The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
The_Complete_Idiot%27s_Guide_To_Music_Theory
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many measures long the melody is, and how it’s broken up into phrases. Once<br />
you can dissemble a melody into its component parts, you should focus on each<br />
part separately.<br />
On what pitch does this part of the melody start? On what pitch does it end?<br />
On what pitch does the middle of the phrase end? If you try to pinpoint individual<br />
parts of the melody, it should be relatively easy to connect the dots and<br />
fill in the empty spaces with the proper passing and neighboring tones.<br />
Once you’ve written out the entire melody—including both pitches and rhythmic<br />
notes—remember to verify your accuracy by playing back the melody<br />
you’ve written. Compare the melody you play with the melody you first heard;<br />
the better you get, the closer they’ll match up.<br />
Hearing Keys<br />
Once you can notate a melody, you should be able to determine what key the<br />
song is in. For example, if your melody incorporates a B♭—but no other flat or<br />
sharp notes—it’s a good guess that the song is written in the key of F. (As you<br />
probably remember from Chapter 4, the key of F has a single flat.) If the<br />
melody has an F♯ and a C♯, you’re probably in the key of D.<br />
Another way to determine the key is to fix the home pitch of the melody. If the<br />
melody keeps resolving to G, chances are you’re in the key of G. (Unless, that<br />
is, the melody is minor—in which case, you could be in the key of G minor.)<br />
Test your guess by using your instrument to play a major scale in the designated<br />
key, while the original song is playing. If all the notes fit, you’ve guessed right.<br />
If not, try a related key—a key one or two steps away on the circle of fifths.<br />
Hearing Chords and Chord Progressions<br />
Lesson 6, Track 41<br />
<strong>The</strong> last piece of the puzzle concerns the underlying chord structure. You need<br />
to hear when the chords change, and what they change to.<br />
When determining chords, it helps to listen to the song’s bass line. If you listen<br />
to the notes the bass is playing, 9 times out of 10 the main notes—all embellishment<br />
aside—will be the root notes of the underlying chords. For example, if you<br />
know the song is in the key of C and the bass player plays, in successive measures,<br />
C, A, F, and G, it’s a good guess that the chord progression is C-Am-F-G.<br />
You should also listen carefully to determine whether you’re hearing a major or<br />
a minor chord. Remember, major chords are happy sounding; minor chords are<br />
a little sad.<br />
Once you’ve figured out the chords in the song, you should test your chord<br />
transcription against the melody you’ve previously transcribed. Make sure the<br />
notes of the melody fit within the chord structure; if not, you probably need to<br />
rethink a few chords.<br />
Chapter 12: Transcribing What You Hear<br />
163<br />
Tip<br />
If you’re having<br />
trouble hearing the<br />
chords, you can<br />
always try to figure<br />
out the chords from the<br />
notes of the melody, which<br />
you learned how to do<br />
back in Chapter 10.