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Easy Music Theory Newsletter Free, from Spring Day Music
July 2002
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The Easy Music Theory Newsletter
July 2002 A Publication of Spring Day Music www.EasyMusicTheory.com (c)2002 Spring Day Music
Welcome!
You're receiving this newsletter because you own Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory on CD-ROM, or because you've signed up through our web site. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter.
The Contest! Yes, we have a winner. In the June Easy Music Mix listening challenge, you had to listen to three clips of guitar music, and tell us which one was from the Renaissance. If this is the first time you've listened to music in this way, then congratulations! Hope you had fun.
The June edition of the contest was won by Tarek Ibrahim El-Shennawy, of Alexandria, Egypt. Congratuations, Tarek!
On to the next listening challenge. It's at http://www.EasyMusicTheory.com/contest.html. You could win a CD!
By the way, have you noticed how much fun you can have studying music theory at a leisurely pace on your deck this summer? Yes, seriously! Many things slow down for the summer, and what better time to learn?
=========================== In This Issue 1. Applying Music Theory to Your Music Performance 2. Free Music Giveaway at Pantomime Music! 3. Why are You Home-Schooling? 4. Enharmonic Equivalents 5. I'm a Guitarist. Will Music Theory Help Me? 6. Structure Your Study of Music 7. Question of the Month: What Classical Music Should I listen to? 8. Skill-Testing Question
(Past issues are found at http://www.EasyMusicTheory.com/newsletter_archives.html )
============================= 1. Applying Music Theory to your Music Performance
Don't forget that the study of music theory is all about music. Music theory is about understanding music - about learning what you need to know to make better music. Did you know that you can learn in one lesson what it takes some very good musicians years to pick up by accident? Makes you wonder how great a good musician could be if they applied themselves to the study of music theory.
Sure - you can find out by experimenting that a C chord sounds pretty cool with an E in the bass... or you can study lesson 21 about chord inversions, and get the whole story about root position, first inversion and second inversion chords. Once you've learned that lesson, then you can experiment with a much broader horizon - a horizon made huge by your increased understanding.
So pick a lesson, and dig in. Think of the musical principles you're learning, and always think of ways to apply your newfound knowledge to making music. You know, if you can actually hear your choir singing a first inversion chord, and if you understand what you're hearing, then you're a huge step closer to tuning that chord. Imagine if everyone in your choir or band thought about music like this. You'll be amazed at how great you'll come to sound!
The more you know *about* music, the more you can concentrate *on* music.
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2. Free Music Giveaway at Pantomime Music!
In an earlier newsletter we mentioned Gary's own choral music publishing company, Pantomime Music, at www.PantomimeMusic.com . And if you sing in a choir, you've got a very good reason to go there right now. Gary has posted a new arrangement of a choral work there, and it's completely free. That's right, go to PantomimeMusic.com , and scroll down to the piece titled "When the Fair Maiden", which is a Polish Christmas carol. It's for SATB choir, and you can download each page (in PDF format) for free. This is an unheard of offer! It's not a partial sample - it's a complete arrangement that we're certain you'll want to make part of your choir's standard repertoire.
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3. Why are you Home-Schooling?
Many of you reading this newsletter are home-schoolers of one sort or another. Don't forget about our free article directed right at you! It's at http://www.easymusictheory.com/homeschool.html . If you're home-schooling your children, it's likely that one reason is because you want to strengthen your child's skills in the fine arts. Easy Music Theory is used by many people to teach students from the junior high level, all the way to college level. There's a good reason for this: Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory on CD-ROM is a complete course that is able to be understood by anyone at any level. In fact, one of the more common letters we get here at Spring Day Music is just how understandable and fun Gary makes the study of music theory. Make sure that Easy Music Theory is part of the fine arts curriculum in your home this coming year.
4. Enharmonic Equivalents
What's an "enharmonically equivalent" note? Okay, those are big words, so don't zone out on me! Enharmonic equivalents are different names for the same note. For example, the enharmonic equivalent of Db is C#. The enharmonic equivalent of G# is Ab. To get the full story, watch the video of Lesson 3 in Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory on CD-ROM. If you don't have the course yet, go to http://www.EasyMusicTheory.com and read all about it.
Now, how can we take advantage of our knowledge of enharmonic equivalents? Use 'em to make your life easier! Here's one way. Let's say you play guitar or keyboard, and you want to take a song that's written in G major, and play it one semitone higher. What's the new key? G# major? . Yes... and no. Yes, because G# is one semitone higher than G, but no, because there's actually no such thing as a G# major scale in the "normal" sense. The seventh note of the scale would actually be f-double-sharp, and in standard usage, we don't use double-sharps in key signatures. And man, who'd want to play 8 sharps, when you can instead use the enharmonic equivalent of G#, which is Ab. That's four flats instead of eight sharps. Much better. That's how enharmonic equivalents can make your life easier.
5. I'm a Guitarist. Will Music Theory Help Me?
Strange, but that's got to be one of the most common questions we get asked here at Spring Day Music. Take out "guitarist" and put in "singer", and you've got the second most common question! And our answer is always the same: of COURSE it will help you! In fact, your progress in any instrument, even with formal lessons, will be stunted unless you are combining your instrument study with the study of music theory. After all, music theory teaches you all about the staff, notes, scales, rhythms, chords, chord progressions, chord inversions, modes, and more. Now what could be better than a good dose of music theory to accompany your instrument lessons? Music theory is the study of how music works. Use it to increase your proficiency on your musical instrument or voice.
