tunes are entered in different ways under the premise of harmony, and they both cooperate with each other and develop independently. Polyphonic music In the hands of Bach, it reached a high degree of perfection.

3. Main-key music - refers to a kind of music in which one part plays the main melody, and the other parts use harmony to accompany the main melody. Haydn is the main representative figure.

According to the nature of music:

1. Pure music-it relies entirely on musical language instead of borrowing any title to express the content of the work. It also has a title, such as "Sonata No. 1", but the title only refers to the genre of the music and does not indicate the content of the music. The listener will have a general understanding of the era, experience, world view of the composer of the music he is going to listen to, and the background in which the music was produced.

2. Title music--it is an instrumental piece based on a certain theme and using the title to imply the central content. Often based on literature, drama, history, folklore or real life. They use detailed text to describe the characteristics of the whole piece and each movement. It can be said that title music is the literary form of music. The title is a direction indicated by the composer in advance to help the audience make associations, and has no limiting effect.

3. Light music-refers to music that is lively, popular, and short in structure, as opposed to serious classical music. Appreciating light music does not require serious thinking and rational activities. It only provides people with beautiful enjoyment and cultivates people's sentiments.

4. Jazz music--is a kind of popular dance music. Emerging from African Americans, this kind of music has no fixed score. Each musician improvises and maintains a rough "tacit understanding". Improvisation has always been a hallmark of jazz music. It can be considered that jazz music is the essence of American music culture.

Expanded content

Basic knowledge of chord theory

1. Firmly memorize the structures of various triads and seventh chords.

This includes:

1. The structures and names of the four triads. (Major triad, minor triad, augmented triad, diminished triad)

　2. The inversion structures and names of the four triads.

(First inversion, second inversion)

3. The structures and names of the five commonly used seventh chords.

4. The inversion structures and names of the five seventh chords. (First inversion, second inversion, third inversion)

2. Identify the shapes of various chords on the staff.

The shape of triads:

1. The shape of triads in situ is like a string of candied haws, with three notes arranged closely up and down, either on the line or in the space. .

2. The shape of the first inversion of a triad (sixth chord) is: thirds are at the bottom, fourths are at the top, dense at the bottom and sparse at the top.

3. The shape of the second inversion of a triad (fourth-sixth chord) is: the fourth is at the bottom, the third is at the top, dense at the top and sparse at the bottom.

The shape of the seventh chord:

1. The shape of the seventh chord in the original position is also like a string of candied haws, but it is longer, with four tones arranged closely up and down, or all on the line , or all in the room.

2. The shape of the first inversion of the seventh chord (the fifth and sixth chords) is: there is a second interval (two tones cross diagonally), which appears at the top of the sugar-coated haws. It is customarily called It's called "wearing a hat."

3. The shape of the second inversion of the seventh chord (the third and fourth chords) is: there is a second interval (two tones cross diagonally), which appears in the middle of the candied haws. It is customary to call it vividly. It's called "belt tie".

4. The shape of the third inversion of the seventh chord (second chord) is: there is a second interval (two tones cross diagonally), which appears at the lower end of the candied haws. It is customarily called a sugar haws. for "boots on."

3. Recognition method of chord structure.

1. Remember the basic structure of triads and seventh chords in correct position.

2. Remember the structures of quasi-triads and seventh-chord inversions.

3. You can also restore the inverted chord to the original position chord, and then use the original position chord to calculate the structure of the inverted chord.

Introduction to the basic knowledge of vocal music theory

1. Misunderstandings about the use of voice

The general concept of sound production is that the air exhaled from the lungs causes the vocal cords to vibrate when it passes through the larynx. , to produce sound, but the principle of movement of singing vocalization is based on human instinctive vocalization, maximally adjusting the reasonable movement of vocal cords and surrounding muscles to produce a powerful and rich sound state that meets the needs of singing technology. During singing training, students often confuse these two different levels of sound states, and use the psychological suggestion of instinctive vocalization to guide artistic singing, which leads to vocal misunderstandings such as larynx lifting and voice leakage. To overcome the above vocal errors, we must strictly distinguish between the instinctive habits in life and the requirements for artistic singing, and establish a correct vocal awareness.

The closing ability of the vocal cords is partly its own function and partly depends on the coordination of the surrounding muscles. The instinctive vocal habits in life are limited to the distance that the other party can hear. There are no requirements for loud volume or vocal range, and the use of vocal cords is arbitrary. Since the vocal cords are only tightly closed when making strong and high-pitched sounds, the instinctive vocal habits similar to speaking often leave the vocal cords in an incompletely closed state most of the time. If the function of the muscles around the vocal cords is used incorrectly, such as using the cricoarytenoid muscles that should promote glottis opening in singing, it will definitely cause the problem of weak and leaky sounds; if the force of the extralaryngeal muscles that stabilize the larynx is used in vocalization, it will It will cause voice errors such as larynx raising and guttural sounds.

