UreMusic Education

In the 16th century consonance and dissonance were strictly defined and categorized.In the 21st-century consonance and dissonance were perceived differently. Arnold Schoenberg taught that there weren’t necessarily consonant and dissonant intervals but intervals of varying degrees of intensity.With this logic, the concept of consonance and dissonance began to change and grow. Dissonance was avoided in the past, but as our ears developed, so did the perception of dissonance. The overtone series is a series that consists of intervals that start strong and become weaker and more distantly related from the fundamental as the series continues.To say that these more distant intervals are dissonant while the stronger ones are consonant is incorrect.The more distant intervals sound dissonant partially because of their unfamiliarity to the ear. When the ear encounters something new there is a tendency to categorize it as undesirable and avoid it.It tends to take time for new sounds to make s...

Creating sheet music is not an activity for a novice. You must have a basic understanding of music theory and the ability to pay attention to detail. Regardless of the type of sheet music you want to learn, picking up a music theory text will help you learn the basics of music and make it easier to notate your ideas. Find a music theory text that teaches you about note names and values, key signatures, scales, chords, and chord progressions. These are the basics of music and will help you when it comes to writing down your own sheet music. It isn’t always worth it to take lessons to learn these basics. However, a decent instructor can help guide you through the process and provide a more nuanced approach to instruction. Pick up a decent music theory text and work through it until you find that you need an instructor. Consider purchasing, Stefan Kostka’s “Tonal Harmony” textbook. Here are some suggestions for subjects to study when learning to create your own sheet music: Learn ...

While it may seem like a simple task, writing music for children can be an extremely challenging task for composers that are used to writing for professional musicians. Writing music for children is an exercise in restriction, and you can’t simply write down every idea that comes into your head. Melodies must be able to be easily sung, and harmonies should move by stepwise motion. The range of the music is also important. Just because a child can sign high and loud, doesn’t mean that you should write a difficult line for them. Performance Opportunities Composers that can learn to write effective music for children can find a lucrative outlet in the elementary and junior high school realm of music composition. Schools are always looking for quality new music for their lower grade choirs and often have budgets that can be used to buy and perform music. Stepwise Motion Use stepwise motion when writing music for kids. If you’re going to leap, make it a simple leap of no more than a...

Composers use rhythms to infuse a composition with a pulse that serves to drive a piece forward and articulate sections, melodies, and ideas. You don't need expensive equipment, but a basic understanding of tempo, simple notation, and basic note values helps you to create effective rhythms. Rhythm generators won't help you to compose music rhythms and typically won't produce high-quality, driving rhythms. Automatic rhythms produced with music software lack structure, logic, and a sense of musical development. Learning how to create your own rhythms can eventually lead to the ability to create something new and original not based on pre-constructed rules and forms. While you are ultimately still limited by the notational system you decide to use, by learning to write down your rhythms you develop a greater ability to edit and improve your ideas. Once finished creating your rhythm, use a notation program like MuseScore , Finale , or Avid Software Sibelius v. 7 for play...

The musical staff is a relatively simple system of five lines and four spaces, but it often causes confusion for kids learning to read music. When an individual is just starting out, it is helpful to provide phrases based on acronyms, derived from the note names, to help memorize the names of the lines and spaces on the musical staff. With enough practice, kids will begin to recall the notes without having to resort to gimmicks, and should maintain a lifetime understanding of basic music theory. Once the notes have been memorized, turn the process into a game to make the activity more enjoyable and promote practicing. Learning The Notes of the Staff Show the kids what a treble and bass clef look like. The treble clef looks like a stylized G with the loop towards the bottom wrapping around the second line, in which the note G is placed. The bass clef looks like a stylized F with the two points of the F turned into two dots on either side of the F line. Teach the kids how to draw the ...

Loosely defined, a ternary form has three sections that serve to form the overall structure of the piece. A few types of ternary form exist to help further distinguish one type of ternary from the next. The clarification between different types of ternary form has to do with the way in which sections repeat and the manner in which the music moves through different keys. Simple Ternary Simple ternary form consists of three sections that do not necessarily link together through chord progressions. Each section may be a completely different idea. This type of ternary form usually follows the pattern: A B A, where each letter represents a different section and musical idea. Simple ternary has a tendency to be very simple and easy to follow due to the limited changing nature of the thematic material. Music needs a certain amount of repetition to create musical connections, and simple ternary makes this possible. Some popular songs consist of simple ternary constructions, such as "So...

The circle of fifths is a useful tool to determine the relative major and minor key signatures, as well as the relationships between the number of sharps and flats, and the name of the key. Relative Minor and Major Key Signatures Relative minor and major keys are keys that share the same key signature. For instance, G Major has 1 sharp and E minor also has 1 sharp. Because they share the same number of sharps they are considered relative to each other. To determine the relative minor of a major key, simply find the major key and match it with its minor equivalent. For instance, G major is the relative major of e minor because they have 1 sharp each. To find the relative major just go in the opposite direction. E minor is the relative minor of G major for the same reason. Parallel Minor and Major Key Signatures Parallel minor and major keys are keys that share the same tonic, or key name. For instance, D Major and d minor may have different relative key signatures, but they shar...