Music Theory For Beginners

Music is a form of language. Just as mathematics is a very clear, workable concept, sound reception is treated in the same manner by the brain. The brain takes information about sound frequencies, does the math, and presents a clear audio picture of what is being sensed.

Beginning music students will have the advantage and a firm leg-up if they study and understand the basics of music theory. Learning why certain notes sound good together as chords or harmonies, why music scales are presented in the fashion they are, and why differences in frequency result in the actual note heard are all important parts of this study.

Understanding Music Notes

A piece of music is like a composition written in paragraphs, sentences, and individual words. Each written language has its own rules concerning spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Music is no different. A simple melody has the same, smaller compartments as does a paragraph of words.

The key element of a piece of written music is the combination of individual notes. Each note represents an audio frequency. The higher the frequency, the higher the note. The greater the amplitude of the sound wave, the louder the note.

The brain recognizes the difference between two sound frequencies simply by comparing the number of wave vibrations per unit of time. For example, if one note has frequency X, and the other note has frequency 2X, the first note reinforces the second note. The second note is one octave higher than the first note.

This is just a simple example of how mathematics is used in music theory. Beginning students will learn how these different note combinations affect how pleasing or displeasing the tone is.

Learning Music Scales

Octaves are, of course, repeated as the frequency of the notes increases. Math shows us that several different scales can be drawn up to represent the major tones that lie within one octave. Beginning music students will spend time understanding why these scales have been formulated and the major differences between them.

Tonal Qualities

These lessons familiarize the student with overall tonal quality. This allows the music composer to choose how the final piece will sound. A composition written in A Major, for example, will sound much different than a composition written in E Flat.

Music theory should not be thought of as a series of dreaded, boring exercises. In fact, the student who takes the time to understand basic music theory will have a much better feel for how the language of music is spoken, and more importantly, will know why different melodies paint an audio picture.

Music Theory For Beginners

John Trinh has been writing for 10+ years. He first delved into the world of writing when he wrote his first article for his university's paper. Since then, John has enjoyed writing about technology.