2. Misunderstandings about breathing

The thoracoabdominal combined breathing method has been generally considered to be the most scientific breathing method for singing, but there are still many students who are frustrated by breathing training. Well done, but not enough breath when vocalizing. In my teaching practice, I found that there are two main misunderstandings about breathing problems: First, the breath does not reach the depth enough when inhaling, that is, it does not reach the "bottom of the lungs" required by the technique. When the shallow breath acts on the vocal cords, the volume and pressure of the exhaled breath are not enough to impact the closed vocal cords, making the voice appear weak. The cause of shallow breathing is related to instinctive breathing habits. Instinctive breathing is a physiological instinct response similar to ordinary conversations or after strenuous physical exercise. It only requires the expansion and contraction of the chest to generate force to complete. Exchange of gases within the lungs.

The expansion is only concentrated in the upper part of the lungs, which is obviously very different from the "inhalation to the bottom of the lungs" required by singing. In other words, the ability of the waist and abdominal muscles has lost its existence value. When a longer musical phrase requires increased breath volume, the breath in the lower part of the lung lobes cannot be effectively transported, and the breath is felt to be insufficient.

The second is the lack of effective coordination between breath and sound, resulting in the sound "not matching the breath". We analyze the reasons for this phenomenon from two aspects. On the one hand, there is no habit of using breath to sing, and singing just when you open your mouth, which separates the breathing movement from the vocal movement of singing. On the other hand, they pay too much attention to the breath, and deliberately increase the strength of the waist and abdominal muscles in order to save breath, resulting in "breath holding", which prevents the breath from acting smoothly on the vocal cords. The end result of both situations can result in tight, dry vocal cords and a straight voice lacking overtones. In response to the above situation, we advocate that it is better to practice breathing and vocal training together, because breath and voice are integrated into one, and breathing training cannot exist independently of singing practice. We need to establish this awareness of singing: only the sound supported by the breath is an effective sound, and only the breath that correctly acts on the vocal cords is an effective breath.

3. Misunderstandings about tinnitus

The tinnitus cavity of the human body is divided into three large tinnitus areas, namely: chest tinnitus area, The ringing area of ??the oropharyngeal cavity (mouth, larynx, pharynx) and the ringing area of ??the head cavity (paranasal sinuses, frontal sinus, sphenoid sinus). The oropharyngeal cavity is the first vocal area after the sound comes out of the throat. It connects to the head cavity and goes down to the chest cavity. It is a very important part of singing and is decisive for the fullness of the voice and the beautification of the timbre. effect. Pavarotti once emphasized that vocal sounds mainly occur in the oral cavity and pharyngeal cavity, which illustrates the important role of the oropharyngeal cavity in the entire singing.

However, this area also has the most misunderstandings. The so-called opening of the oropharyngeal cavity is what we often call "opening the throat." The requirements for opening the throat have been discussed in the previous article. What needs to be pointed out here is the state of the "tongue" during the opening of the oropharyngeal cavity. Many students mistake tightening the tongue for opening the throat, resulting in tongue muscle stiffness and laryngeal pressure. On the one hand, it destroys the good state of pitch formation, and on the other hand, it also hinders the smooth opening of the oropharyngeal cavity and good *** There is no way to talk about the sound. The key to opening the oropharyngeal cavity is to loosen the throat, jaw, and tongue on a stable basis, so that these parts are in a "free" state.

Introduction to basic knowledge of music theory for young children

The violin is the most commonly used instrument in the orchestra. Its playing techniques are rich and expressive. It is mainly good at playing singing melodies and is the main melody instrument in the band. It is capable of fast phrases, scales and arpeggios, and is also very expressive as a harmonic foil. When played solo, its colors change and its virtuoso performance is fully brought into play. Its beautiful and melodious sound has inspired the imagination of many artists and brought people many extraordinary artistic enjoyments. Therefore, people call it the "Queen" of musical instruments.

The violin is equipped with four strings. The interval relationship between the strings is a pure fifth. It is notated with a treble staff and the pitch is fixed: generally speaking, the timbre of the first string Bright and clear; the second string's timbre is soft and elegant; the third string's timbre is cantabile and slightly tense; the fourth string's timbre is deep and generous.

Notes on tuning:

1. The tuning of the violin is fixed in fifths. When tuning as a beginner, you can use a tuner to calibrate each open string. After you become proficient, you can calibrate only the A string, then calibrate the A and D strings respectively, and then the A and E strings, using double tones for tuning. , calibrate repeatedly until the four strings are calibrated.

2 During tuning, if the peg is too tight and cannot be tightened, you can apply a little pencil lead or dry soap; if it is too loose and slippery, you can apply a little rosin powder or chalk powder.

