MUSIC THEORY
Music is physics felt by the soul. Theory is the study of the patterns, structures, and mathematical relationships that make sound pleasing, tense, or resolving.
The Overtone Series
When you pluck a string, you don't just hear one note. You hear a fundamental frequency plus a series of fainter, higher frequencies (Harmonics). These ratios (2:1, 3:2, 4:3) are the physical basis for all chords.
Core Curriculum
Chords & Harmony
How notes stack together to create emotion. Major, Minor, Diminished, and 7ths.
Scales & Modes
The linear organization of pitch. Major, Minor, Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian.
Rhythm & Meter
The organization of time. Time signatures, polyrhythms, and syncopation.
Notation
Reading the map. Staff, clefs, key signatures, and articulation symbols.
Intervals
The distance between two notes. A Perfect Fifth (7 semitones) is the most stable interval after the Octave. A Tritone (6 semitones) is the most unstable ("The Devil's Interval").
Why the Circle Matters?
The Circle of Fifths is the periodic table of music. It tells you:
- Which keys are "close" to each other (share notes).
- How many sharps/flats are in a key signature.
- The path of harmonic resolution (V resolving to I).