The beginnings of a Song Baby

Hello, Everyone,

You will be working independently today, each of you at your own computer using headphones. Your job is to begin considering how you might craft an original song that will show clear influences of several others. The criteria you should consider are:

Chord Progression

Groove (rhythmic style, how instruments interlock/interact)

Melodic ideas (the way melody hotes move against chords, phrasing)

Timbre (particular instrument choice and specific sound qualities)

Form (structure - sections of the song)

Go online (YouTube, TheoryTabs, Spotify, etc.) and do some active, critical listening to four songs of your choosing that you are interested in. On your blog, take specific notes with regard to the above criteria for each song, pointing out any ideas that you think are noteworthy. Theorytabs may be able to help you identify chord progressions and melodic ideas. You should end up with a brief write-up for each song. 

You will ultimately be writing a new song that may, for example, use a part of a chord progression from one song, played with the rhythmic groove from another, using the instrument sounds of another, and perhaps a melody line/shape from another. After writing your listening notes on your four songs, make some creative choices as to which part from each song you would like to use as a basis for a new song. Post your current thinking to your blog with the understanding that your ideas will change as you work on this. Nothing's in stone at this point, and you will surely need to try out your ideas in upcoming classes to see how things work.

Try to complete as much of this as possible in class today, and finish the rest for homework. You should be prepared to share your ideas at our next class. Please let me know if you have any questions.

More Teoria, Interval Ear Training

For homework tonight, you should do the same practice exercises on Teoria that you did yesterday...

Clef Reading: Treble & Bass clefs, Use notes over: Spaces/Lines/Ledger Lines, Answer using: Note, Tempo: No tempo, Stop after: 5 minutes.

Key Signature Construction: Major, do NOT limit to 4 accidentals, Sharps & Flats, Stop after 10 exercises.
Key Signature Identification: Major, do NOT limit to 4 accidentals, Sharps & Flats, Bass or treble clef, Stop after 10 exercises.

...and, to follow up on the work you did today in class with hearing, singing, and identifying the intervals of Major and Minor seconds and thirds, you should to the following on Teoria:

Interval Ear Training: m2, M2, m3, M3; ascending and descending; melodic and harmonic; answer using INTERVAL; complete 20 exercises.

Be sure you are signed in and that you save and send scores.

Teoria, fundamental exercises

Following up on our work in class today, it is important for you to have partake in some daily practice with some traditional notation fundamentals. Be sure you sign in to your teoria.com account prior to completing the exercises for the day. Here are the exercises and the parameters for each that you need to complete tonight:

Clef Reading: Treble & Bass clefs, Use notes over: Spaces/Lines/Ledger Lines, Answer using: Note, Tempo: No tempo, Stop after: 5 minutes.

Key Signature Construction: Major, do NOT limit to 4 accidentals, Sharps & Flats, Stop after 10 exercises.

Key Signature Identification: Major, do NOT limit to 4 accidentals, Sharps & Flats, Bass or treble clef, Stop after 10 exercises.

BE SURE to Save and or Send Scores as you complete each exercises. This is the only way I will see that you have completed this work and also allows me to see how well you are understanding the material. Please let me know if you have any questions.

"Traditional" music notation

Following up on our class today dealing with reading traditional notation from bass and treble clef, please complete the following:

• Read Chapter 1 of the Fundamentals textbook
• While reading, complete the following: Try It # 4 on p. 9, the Questions for Review and Reading Review on p. 14, on p. 19 complete A 'Letter Names', and on p. 20 complete D 'Reading Notes in treble and bass clefs' 

You may complete this work directly in your book, or print pages from the eBook.