The violin has a wide range of sounds, four octaves from g to a4. The commonly used range of the band is from g to a3 (that is, from the first to the seventh position).

The violin has four strings, so many tones in the total range can exist on several strings at the same time, but the sound quality and timbre of the same pitch on different strings are not exactly the same. Among the four strings, the treble (high position) on the E string is used the most, followed by the A and G strings, while the treble on the D string is used less.

This is because the treble part of the string has a low sound and is muffled and tense, so it is rarely used. However, the treble part of the G string is tense and powerful (it is the outermost string and can be pulled with stronger force) when emotions are high. Playing with the G string and the higher notes (high positions) on the G string will give you better results.

Staff notation

Staff notation is composed of five parallel lines with equal distance. The names of the lines are called first line, second line, third line and fourth line from bottom to top. , the fifth line, the blank part in the middle of the line is called "Jian", and the names of the rooms are also called the first room, the second room, the third room, and the fourth room from bottom to top.

Treble clef (G clef)

The lines and spaces of the staff are used to indicate pitch, and the clef determines what tone the lines and spaces represent. Each line represents a certain pitch respectively. If it is not enough, short horizontal lines can be added above and below the staff to assist.

Notes

The long and short symbols used to record sounds in music are called notes. It consists of talisman heads, talisman poles and talisman tails.

In addition to recording the duration of the sound in different shapes, the notes also use different positions of the note heads on the staff to represent the pitch of the sound. There are two types of notes: simple notes and dotted notes.

Rest

The symbol that indicates a pause in sound is called a rest. Rests are divided into simple rests and dotted rests.

Dotted

Dotted characters are placed to the right of notes and rests. The dot increases the duration of the original note by half.

Compound dots (also called double dots)

That is, there are two dots on the right side of a note or rest, and the second dot increases by a quarter of the original note or rest. time value.

Bar line, bar, end line

The vertical line used to divide the beat is called bar line. The part between two bar lines is called a bar. The complex vertical line (one thick and one thin) recorded at the end of the music is called the termination line, indicating that the music ends here. The complex vertical lines (two of the same thickness) recorded at the obvious sections of the music indicate that the music ends here.

Pitch levels

It has seven roll names (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si) or note names (C, D, E, F, G, For any tone named A or B), each tone level has several different pitches, which are distinguished by changing tone symbols. The relationship between each tone level is the basis of all pitch relationships in music. Level Ⅰ - tonic; Level Ⅱ - superior tonic (the upper neighbor leading to the tonic); Level Ⅲ - middle tone (the middle tone of the tonic and dominant); Level Ⅳ - subordinate tonic (the tone of the tonic) Level Ⅴ - dominant tone (the upper dominant tone of the tonic); Level Ⅵ - lower middle tone (the middle tone of the subordinate tone of the tonic); Level Ⅶ - leading tone (the lower neighbor leading to the tonic) sound).

Semitone, whole tone

Semitone is called the minor second. Two semitones are a whole tone, and the whole tone is called the major second. An octave can be divided into 12 semitones.

Musical interval

The distance between two notes is called musical interval. Intervals are divided into two categories: harmonic intervals that sound simultaneously and melodic intervals that sound one after another. Calculate the interval unit between two tones, expressed in "degrees".

One of the main characteristics of sound refers to the length of the sound, which is determined by the length of time the sounding body continues to vibrate. In music, it is mainly reflected in rhythm and beats. Notes of different durations are marked by many different symbols, such as whole notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, etc. The organized succession of sounds in duration. It is one of the most important means of expression of music.

A repetitive sequence of rhythmic units of simultaneous value. That is to say, the regular cycle of strong beats and weak beats is called beat. The unit beat in the accent position is called a strong beat, and the unit beat in the weak position is called a weak beat.

Beat (time signature)

The unit of beat is represented by a fixed duration (half note, quarter note, etc.). In the staff, it is represented by two Arabic numerals below and below the third line to the right of the clef and key signature. The upper number indicates the number of units in each measure, and the lower number indicates the duration of the unit beat.

Music scale

In an octave, a series of tones arranged in sequence according to a certain pitch relationship is called a musical scale.

Taking the key of C major as an example, the distance between the third and fourth notes (mi and fa) and the seventh and eighth notes (si and do) are all semitones. The distance between two adjacent notes is a whole tone, which is called the major scale. The major scale with the note C as the main note is called the C major scale.

The minor scale: with la as the main note, it is composed of seven tones: la, si, do, re, mi, fa, and sol. It has three forms:

1 Natural minor

Like the major, it is also composed of seven steps. The difference from the major is that the semitones are in the second and third steps. The distance between the sounds (si and do), the fifth and sixth sounds, and the distance between other two adjacent sounds is a whole tone. The notes used in the natural minor are exactly the same as those in the relative major, but the tonics are different and the scale arrangement is different (also called parallel keys). The tonic notes of a major key and a relative minor key differ by a minor third. For example, the relative minor of C major is A minor, and the relative major of A minor is C major.

