Chapter+Three

Chromatic- moving by half step

Chromatic half-step- a half step that features the same letter name such as C and C#(these are chromatic half steps)

Circle of fifths - a circular diagram in which sharps and flats are added to the key signature. The sharp keys appear on the right(outside) side of the circle, each key a fifth higher. On the left side (inside), the key signatures appear, with each a fifth lower than the previous.

Collection - is a group of unordered pitches/pitch classes that serves as musical materials for a work or a section of a work.

Diatonic- The collection of seven pitch classes that follows the pattern of the whole and half steps of the major scale.

Diatonic half step- A semitone spelled with different letter names for the two pitches. EX: D and E flat.

Dominant- The fifth scale degree

Key signature- the accidentals (or lack of accidentals) placed after the clef which indicate what the prevailing scale of the composition is.

Leading tone - scale degree 7 of the major and harmonic or ascending-melodic scale; a half step below the tonic

Major pentatonic - a five not subset of the diatonic collection that features scale degrees 1,2,3,5 and 6

Major Pentachord- an order or system of five sounds

Major Tetrachord- consists of the pattern W-W-H

Mediant - Scale degree 3. "Medial" position between 1 and 5

Scale

Tetrachord - A major scale can be separated into two groups of four. These groups are called tetrachords.

Tonic - the tone upon which a scale is built

Major Scale- A major scale is an ordered collection of pitches arranged according to the following pattern of whole and half steps: WWHWWWH..

Scale degree- A scale degree is a name for each pitch class of the scale, showing its relationship to the tonic pitch. Scale-degree names may be numbers, words, or solfege syllables.

Solfege: A singing system in which a particular is associated with a particular pitch (fixed-do) or a particular scale step (moveable-do). In fixed-do solfege, do is always C, re is always D... In moveable-do (the system we use in class), do is always the tonic, re is always the supertonic...

Subdominant: Scale degree 4.

1. How do the whole-and half-step patterns differ in the diatonic and chromatic scales? In a chromatic scale, the notes are all half steps apart. In a diatonic scale, the notes are arranged variously in patterns of whole steps and half steps to avoid repeating note names. 2. How can we identify the key of a work from its key signature for flat keys? For sharp keys? To identify flat keys, the key is the second to the last flat in the key signature because the last flat is the fourth note of a major scale. For the key of F, the last flat is B-flat so four notes down is F. To identify sharp keys, add a half step to the last sharp. If the key identified is already marked as a sharp, place the sharp in the key also.

3. What notation rules are important for writing the key signatures? What is the order of the sharps? of the flats? The next sharp in the key signature is the dominant tone of the last one, and for flats, it's the subdominant tone. F, C, G, D, A, E, B are the order of sharps while the flats are reversed.

4. Name three systems for identifying scale degrees. Why do we name scale degrees?

5. Find a passage of music for your instrument or voice that includes a portion of a chromatic scale. Do the same for a diatonic scale.