And speaking of guitarists, in the 22nd century, how many guitar players will you need to replace a light source? Answer: Five. One to actually do it, and four to reminisce about how much better the old tubes were. :-)
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6. Structure Your Study of Music
Don't slide your way through music, even if it's a hobby. Dedicate yourself to the study of music theory, and you'll truly be amazed at how advanced you'll become. If you haven't started, start now. You can make decisions at any time - not just New Year's Day. Decide now that you are going to become an educated musician. I'll wait a second... okay, you've decided? Good!
And now that you've decided, make the adventure as easy and as fun as possible. Use Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory on CD-ROM. You can buy it at http://www.EasyMusicTheory.com/buyemt1.html .
Easy Music Theory is divided into 25 lessons that have a logical flow. When you follow the video along with the book, it's like private lessons for a tiny fraction of the price of private lessons.
We continue to get tons of email telling us how much Easy Music Theory has meant to folks all over the world. If you haven't started the course yet, what are you waiting for?!
7. Question of the Month: What Classical Music Should I listen to?
At Spring Day Music, we're working on a mini-publication called the Easy Music Theory Survival Guide, which is going to contain a ton of interesting, useful (and bit eclectic!) music information in a pocket-sized 12 page booklet. It will be a ready-reference for your musical studies. One of the pages is going to be dedicated to a recommended listening list. Why? Because music isn't just a bunch of rules and insider secrets. It's about making music. Music theory comes to life in music.
Now, the study of music theory does not require you to listen to, or enjoy, classical music. But you will find classical music contains many easy-to-study examples of music theory principles. And so for those of you who want to start listening to some of the great music of the classical composers, you need a list that gives you the great works of the ages.
A comprehensive list of works known to be "great" would still number in the thousands. That'll take you a while, so I'm giving you a starting point in this short article.
If you listened to last month's contest ( http://www.EasyMusicTheory.com/contest.html ), you know that "classical" music is actually comprised of several periods of music, of which just one period is the "classical" period.
Here's an extremely abbreviated list of recommended listening, beginning back around the year 300ad. and moving to the present. You can find many of these piece at your local library, and in fact, you may find many of these piece of music at discount prices in the classical section of C stores, especially those in bigger cities.
If you can't locate a piece of music, try something else by that composer, and you'll get a feel for the style of composition at the time.
A. The "Medieval" Period (c. 300ad - 1450ad): Gregorian Chant (also called Plainsong or Plainchant) - This is the music of the early Christian Church, and serves as the beginnings of the evolution of most western music. Listen to: Gregorian Chant- Various
B. The "Renaissance" Period (c. 1450 to c. 1600ad): Composer: Giovanni Palestrina (1525-1594): Leading composer of the "High Renaissance" (16th Century) Listen to: Mass: Pope Marcellus Mass (Missa Papae Marcelli); also listen to:Various Motets, hymns, sacred madrigals.
C. The "Baroque" Period (c. 1600 to 1750ad): Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Revered by many musicians as the world's greatest composer. Listen to: The Brandenburg Concertos; also listen to Contata No. 147 (Herz un Mund)
D. The "Classical" Period (c. 1750 to 1820) Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 -1791) A true genius, who was considered by many to be a mature composer at the age of fourteen. Listen to: Symphony No. 40 in G-Minor; also listen to Piano Concerto No. 25 in C (K.503)
E. The "Romantic" Period (c. 1820 to 1900) Composer: Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827) A student of Haydn's, his music is said to be monumental, and serves as the seeds of the Romantic era. Listen to: Symphony No. 9 in D; also listen to Piano Concerto No. 5 in Eb
Composer: Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). A champion of classical forms amid the Romantic era. Listen to: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
F. 20th - 21st Century (1900 to present) Composer: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). He was a leading figure in neoclassicism, twelve-tone music, and other forms of the avant-garde. Listen to: Le Sacre de Printemps (The Rite of Spring)
8. Skill-Testing Question
Someone plays a scale that follows all of the rules of a scale, and yet it is not a major scale, nor a minor scale. What kind of scale is it? The answer is found in Lesson 23 of Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory on CD-ROM.
=========================== That's it for this month's Easy Music theory Newsletter. Questions or comments? Send 'em! You can reach us at emtinfo@easymusictheory.com. You can unsubscribe at unsubscribe@easymusictheory.com
=========================== Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory represents the finest in music theory instruction. If you play an instrument or sing in a choir, you can expand your musical horizons by learning music theory.
Get all the information at http://www.EasyMusicTheory.com
=============================== Why not forward this email newsletter to a friend? Until next month... study and practice! Lather, rinse, repeat...
This newsletter is copyright (c) 2002 Spring Day Music, a division of Corporate Impact Inc. Contact us at 902-830-3994, or emtinfo@easymusictheory.com
Newsletter editor: David Ewer Music education content: Gary Ewer and David Ewer
Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory(tm), Easy Music Theory(tm), and Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory on CD-ROM!(tm) are trademarks of Spring Day Music
Did you know you can watch Gary teaching music theory? Gary makes music theory easy! Buy Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory on CD-ROM, and you'll get more of the teaching you've come to enjoy from Gary, plus all-new worksheets (these are great!), new quizzes, and answer sheets. But the greatest feature of the double-CD-ROM course is the awesome videos of Gary teaching each lesson. Don't miss out. Click here to learn more, or click here to purchase now. It's completely guaranteed!
www.EasyMusicTheory.com Spring Day Music 902-830-3994 emtinfo@EasyMusicTheory.com
©2001 Spring Day Music. All rights reserved Gary Ewer's Easy Music Theory is a trade mark of Spring Day Music, a div. of Corporate Impact Inc. Contact us at emtinfo@EasyMusicTheory.com
