GuitarSam eZine Volume 28 February 2001   Subscribe Email us Back to Index

Edly: Music Theory

What is music theory, anyway? You hear so much about it, but does anybody really know what it is? Edly does!   Scales? Chords? Keys? Ear-training? Modes? Toads?   If you need help connecting the musical dots or playing musical works, send us your best (or dumbest) questions, and we'll have Edly, one of Earth's leading music theory experts, field the responses. Hello Edly, I've read your book and have enjoyed it. I have a question about song patterns. You list the basic parts of songs such as verse, chorus, the coda, introduction, phrases, etc. Then you describe some different structures, i.e., ways in which phrases are combined, such as AABA, ABBA, AABBCC, etc. What's confusing me is how these parts relate. Is the structure found within a chorus or verse or does the structure consist of verses and chorus? Or is the answer both? Chris Cape Neddick ME   Howdy, Neighbah! Glad you enjoyed the book. Good question about song anatomy. The quick answer is, "it depends." In so-called jazz standards (show tunes, etc.), a chorus typically consists of four phrases, AABA, respectively. More often than not, the verses are omitted, and in the case of many older songs, are all but forgotten. In Celtic music (jigs & reels, etc.) and other folk forms, the letters generally refer to repetitions of entire sections (each section usually consisting of four phrases), and one typical form is AABB(CC), although sometimes you find things like AAB. The order of the phrases varies from song to song. In classical music, Rondo form is usually described as ABACADAE, etc. In this case, the letters refer to sections rather than phrases. Lastly, in pop music, whatever the phrases make-up of the verses and choruses, there's too much variation in how verses and choruses come to codify exactly, but a common technique is to delay the first chorus by repeating the verse first: verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, etc. Hope this helps. With a bit of practice, you'll be able to pick out all these form anatomies by ear. Edly www.edly.com

Two great books from Ed Roseman www.edly.com Edly's Music Theory for Practical People Edly Paints the Ivories Blue  To get your head keyed in the right direction, visit Edly's website "Musical EdVentures" at www.edly.com  Beam your music theory questions to us at askedly@guitarsam.com An Edly Quickie What is a ghost note and how do you play one? A "ghosted" note is one that is played more gently than others, often so gently that it's hard to tell exactly what note it is. It's a very expressive technique.

ISSN: 1529-0956 Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. USA
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