Years of classroom experience and a thoughtful reappraisal of the skills needed in today’s musical world are reflected in Ralph Turek's new theory text. This unique project merges traditional topics such as part writing (pared and prioritized in light of current practice) and harmony (diatonic, chromatic, neotonal and atonal) with less traditional topics such as counterpoint and musical process, and with non-traditional topics such as popular-based song writing and harmonic principles in jazz and the blues.
In a style that reads more like a novel than a textbook, Theory for Today's Musician employs precise and articulate prose seasoned with “a pinch of humor, a sprinkle of analogy, and a dash of vignette.” It considers the classical, folk, popular, and jazz repertoires in equal measure, probing connections among them and offering fresh and unique perspectives. In support of his guiding principle that “If they’re not reachable, they’re not teachable,” the author has scoured the classical literature in search of familiar examples not often included in theory texts and has chosen popular, jazz, TV, and film-score examples for their durability and interest. The single-volume text is packaged with a CD-ROM containing over 350 music examples; a student workbook, and a workbook CD-ROM are available for separate purchase.
UNIT ONE: IN LIEU OF FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1: Assorted PreliminariesPart
One: Matters of PitchThe staff; Clefs; The grand staff; Solmization; The
hexachord system; AccidentalsPart Two: Modes, Scales, and Evolution Church
modes; Evolution of scales; Musica fictaPart Three: Metric Matters Meter;
The dot; Early meter signatures; HypermeterPart Four: Sound The harmonic
series; The Legend of Pythagoras; Equal temperamentDrills and
AssignmentsChapter 2: IntervalsPerspective: Five Ways of Looking at an
Interval Part One: White-Key Intervals Numerical value and quality;
Chromatic alterationPart Two: Intervals of the Major ScalePart Three: This
and That about Intervals Enharmonic intervals; Inversion; Simple versus
compound; Diatonic versus chromatic; Consonance versus dissonanceDrills and
AssignmentsUNIT TWO: DIATONIC HARMONY
Chapter 3: Basic Harmonic
StructuresPart One: Triads Harmony and chord; The basic triadsPart
Two:Inversion Inversion and bass line; Determining inversionPart Three:
Seventh Chords Classification; Diatonic seventh-chord types; Inverted seventh
chordsDrills and AssignmentsChapter 4: Musical Shorthand: Lead Sheets and
Figured Bass Part One:Lead-Sheet Notation Lead-sheet and chord symbols;
Expanded symbols; Passing tonesPart Two: Figured Bass NotationThe continuo;
Figured bass rules Drills and AssignmentsChapter 5: Harmonies of the Major
and Minor ScalesPart One:The Diatonic Chords of a Key Diatonic triads in
major; Diatonic triads in minor; Roman numeral symbols; Roman numerals
versus lead sheet symbols; Showing inversionPart Two:Functional Tonality
Chord stability; The circle of fifths; Harmonic function; Ground bass
patterns; Major and minor comparedPart Three: More on Seventh
ChordsSymbolizing seventh chords; Half-diminished versus fully-diminished
seventh chordDrills and AssignmentsChapter 6: Cadences/Harmonic RhythmPart
One: Cadences Cadences and style; Standard cadences; Cadential variants;
Summary of Standard Cadences Part Two: Harmonic Rhythm Common patterns;
Harmonic syncopation; Metric shiftDrills and AssignmentsUNIT THREE: MELODY
Chapter 7: Melodic Pitch and RhythmPart One: Range, Interval Structure, and
Gesture Range; Interval structure; GesturePart Two: Repetition Motive;
Exact repetition; SequencePart Three: Melodic TonalityScale and arpeggio;
Large-scale events; Recognizing important pitches; Tonic-dominant axisDrills
and AssignmentsChapter 8: Embellishing TonesPart One: Step-Step
Combinations Passing tone; neighbor tonePart Two: Step-Leap Combinations
Appoggiatura; incomplete neighbor; escape tone; changing tonesPart Three:
Step-Repetition Combinations Anticipation; suspension; retardation;
Rearticulated suspensions; Suspensions over a change of bass; Chain
suspensionPart Four: Embellishing Tones and Style Multiple embellishing
tones; Embellishing tones in jazz; Embellishing tones as motives; Pedal
