Category: Uncategorized

Summary

For this lesson I made to bass lines for the purpose of understand ing the importance of them in making a good song.

My First Bass Line

https://onlinesequencer.net/878255

There wasn’t much that was particularly challenging about making this other than trying to make it sound good. I think that the repetition in a bass line makes it easier to compose than melody or harmony.

One of My Favorite Bass Lines

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/bill-withers/aint-no-sunshine

I like this bass line because despite the fact that it’s very simple it adds so much to the song. It is a walking bass line. The line is played after each phrase that he sings. Each phrase ends on A minor, and I believe that the bass line starts with A minor and ascends in a couple notes after that.

Second Bass Line

https://onlinesequencer.net/878386

I centered this bass line around A (my root note). I only use three notes. I use a structure that ascends in the first four measures and then descends at the end.

Bass Terms

Tonality – describes what makes western music sound different from other types of music

Root – the lowest note in the chord, usually the tonic

Walking Bass – a bass line consisting of usually scales or moving parts that doesn’t line up with the melody. The melody may be going up as the bass goes down or vice versa

Chromatic Scale – A scale that uses every note in the octave. It sounds darker.

Inversion – using a different note from the chord (normally the 3rd or 5th) other than the root note as the bass note

Bass Riffs – A motif that you play on bass that adds to the song

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I  learned that what makes a good bass line (in my opinion) is simplicity.

Summary

I made two different beats to better understand the components of making them.

My First Rhythm

https://onlinesequencer.net/875821

I first figured out what noises I liked from the drum kit and then I added and mixed them until I liked how it sounded.

One of My Favorite Rhythms

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/phil-collins/in-the-air-tonight

I like this beat because its very light under the melody until around the middle of the song where it gets really intense.

My Second Rhythm

https://onlinesequencer.net/875951

There are two types of drum kits on online sequencer- the original drum kit, and the electric drum kit. I used the normal drum kit for most of my beats in the rhythm, but for my accent beats I used the electric drum kit as it was louder. I also used cross rhythm by having the main beat, and then adding stuff over the top of it.

Terms and Concepts

Summary

In class today I made a tune for the purpose of better understanding harmony.

Lesson Harmony

https://onlinesequencer.net/293014

It was challenging to find notes that worked together right in a chord.

Lesson Harmony – C Major Chords

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/alicia-keys/fallin

The chord progression of this song is 1, 5- or tonic to dominant.

The key of the song is in em, which makes the tonic chord em, and the dominant chord bm7.

I like the harmony of this song because it’s very layered and it’s powerful because of that.

My Harmony

https://onlinesequencer.net/875172

I started on C and ended up on C chord. I used many triads to make chords. I payed close attention to my chord progression.

On the first measure I start with only one note which is C. And then on the second measure I do G, E, and D notes. I use more triads and leaps as the progression progresses.

The tonic chord is C and the tension chords are some of the other ones in the C scale.

Harmony Composition Terms

Drone – A continuous note that you can play over

Harmonics – “hidden” notes that help to create higherarchy in chords

Triad – 3 notes that come together and create a chord

Polyphony – many “voices”

Progression – a certain series of chords or notes that “work together” and sound good

Tonic – the first note of a scale “home”

Dominant – the fifth note of a scale that raises tension

Passimezzo Antico – A chord progression that’s a variation of a double tonic. It was popular during the Italian Renaissance

Passimezzo Moderno – “Modern half step” A chord progression that’s a variation of Passimezzo Antico. It divides the section in two and often uses a contrasting progression or section known as ripresi

Dischord –  deliberate collision of notes that are meant not to sound “pretty”

Dissonance – lack of harmony between notes “a clash”

Passing Notes – notes that don’t sound “pretty” but they are used a small amount of times like they are just “passing through”

Suspended Notes – dissonant notes being held for as long as possible and then finally moving at the last second

7th Chords – A regular triad chord plus the note seven steps above the first note

Diminished Chords – A regular triad chord with the bottom note being moved up a step

Augmented Chords – A regular triad chord with the last note being moved up a step

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

During this project, I got to learn more about harmony, how harmonies work and more about chords. I mostly used random notes in triads that I thought sounded good but I went back and revised to make them sound better.

Summary

I wrote two melodies to show that I learned how to use the note scale degrees.

My First Melody

https://onlinesequencer.net/874335

I started at C and I went back to C as it was my tonic note. I used G2 as my bass note.

One of My Favorite Melodies

https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/minnie-riperton/lovin-you

Key- A Major

Tempo- 125 bpm

Tension notes- F#, C#

The theme is happy

My Second Melody

https://onlinesequencer.net/874342

There isn’t really a pattern but the tune ascends mostly.

I use an ascending pattern and many leaps. The tonic note in the C scale is C, the supertonic is D, the mediant is E, the subdominant is F, dominant is G, submediant is A, and the leading tone is B.

Melody Composition Terms

theme –  a longer, more flowing melodic idea.

motive – a short rhythmic idea

period –  eight measures, a musical sentence

phrase – four measures, a piece of a musical sentence 

antecedent (Question) Phrase –  The first phrase, like asking a question, sets up for the next phrase

consequent (Answer) Phrase – The second phrase, almost like answering the question phrase one said

scale degree –

• tonic – Begins and ends the scale, determines what key you’re in and what the other notes will be [Stop, “Home”]
  
• supertonic, mediant, submediant – Have a moderate level of tension, won’t get the same feeling of rest [Rest]
• dominant, subdominant, leading tone – Have the most “forward moving force”, most tension [Go]

steps – any movement using half or whole steps

leap – any movement using intervals bigger than a whole step

conjunct motion – Melody built primarily out of steps

disjunct motion – Melody built primarily out of leap

repetition – using repeated material that can create a link between two phrases

contrast -Writing two phrases that contain and create tension and are different from each other

variation – half way between repetition and contrast, with some repeated parts and some varied parts

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned how to use tonic notes and how to go from the beginning to the end of a musical phrase.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uoGguSYKSK1KS3gPNMChAfdClZLCom5VggUhC1FJg4w/edit?usp=sharing