2 harmonic minor

Based on the natural minor, raise the seventh note (#sol), between the sixth and seventh notes (fa and #sol) To add a second, the seventh tone to the tonic forms a semitone relationship.

3 melodic minor

Based on the natural minor, the sixth and seventh notes (#fa and #sol) are raised when going up, and these two notes are raised when going down. Sound restoration.

Basic postures and methods of violin playing

1. Body posture

The true meaning of posture is changing movements. Posture comes from movement: since movement is necessary to perform, posture is produced by the needs of movement; posture also serves movement; good posture makes movement convenient and performance effective. Correct posture is one of the basic conditions to ensure the high development of students' playing level.

When learning to play the violin, you must master the correct playing posture at the beginning stage. If the playing posture is incorrect, it will directly affect the normal performance of bow pronunciation, timbre and playing skills. The violin can be played in both sitting and standing positions.

The sitting posture is the posture used during duets and ensembles. You are required to sit upright, with your waist straight and your body not leaning on the back of the chair (it is best to sit in the front part of the chair). Choose a higher chair so that the right knee can be slightly extended so that the right thigh is not touched when playing the upper half bow of the E string. (Younger students, in order to reduce physical fatigue, can also practice sitting for a small part of each piano practice)

Standing posture is the posture used during solo and practice. The body is required to be naturally upright and relaxed, with the feet separated left and right (in line with shoulder width) into a figure eight shape, and the center of gravity of the whole body placed flat on the two feet. When playing, you can swing your body appropriately and naturally in accordance with the thoughts and feelings of the music and the inner excitement caused by it. However, you should avoid excessive body movements when playing, because excessive movements not only look uncomfortable, but also require constant adjustment of the relationship between the bow and the piano, which will bring many unfavorable factors to the performance.

2. Hold the piano

① Pick up the piano with your right hand (the thumb is on the panel of the piano, and the other four fingers are on the back of the piano).

②Pick it up and put it on your left shoulder (still holding the piano in your hand, with your head in a natural position, use the cheek pad of the piano to bring it close to your left cheek).

③Clamp the piano with your lower jaw and left shoulder (the body of the piano forms a 45-degree angle with the person's shoulder, the surface of the piano is slightly tilted to the right, and the direction of the piano is slightly to the left). The angle of holding the piano (moving slightly to the left or right) depends on the length of the left and right arms. Generally, the position of the bow tip on the strings is parallel to the bridge and forms a cross with the strings.

④The left hand is bent separately to hold the piano (the piano can be put aside at this time).

⑤The base of the index finger of the left hand is in contact with the neck of the piano, and the thumb is in contact with the neck of the piano (to do this, you can first hold the piano with your right hand, and then put it on your shoulder).

⑥The palm of your left hand is bent inward into a semi-circular shape. (Align your fingers front and back in the same direction as the fingerboard, and keep your wrist and forearm basically straight).

⑦Place the four fingers of your left hand at four degrees.

3. The posture of the left hand and left arm

The various parts of the left hand, fingers, wrists, arms, and elbows are all interconnected with each other as a whole playing organ. Actions all interact and influence each other.

The four fingers always maintain the basic position (fourth degree relationship) when playing, and this should be the case in any position. The rotation of the left arm to the left and right adjusts the relationship between the fingers and the fingerboard, so that the fingers are in a comfortable and comfortable position when playing the notes on any string. When pulling the G string, the elbow is in a comfortable position. Adapt to this position and turn a little to the right, and when pulling the E string, move a little to the left. In this way, the elbow acts like a rudder on a ship, so this movement is called "rudder movement of the left arm." .

When changing from a low position to a high position, the left arm also changes. On one hand, it bends more and on the other hand, it turns to the right to adapt to the needs of the fingers playing in the high position.

In order to clarify the movements of these two forms, you can take the example of playing a two-octave scale with a fixed position and a three-octave scale with changing positions to carefully observe how the arms work. action.

4. Holding and moving the bow

First of all, what you are holding is not a bow, but a pencil.

1. Place your right hand naturally flat on the table with the palm facing up.

2. Put a pencil on your hand, with one end on the top of your little finger and the other end on the second level of your index finger.

3. Bend your thumb slightly and place your fingertip (the part slightly to the right) above the point where your middle finger touches the pencil.

4. Bend the four fingers together to gently hold the pencil, and at the same time arch the thumb a little.

5. The hand is as ready as above, then turn it over with the palm facing down, and the finger joints can move up and down freely.

6. The little finger should not be stiff, but should be relaxed and stand on the bow stick with a natural bend to offset the weight of the bow at the other end of the fulcrum. ;