point; The embellishing chord toneSummary of Embellishing Tones Drills and
Assignments
Chapter 9: Melodic FormPart One: The Phrase Some definitions;
Phrase lengths; The cadence; Phrase relationshipsPart Two: Combining and
Extending Phrases The period; The phrase group; The double period; Cadential
elision; Phrase extension; Phrasing and style Drills and AssignmentsChapter
10: Composing MelodiesPart One: Constructing a Melody from a Motive The
initial melodic idea; The harmonic factor; Devising a harmonic planPart Two:
Composing a Melody to a Harmonic Pattern Drills and AssignmentsUNIT FOUR:
VOICE LEADING
Chapter 11: Melodic Principles of Part Writing/ Voicing and
Connecting Chords Perspective: Why Four Parts? Part One: Melodic Principles
Ranges; Interval motion; Leaps; Sensitive tones; Soprano-bass
counterpointPart Two: Voicing Chords Spacing; Doubling; Alternative
doubling; Incomplete triadsPart Three: Connecting Chords Consecutive perfect
consonances; Voice crossing and overlap; Connecting chords that contain
common tones; Connecting chords that do not contain common tonesDrills and
AssignmentsChapter 12: The Chorale/Part Writing with Root-Position
TriadsPart Writing and GolfPart One: The Chorale Perspective on the chorale;
Melodic featuresPart Two: Part Writing with Root-Position Triads The "short
rule" for connecting chords; Fifth relationship; Third Relationship; Second
Relationship; Part writing the deceptive cadenceExpanded Guidelines for
Connection ChordsPart Three: Part Writing Suspensions9-8 Suspension; 4-3
Suspension; 2-3 RetardationDrills and AssignmentsChapter 13: Part Writing
with Triads in InversionPerspective Part One: First Inversion Inversion and
bass line; Doubling; Chord connection; Inversion and harmonic weight;
Suspensions; 7-6 suspension; 2-3 suspensionPart Two: Second Inversion
Cadential six-four; Passing six-four chord; Pedal six-four chord; Arpeggiated
six-four chord; Six-four chord variantsVoice-Leading Practices: A
SummaryDrills and AssignmentsChapter 14: Part Writing Seventh
ChordsPerspective Part One: Dominant-Functioning Seventh Chords Voice
leading in the V7; The seventh as embellishing tone; The unresolved leading
tone; The ascending seventh; Delayed resolution; The viiø7 and viio7Part
Two: Non-Dominant Seventh Chords Function; Resolution; Frequency;
Inversion; Incomplete seventh chords; Altered forms; Seventh chords and
chainsuspensions; The I7Drills and AssignmentsUNIT FIVE: BASIC CHROMATIC
HARMONY
Chapter 15: Secondary Function IPart One: Secondary Dominants
Tonicization; The V/x; The secondary leading tone; The tonicing tritone; The
V7/x; Common musical contexts; Harmonic sequencePart Two: Secondary
Leading-Tone Chords The viio/x, viio7/x, and viiø7/xDrills and
AssignmentsChapter 16: Secondary Function IIPreliminary NotePart One: Jazz
and Popular Styles V7/x in barbershop harmony and ragtime; The tonicizing
chord group in bop and beyond; viio7/x; bVII as IV/IVPart Two: Voice
Leading and Harmonization Drills and Assignments
Chapter 17: Modulation
IPerspective: A Preliminary Quiz Part One: Modulation by Common Chord The
common chord; The pre-dominant in modulation; Multiple common chords;
Closely related keysPart Two: Chromatic Modulation Common contexts; Types
of chromatic modulation; Evaluating multiple accidentals; Modulation of
tonicization?Drills and Assignments UNIT SIX: COUNTERPOINT
Chapter 18: The
Art of CountermelodyPart One: Two-Voice Counterpoint Motion; 1:1
Counterpoint; Converting 1:1 to 2:1; Essentials of counterpoint; Converting
2:1 to 4:1; Jazz and popular StylesPart Two: Fun with CounterpointCreating
a bass; Melodizing the bass; Adding a third voice; Polyphony versus
homophonyDrills and Assignments
Chapter 19: J.S. Bach's Two-Part Inventions
Part One: The Invention Motive and countermotive; Contrapuntal devices
Part Two: Invention No. 6Analysis; Invertible counterpoint; Tonality;
Harmony;Implied harmony; FormDrills and Assignments
Chapter 20: The
FuguePart One: The Basics of FugueSubject and answer;The exposition; The
countersubject; The development; Episodes and entries; The recapitulation;
Summary; Stretto; Counterexposition; The codaPart Two: AnalysisJ. S.
