Chord Spelling
Understanding Chord Symbols
With the growing interest in Jazz and other forms of music, I find more and more people asking about chord symbols and chord construction. While there are many books out there on the market, there is very little explanation of how chords symbols are interpreted. I’d like to share some of my insight with all you music enthusiasts. In many song sheets chords are given for guitar or keyboard players. Functional names are not used for this purpose. Instead, the root and quality of the chord are given in what may be termed lead-sheet notation (for example, Amaj and F#dim7).
Chord symbols are made up of 3 component parts:
1. The ROOT
The alphabetical name of a chord.
i.e. A, Bb, G F# etc.
2. The Chord Type
Indicating either Major, minor, dominant, augmented or diminished.
3. The extension:
Tones added to the basic three note chord (triad) that changes its sound but not its type. Extensions are represented by scale step numbers i.e. 9, 11, 13
Here are the basic chord types:
MAJOR indicated by GMaj., GMa, GM or just G (Note: the capitol “M” is used to designate Major chords.) Major chords are sometimes written without chord type designation. Symbols are also used to designate Major chords i.e. , .
Minor Indicated by Gmin., Gmi, Gm or G- (NOTE: The lower case “m” is used to designate minor chords).
Dominant 7 Indicated with only the root and extension numbers. Since some major chords and all dominant 7 chords can be written without chord type designations, the following will help you to distinguish between a major chord and a dominant chord: If the FIRST extension number following the root or letter name of the chord is 7 or greater, and it does not specifically state major or minor then it is a dominant chord.
EXAMPLE: C7b5, C13, C9 and C7sus4 are all dominant chords, but Cm11 is a minor chord and CMaj.9 is a major chord.
If the FIRST extension number following the root or letter name of the chord is 6 or under, it is a major chord.
EXAMPLE: C6/9, C2, Csus4 are all major chords
Augmented
These are 3 note chords indicated by G aug, G+, or G#5
EXCEPTION: G+7 is always a dominant chord as is G7#5
Diminished
Indicated by G dim, Gdim7, or Gº, or Gº7
Categories: Education, Instrument, Music, Symphony Tags: Chord Spelling, chords, guitar, music lesson, music theory, piano
Learning to Play Orchestra Music
Music industry has grown bigger each year. Many new musicians come and give new color to the face of music in the world. Industry music will never die because almost every one loves music although the music taste is different one to another. Pop, jazz, disco, classical music, up to traditional music, each has their own followers.
Among many musical performances from various musicians, orchestra still gets special place on the heart of music audiences and music business. This group of musicians that hold different instruments and perfectly play one composition of music will always succeed in putting charm to the ear of music listeners. People who want to enjoy music that is packed with rich sounds and high standard of excellence will come to the concert of orchestra. Nashville Orchestra is one example of a great orchestra who has total dedication to reach the highest standard of perfection in presenting music performance. Besides working hard to get the best achievements in musical performance, they also dedicate themselves to music education. They provide school of music for people to learn playing music instruments and to become a member of orchestra group.
You want to get involved in music business? You can start to learn music and appreciate every single tone that you produce.
Categories: Business, Education, Nashville, Symphony Tags: Education, Learning to Play Orchestra Music, Music Education, Nashville Orchestra, Play Orchestra, tot
Ballet Music Through The Ages
Right from the beginning, ballet and music have been uniquely intertwined. Without music ballet is nothing more than the empty motions of a ritual. Without the movement and rhythm of dance, music looses all vitality. And so, ballet as a doorway to human expression hinges on both music and dance.
Jean Baptiste Lully (1632-1687), the Italian-born French composer who founded the national French opera was not just a court composer to Louis XIV, but also a choreographer who produced court ballets for Molière’s plays. This probably explains why his productions never lacked an accompaniment. However, theatre productions of the eighteenth century turned composers away from ballet and toward the music of ballroom dancing.
This phase sustained its self straight through the nineteenth century with the exception of pieces by Russian classical composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) which include the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Sleeping Beauty.
In the twentieth century however, ballet came back to the spotlight. Once again considered a respectable art form, choreographers looked to the works of classical composers such as Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, Chopin, Brahms, and Handel to perform the art of ballet dancing too.
Many agree that ballet owes its very existence to the likes of those who are both composers and choreographers. Because being musicians in nature, they naturally pay close attention to ballet following the rhythmic structure of its accompaniment precisely. One who does not understand music can easily create ballet that looks good that in of itself, yet at the mercy of a great classical piece the novice falls short of expressing the true nature of the piece. Instead, they turn the production into a form of movement that is devoid of both art and beauty. The experts instead know when it is appropriate to go against the grain of the accompaniment to heighten those dramatic periods which capture their audience’s attention and leaves them breathless.
As we dawn a new era of music and dance, it’s undeniable that ballet will continue to change. However, just as music and dance have always been the best of friends, ballet will continue to find its new identity in the constantly changing music of today on Orchestra Nashville.
Categories: Education, Entertainment, Music, Practice Tags: ballerina, ballet, ballet dancing, Ballet Music Through The Ages, mati, Orchestra Nashville
