Staveinvaders - Music Help and MP3's, Learning Games

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C is to Music what A is to the Alphabet.

How to read the stave - PowerPoint Demo

How to read the Bass Clef - PowerPoint Demo

Finding notes on the guitar - PowerPoint Demo

Chords
We use notes from the major scale to build chords. A chord is 3 or more notes played at once. For instance, to play a major chord, we play notes 1,3,5 from the scale. So the C Major chord would be notes: C, E, G.

There are many more chords than the ones below, but these are a great place to start. Memorize them all by downloading chords.zip(FREE Download) and using it regularly.

C Major Scale notes named - MP3 describing what notes are in the scale

C Major Chord - MP3 on how to construct one on an instrument

C Minor Chord - MP3 on how to construct one on an instrument

C Diminished Chord - MP3 on how to construct one on an instrument

C Augmented Chord - MP3 on how to construct one on an instrument

Major	1	3	5		C	E	G
minor (m)	1	b3	5		C	Eb	G
diminished (0)	1	b3	b5		C	Eb	Gb
Augmented (+)	1	3	#5		C	E	G#
Major7 (Maj7)	1	3	5	7	C	E	G	B
minor7 (m7)	1	b3	5	b7	C	Eb	G	Bb

Intervals
An interval is the distance between two notes. The smallest interval on most instruments is a half-step, also called a semitone. This is one fret on the guitar, or from a black note to the next white note on the keyboard/piano.

Absolute beginners don't need to learn all the intervals, but you will want to learn some pretty early on so you can learn to play along to recordings. The first intervals a beginner should learn are the Perfect 4th, and Perfect 5th. Thats 5 half-steps for Perfect 4th, and 7 half-steps for P5.

Here are the whole lot: They all have their own feeling, so play them and explore!!

Interval name	Abbreviation	Number of half-steps	Example
minor 2nd	m2	1	C - Db
Major 2nd	M2	2	C - D
minor 3rd	m3	3	C - Eb
Major 3rd	M3	4	C - E
Perfect 4th	P4	5	C - F
diminished 5th	dim5	6	C - Gb
Perfect 5th	P5	7	C - G
Augmented 5th	Aug5	8	C - G#
Major 6th	M6	9	C - A
minor 7	m7	10	C - Bb
Major 7th	M7	11	C - B
Perfect Octave	P Oct	12	C - C

A Major interval made smaller by a semitone/fret becomes a minor interval. Note the use of capital 'M' for Major, and lower case 'm' for minor. This is a convention. Maj7 is Major 7. m7 is minor 7.

This means that the interval of 8 semitones/half steps/frets could have two name. An Augmented 5th (C to G#), and a minor 6th (C to Ab).

Scales
Scales are described in term of the Major scale. C Major on the piano is only white notes, from C to C an Octave higher.

Major:	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
In C:	C	D	E	F	G	A	B	C

C Major Scale MP3 played on Piano: Click to hear, right click to save.

C Minor Scale MP3 played on Piano: Click to hear, right click to save.

Also relevent: scales.exe , eartrain.exe

Minor:	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	b7	8
In C:	C	D	Eb	F	G	Ab	Bb	C

C Minor Scale MP3 played on Piano: Click to hear, right click to save.

Also relevent: scales.exe , eartrain.exe

Minor Scales: There are 3 minor scales: Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, and Melodic minor

Natural Minor:	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	b7	8
In C:	C	D	Eb	F	G	Ab	Bb	C

Harmonic Minor:	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	7	8
In C:	C	D	Eb	F	G	Ab	B	C

Used for getting our chords when we play in minor. The sharpened 7th gives us a major V Chord when we playing in minor. Build a triad on each note of the scale to get the 3 note chords for the key.

Melodic Minor Up:	1	2	b3	4	5	6	7	8
In C:	C	D	Eb	F	G	A	B	C

Melodic Minor Down: (Natural Minor)	1	2	b3	4	5	b6	b7	8
In C:	C	D	Eb	F	G	Ab	Bb	C

Italian Terms

Term	Meaning	Italian
p	quiet	piano
f	loud	forte
mp	moderately quiet	mezzo piano
mf	moderately loud	mezzo forte
pp	very quiet	pianissimo
ff	very loud	fortissimo
cresc.	gradually getting louder	crescendo
decresc.	gradually getting quieter	decrescendo

Transposing Instruments

If you want to come up with brass or woodwind parts for your songs, you will need to know which key to write them in.

If you are playing a song in the key of C on your guitar, and your friend plays Bb Trumpet, then DON'T write a part for him in C and expect it to sound good when he plays it with you. You need to transpose the part UP a MAJOR 2ND HIGHER, into the key of D (with 2 #'s) for them to sound right together. If you are composing on a computer it's easy to transpose it up or down by any interval.

So it depends which key your "C Instrument" is in, to determine which key to put your other instruments in. By "C Instrument", I don't mean that you are necessarily playing in the key of C, but you are playing a Guitar, Piano, or Flute for instance. If you are on any of these instruments, go down the "C Instrument" column to find the key you are in. Then across to the right you will see what key to put your transposing instruments into.

Here are some "C Instruments": Piano, Guitar, Double bass, Trombone, Flute, Violin, Cello, Oboe, Celeste, Piccolo, Soprano recorder, Xylophone, Glockenspiel, Tuba.

Here are some "Bb Instruments": Trumpet, Tenor saxophone, Cornet, Bb Clarinet, Soprano Saxophone.
Here are some "Eb Instruments": Alto Saxophone, Alto Clarinet
Here are some "F Instruments": English horn, French horn

Transposer.exe Free Download

Transposing Instruments Trainer .exe Free Download

C Instrument key	Bb Instrument key	Eb Instrument key	F Instrument key
C	D	A	G
D	E	B	A
E	F#	C#	B
F	G	D	C
G	A	E	D
A	B	F#	E
B	C#	G#	F#
Ab	Bb	F	Eb
Bb	C	G	F
Db	Eb	Bb	Ab
Eb	F	C	Bb
Gb	Ab	Eb	Db

Enharmonic Equivilents.
This is just a technical way of describing two note names that are in fact the same sound. You can describe any note in more than one way. You could say "C#" (said "C Sharp") or you could say "Db" (said "D Flat"). They are both the same sound. The same note on the keyboard. The same note on a guitar.
You can also have "double flat" ("bb") and "double sharp" ("# #").
Chromatic Scale. What is the chromatic scale? Its simply all the 12 notes in an octave:

Hear it: Chromatic Scale MP3

A A# B C C# D D# E F F# G G#

Notice that there is no sharp between B and C, and also between E and F in the scale. ALL THE OTHER ONES HAVE A SHARP. It is because of the chromatic scale that the enharmonic equivilents below work out the way they do.

What is the enharmonic equivilent of C? B#, and Dbb
What is the enharmonic equivilent of C#? Db
What is the enharmonic equivilent of D? Ebb, and C##
What is the enharmonic equivilent of D#? Eb
What is the enharmonic equivilent of E? F, D##
What is the enharmonic equivilent of F? E#, Gbb
What is the enharmonic equivilent of F#? Gb
What is the enharmonic equivilent of G? F##, Abb
What is the enharmonic equivilent of G#? Ab
What is the enharmonic equivilent of A? G##, Bbb
What is the enharmonic equivilent of A#? Bb
What is the enharmonic equivilent of B? Cb

So there you have it. Learn your chromatic scale through and through. Be able to write it out quickly. I often jot it down on paper or onto the white board to explain something to do with intervals in a precise way. Make sure you manifest what you have learnt on your instrument. HEAR the theory as sound. Don't just memorize it.

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