Bach: Fugue No. 16 (WTC I); Analytic comments; CodaDrills and
AssignmentsUNIT SEVEN: ADVANCED CHROMATIC HARMONY
Chapter 21:Mixing
ModesPerspective: Adding to the Palette Part One: Change of Mode Change
of mode as musical contrast; Mode and mood; Keys related through mode
mixture; Enharmonic change of modePart Two: Modal Borrowing Modal borrowing
versus change of mode; Common borrowed harmonies; Modal borrowing and
stylePart Three: Chromatic-Third Relationships Diatonic- versus
chromatic-third relationships; Common chromatic-third relationships;
CodaDrills and Assignments
Chapter 22: Altered Pre-dominantsPerspectivePart
One: The Neapolitan Sixth ChordThe Neapolitan chord; The harmonic nature
of the Neapolitan; Inserting the cadential six-four chordPart Two:
Augmented Sixth ChordsThe augmented sixth interval; Augmented sixth chord
types; Constructing an augmented sixth chord; The doubly augmented fourth
chord; Voice leading; CodaDrills and AssignmentsChapter 23: Other
Chromatic Harmonies Part One: Altered Dominants Part Two: Embellishing
Diminished Seventh Chords Functional versus embellishing o7; Spelling the
embellishing o7; CodaDrills and Assignments
Chapter 24: Modulation
IIPerspective: In Search of the Harmonic Truth Part One: Recognizing
Signals: The Three Cs The tell-tale tones; Clue chords; Cadences; Thinking
through a modulationPart Two: Back to the Tonal Border Common chord
modulation; Chromatic modulation; Chromatic pivot; Enharmonic pivotPart
Three: The Secret Lives of Chords The enharmonic German sixth chord; The
enharmonic diminished seventh chord; CodaDrills and Assignments
Chapter 25:
Selected Harmonic Structures and TechniquesPart One: Triadic Extensions
Dominant ninth chords; Secondary dominant ninth chords; Other ninth chords;
The dominant eleventh chord; The minor eleventh chord; Thirteenth chordsPart
Two: Linear ChromaticismChord mutation Part Three: Harmonic Sequence
Drills and Assignments UNIT EIGHT: ARRA
NGING,COMPOSING, AND ANALYSIS
Chapter 26: Harmonic Principles in Jazz
Perspective: What's the Difference? Part One: Extending the Triad Basic
seventh chords and their extensions; Voicing; Template 1 and Template 2Part
Two: Chord Substitution Origins; Simple tonicization; The turnaround;
Tritone substitution in the turnaround; Extended tonicization;
Tritone-related chords; Substitution guideline; Expanded tritone
substitutionPart Three: Implied Lines Reading between the chords; Auxiliary
chords, CodaDrills and Assignments
Chapter 27: The BluesPerspectivePart One:
Blues Form and Harmonic PracticeEarly blues; Twelve-bar blues; The basic
blues today; Substitute harmonies; Minor bluesPart Two: Blues Melodic
PracticeBlue notes; Blue-note scales; Blue-note scales in minor bluesPart
Three: Blues VariantsSixteen-bar blues; Accompaniment styles; CodaDrills
and Assignments
Chapter 28: Form, Process, and DramaPart One: An Experiment
Part Two: Three Ways of Looking at Form Visual versus aural symmetry;
Motivic analysis; Musical processes; Similarity and contrastPart Three:
Dramatic Shape Shape; Creating musical tension; Texture; CodaDrills and
AssignmentsChapter 29: Binary and Ternary FormsPerspective Part One:
Statement-Restatement Chopin: Prelude, Op. 28, No. 7; Clementi: Sonatina,
Op. 31, No. 1 (Vivace); The codaPart Two: Statement-Contrast Bach: French
