MUSIC THEORY TRAINING

TERMINOLOGIES
Chord: A combination of 3 or more notes that blend harmoniously when sounded together.
Chord Scale: All of the chord combinations that naturally occur in a major key. For instance, in C Major, the chord scale for worship music is C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, G/B,
back to C. These are numbered 1, 2m, 3m, 4, 5, 6m, 5 over 7 and back to 1.
Chromatic: Moving up or down in half steps.
Diatonic: The chords belonging to the key such as C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim.
Enharmonic: Two identical notes with different names, such as F#/Gb, D#/Eb, etc.
Function: Describes how a chord works in a progression. For example a 5/7 chord
(G/B) in the key of C functions as the vii (“7”) chord, which is normally diminished.
Half Step: The closest note above or below any given note.
Inversion: An alternate way to spell a chord in which the third or fifth is the bass note.
For example C/E (“C over E”) is the first inversion of the chord as the third is in the
bass. A C/G chord is the second inversion of the chord as the fifth is in the bass.
Key or Tone Center: The home notes and chords that belong together. For example,
in the key or tone center called “C Major”, the notes that belong are C-D-E-F-G-A-B.
The chords that belong are the chords of the chord scale, which are C, Dm, Em, F, G,
Am, G/B (“G Over B”) and back to C.
Key Signature: The number of sharps or flats indicated in written music notation.
Notes or Notes in the Scale: Musical pitches belonging in the key. Numbers are used
to refer to the notes in a scale such as C Major C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C is called 1 (also called
“root”)-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (same as 1).
Number System or Nashville Number System: A way to express notes (such as Mary Had a Little Lamb as 3-2-1-2-3-3-3) or
chords in any key
(Happy Birthday to You
Chords are I – 5 – 5 – I – I – 4 – 5 – I) that has become standard practice for musicians
around the world. Chords in C Major would be numbered I=C Major, 2m (Two
minor)=Dm, 3m (Three minor)=Em, 4=F Major, 5=G Major, 6m (Six minor) =Am,
7diminished gets changed to 5/7 (Five over 7)=G/B (G over B) and back to I.
Roman Numeral System: Prior to Nashville Number System, chords used to be
expressed as upper (Major/Augmented) and lower case (Minor/Diminished) Roman
numerals such as I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii° and back to I. For whatever reason, the only
Roman numeral still used is the I for the “1” chord (the root).
Root: The chord from which a chord is built. Also the lowest note in a triad or chord. (In
a C Major chord, C is the root.)
Scale: A group of notes played in sequence. A C Maj. Scale of C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C.
Spelling: To construct a chord by putting different notes together. C Major is spelled
C-E-G. C Major7 is spelled C-E-G-B.
Tone, Interval and Triad/Chord
Triad: A chord with three notes. Triads are either Major (Root-3-5), Minor (Root-b3-5),
Diminished (Root-b3-b5) or Augmented (Root-3-#5).
Whole Step: A series of two half-steps up or down. (C to D) or (C to Bb)

CHAPTERS
Half steps
Constructing a Scale
Inversions


Half step - The closest note above or below any given note.
Example key C
same as:
C#
Db
D
D#
Eb
E
F
F#
Gb
G
G#
Ab
A
A#
Bb
B
Enharmonic: Two identical notes with different names, such as F#/Gb,
D#/Eb, etc.

Chromatic: Moving up by half steps

Whole Step: Two Half-Steps
 
Practice what you just learned about half steps and whole steps. (Answers the following).
1. The closest note above or below any given note is a ___________.
2. A half step above G is ____. 3. A half step below C is ____.
4. A half step above D is ____. 5. A half step below F is ____.
6. A half step above Ab is ____. 7. A half step below B is ____.
8. A half step above C# is ____. 9. A half step below Db is ____.
**Remember a whole step is two 1⁄2 steps

10. A whole step above G is ____. 11. A whole step below C is ____.
12. A whole step above D is ____. 13. A whole step below F is ____.
14. A whole step above Ab is ____. 15. A whole step below B is ____.
16. A whole step above C# is ____. 17. A whole step below Db is ____.
18.A whole step above Gb is ____. 19. A whole step below Eb is ____.
20. (True or False) Some notes have two names, but sound the same.
21. (True or False) Numbers are used to describe individual notes,
like the melody of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”.
22. (True or False) Numbers are not used to describe chord
progressions.





Answers
Half-Step
G# or Ab
B
D# or Eb
E
A
A# or Bb
D
C
A
Bb
E
Eb
Bb
A
D#
Cb or B
Ab
Db
True
Here is the formula for creating a Major Scale :
T, T, 1/2T, T, T, T, 1/2T
Example C Major
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
C









THANK YOU EVERYONE.