Form and Notation

How to Understand Music

First,

Form

Song Forms
AB - strophic form/binary form
ABA sonata form/ternary form
AABA 32-bar song form
ABACADA rondo form
BLUES FORM

Phrase 1
Phrase 2
Phrase 3

I
I I I
IV IV IV IV
V IV I I

Binary Form or Strophic

Form
(Do I have to call it that?)
Binary form is otherwise known

as AB form. A song in AB form

will have a verse and chorus.
Example: Jingle Bells
Is there anyone who doesnt
know that holiday song?

Binary Form (cont.)

Part A: Dashing through the snow in a onehorse open
sleigh.
Oer the fields we go, laughing all the
way.
Bells on bobtail ring, making spirits
bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing a
sleighing song
tonight.
Part B: Jingle Bells, jingle bells. Jingle all the
way.

Sonata Form or Ternary

Form
A B

EXPOSITIONDEVELOPMENT

1st Theme

themes from A
(1st-tonic)
(Tonic)
2nd Theme
(2nd-dominant

Closing Theme
(Closing-dominant)

RECAPITULATION

Development of 1
(Dominant Key)

All Themes from A

or more

Have you heard of

Beethovens Fifth
Symphony?
Lets listen to the first movement.

Notice how the motive of da-da-da-da repeats

throughout the piece.
Also, listen as I point out the A section and the
B section and how the A section comes
back at the end in a not so subtle way. Lets
look at the diagram on the next page to
identify the parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRgXUFnfKI

Sonata Form or Ternary

Form
A

EXPOSITION DEVELOPMENT
RECAPITULATION
1st Theme
(1st-tonic)

Development of 1
All Themes from A
or more themes from A
(Dominant Key)
(Tonic)

2nd Theme
(2nd-dominant
Closing Theme
(Closing-dominant)

ABA Song
Example: Twinkle, twinkle little star

A: Twinkle, twinkle little star,

How I wonder what you are.
B: Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
The standard ABA form (ternary or sonata

form) popular song is divided into 8 (A)/8 (A)/8

(B)/8 (A) or 32 bars of music.

What song can you name

that is in AABA song
form?
An art piece would be something most of you

have heard, a piece called Fur Elise (For

Elise, his student) by Beethoven.
Your turn!

Rondo, or ABACA, Form

Rondo form involves starting with the A

section, having the A section in the middle,

and ending with the A section.
Examples: ABACA
ABACADA
ABACADAEA
Listening example: Turkish Rondo by Mozart
http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=juLRqSV45vo

Blues Form
This form is the basis of most real blues

songs and most early rock and roll songs.

Example: Hound Dog by Lieber and Stoller
(famously sung by Elvis Presley)
http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XUAg1_A7IE&fea
ture=fvwrel
(Big Mama Thornton)
Phrase 1 I
I I I
Phrase 2 IV IV IV IV
Phrase 3
V IV I I

One last form:

Through-composed
A through-composed song fits

NO standard form. Example:

The Star-Spangled Banner. Its
form is as follows:
AABC
THE END

The Concerto and

the Symphony
QUESTION: Do I really have to
know this?
ANSWER: YES

What is a Concerto?
Concerto = concert = together

Concerto grosso - Piece in 3 contrasted

movements with a small body (group) of

instruments heard in alternate and together
with the larger orchestra.

Large group: Ripieno or tutti (meaning

full in Italian)
Small group: Concertino (meaning small
in Italiano)

What is a Concerto?
(cont.)
This form originated during the baroque period.

Composers wrote for whatever instruments were

available to the group.

Into the classical age, the concertino (small

group) got smaller to the point where they
became more soloists with orchestral
accompaniment.
a) Soloists became the flash or sizzle of the
piece.
b) Violinisticrefers to the flashiness.

What is a Symphony?
Symphony = from the Greek meaning

sounding together.

A symphony is now a SONATA FOR

ORCHESTRA.

The 18th c. operatic overture was the

original version consisted and consisted

of 3 movements (quick-slow-quick). It
developed into a 4 movement work
during the classical period.

The Parts of a Symphony

Movement 1: Sonata Form (usually the

most

important

movement)
Movement 2: Slower and more lyrical
Movement 3: Minuet and Trio, or
Scherzo
Movement 4: Usually Rondo Form
(ABACA)
or
Sonata Form (ABA) ( a

Lets watch an orchestra play a

symphony.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HbMzu1

aQW8

THE END

WHAT IS
NOTATION?

The Treble Staf

.
First, the treble staf:

The Bass Staf

Second, the bass staf:

And now, the Grand

Staf!
The following figure shows a generous range

of notes on the grand staf and how they

relate to the keyboard.

The Music Keyboard

And, how about them

notes and rests?
Lets go to a website to help us.
www.musictheory.net

What the heck is a scale

and why is it so
important?

First we have to
define
accidental.

What
is
an
accidental?
A sharp
raises a scale tone 1/2 step. The sign is

placed before the note.

A flat

A natural
only.
.

lowers a scale tone 1/2 step. The sign is

placed before the note.
indicates that the tone should not be
sharpped or flatted for one measure

Now we can construct the

diatonic major and minor scales.
A major or minor scale must use all 7 letters

of the alphabet. None can be repeated.

C Major:C D E F G A B C
No sharps or flats
A minor: A B C D E F G A
No sharps or flats.
Why are the above scales like this?

The Music Keyboard,

again:

Steps to constructing the scales.

Its patterns, kid!
A major (M) or minor (m) diatonic scale

consists of 2 types of tones:

1. Whole tone (w) or 2 half steps
2. Half tone or semitone (h): the
distance from one note to the note next to it
on a music keyboard.
Example: E to F, F# to G, G to Ab

Lets compare scale phone

numbers!
The major scale telephone number is:

2 2 1 2 2 2 1 or w w h w w w h
The minor scale telephone number is:
2 1 2 2 1 2 2 or w h w = w h w w
2 = 2 half steps or 1 whole step
1 = 1 half step

Examples of Scales
Major scale examples:

F G A Bb C D E F called F Major
G A B C D E F# G called G Major
Minor scale examples:
ABC DEFGA
G A Bb C D Eb F G

Sometimes the scales have

relatives!
A relative minor starts on the 6th tone of its

relative major scale and shares all the same

notes including sharps or flats (just like you
might look like your relatives).
A parallel minor starts on the 1 tone of a

major scale and DOES NOT share the same

notes (This one is adopted!).

THE END