Suite No. 5 (Gavotte); Asymmetric binary form Part Three:
Statement-Contrast-Restatement Beethoven: Sonata, Op. 14, No. 2 (Second
Movement); Desmond: Take Five; The bridge; Schumann: Kinderscenen, Op.15,
No. 6; Rounded binary versus ternary form; CodaDrills and Assignments
Chapter 30: Shaping a SongPerspective Part One: Text Text and lyrics;
Text setting; Form; Text/melody relationship; Text paintingPart Two:
Accompaniment Piano styles; Prelude, postlude, and interludePart Three:
Composing a Song Text scansion;"Rhythmicizing" the text; Constructing the
melody; The accompanimentDrills and Assignments UNIT NINE:
TWENTIETH-CENTURY TECHNIQUESChapter 31: Syntax and VocabularyPart One:
SyntaxNon-functional tonality; Planing; The augmented triad; Modality;
Modal cadencesPart Two: New Melodic and Harmonic StructuresPentatonic
scales; Quartal and quintal harmonies; Whole-tone scale; Other scalesDrills
and Assignments
Chapter 32: NeotonalityPerspectivePart One: New Tonal
AdventuresQuartal harmonies; Polychords; Polytonality; Bimodality;
PandiatonicismPart Two: Stravinsky and BartókStravinsky: The Rite of
Spring; Bartók: Boating (from Mikrokosmos, Vol. V)Drills and
AssignmentsChapter 33: Atonality and Twelve-TonalityPerspectivePart One:
AtonalityCell; Enharmonic equivalence; Pitch class; Interval class; Set;
Set type; Normal order; Analytical hintsPart Two: Twelve-TonalityThe
twelve-tone method; Row forms; Index numbers and order numbers;
Segmentation; Choosing a row; Findingthe row; CodaDrills and
AssignmentsAppendix A: PitchPart One: Pitch and its NotationPitch and
frequency; The staff and clefs; Notating pitches above and below the staff;
Half steps and whole steps; Chromatic alteration; Accidentals; Enharmonic
equivalents; Diatonic versus chromatic half stepsPart Two: Scales and
KeysThe chromatic scale; The major scale; Transposition; Key signatures; The
circle of fifths; Relative major and minor keys; The minor scale forms;
Parallel major and minor keysDrills and AssignmentsAppendix B: RhythmPart
One: Elements of the Proportional SystemRhythm defined; The tie and dot;
AccentPart Two: Meter and MeasureMeter and measure defined; Barlines;
Simple meter signatures; Compound meter signatures; Borrowed divisions of
the beat; Syncopation and hemiolaPart Three: Notating RhythmDots and ties;
Beams; Notating restsDrills and AssignmentsAppendix C: Basic Lead-Sheet
Chord SymbolsAppendix D: Part-Writing GuidelinesGlossaryIndex
Ralph Turek holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition from the University of Cincinnati College -- Conservatory of Music. He has held teaching posts at George Mason University, the University of Maryland, and The University of Akron, where he is Professor of Music Composition and Coordinator of Graduate Studies. He is the author of The Elements of Music: Concepts and Applications and of Analytical Anthology of Music, both published by McGraw-Hill. In Theory for Today's Musician, the author brings to bear insights and pedagogy acquired over a long career of teaching music theory, analysis, and composition informed by a background in jazz and arranging; as well as other experience that includes program annotation and fiction writing. The result is a textbook unique in style, tone, and relevance to todays practicing musician and music educator.
